Since 2018, we’ve been proud to play a role in the much-needed elevation of women writers of color.

Each year, we run the She Writes Press and SparkPress Toward Equality in Publishing (STEP) contest to offer two women authors of color a publishing package (valued at $10,000, plus a 500-book print run) to publish on either She Writes Press or SparkPress.

This year marks the seventh annual contest launch, with submissions open May 20, 2024, through July 25, 2024.

“The purpose of this contest is to support inclusivity across our own lists, and to fortify our own mission to give voice to women writers,” says Lauren Wise, associate publisher of She Writes Press and SparkPress. “Last year, we saw double the contestants of the year before, and awarded our tenth publishing package winner!”

Visit our STEP contest landing page for details on how to submit your manuscript, the contest parameters, and more.

We invite you to share with your networks to encourage women writers to submit!