Henfield Prize

An annual award in fiction

The University of Virginia is one of five universities to offer an annual Henfield Prize in fiction writing, with UVA Creative Writing Program's prize at $15,000. The Henfield Prize was developed by Joseph F. McCrindle, editor and publisher of The Transatlantic Review (See this UVA Today news article for more information).

Eligibility:

  • The author must be a currently enrolled graduate student in the UVA MFA in Creative Writing Program. This means third-year UVA MFA students may enter and that UVA MFA poetry students may also enter. MFA students on a leave of absence from the MFA Program may not enter because we cannot issue scholarships or awards to students who are not currently enrolled. Students who are in an affiliated status may not enter for the same reason. See UVA policy PROV-011 for details on LOAs and affiliated status.
  • The work must be fiction and unpublished (and unaccepted for publication) when submitted; unpublished work is ineligible if it has already won a publicized prize elsewhere. In short, the work needs to be new fiction that an outside judge will not have seen or heard about before.
  • The fiction must have been created or significantly revised while the writer was enrolled in our MFA program.
  • The work can be under consideration at one or more journals or publishers when submitted to the Henfield Prize. If the work is accepted for publication before the Henfield Prize is announced, we ask that the author make every attempt to delay all publication and promotional announcements until after the Henfield results are returned, which is usually in the first two weeks of May.
  • Prior winners of the Henfield Prize cannot enter. Just as with fellowships like the Guggenheim, we believe a single award per writer is best for all concerned.

Deadline:

Henfield Prize submissions are due by five p.m. on April 8 of each year (or the Monday after April 8th if that date falls on a weekend).

Format:

Submissions must be fiction—a short story; novel excerpt; or a group of shorter, linked stories—that is twenty-five (25) double-spaced pages or fewer. Put your submission's title at the top of the first page. Format the document with margins of at least one inch on all sides. We recommend using page numbers. Use a standard font and font size (usually twelve point), and standard double-spacing. Do not put your name or other identifying information on the manuscript. Please submit your work through the English Department Prizes system at uvacwp.org/prizes.

The judge will remain anonymous until the program announces results. We typically expect this announcement in the first weeks of May.

Tax Implications:

Much like MFA fellowship income, the Henfield Prize is taxable income but will not be reported by the university to the IRS or have automatic withholding. The prize recipient will be responsible for reporting this income and paying the appropriate taxes on it.

UVA Henfield Prize Recipients:

Alumni Award/Org Date/Book (if applicable)
Danny Eisenberg
(MFA-Fiction)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2024-05-09
Talia Isaacson
(MFA-Poetry 2024)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2023-05-11
Fiction
Nana Boateng
(MFA-Fiction 2023)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2022-05-11 (News)
Fiction
Raisa Tolchinsky
(MFA-Poetry 2022)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2021-05-15
Fiction
Aimee Seu
(MFA-Poetry 2020)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2020-05-05
Fiction
Piers Gelly
(MFA-Fiction 2019)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2019-05-04 (News)
Fiction
Anna Beecher
(MFA-Fiction 2020)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2018-05-05 (News)
Fiction
Philip Jason
(MFA-Fiction 2019)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2017-05-05 (News)
Fiction
Michael Sears
(MFA-Fiction 2016)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2016-05-30 (News)
Fiction
Emily Temple
(MFA-Fiction 2016)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2015-05-30 (News)
Fiction
Onyinye Ihezukwu
(MFA-Fiction 2015)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2014-05-30 (News)
Fiction
Alison Penning
(MFA-Fiction 2014)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2013-05-30 (News)
Fiction
Gregory Jackson
(MFA-Fiction 2013)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2012-05-30 (News)
Fiction
Austin Smith
(MFA-Poetry 2012)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
2011-05-30 (News)
Fiction
Michael Knight
(MFA-Fiction 1996)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
1996-05-30
Fiction
Lynn Hamilton
(MFA-Fiction 1995)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
1995-05-30
Fiction
Doug Lawson
(MFA-Fiction 1995)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
1995-05-30
Fiction
Mark Dewey
(MFA 1991)
Henfield Prize
McCrindle Foundation and the University of Virginia
1991-05-30
Fiction

*Winners prior to 2012 received their Henfield Prizes directly from the McCrindle Foundation.

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