McGovern Center Writing Awards in Fiction

The McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics is pleased to announce a nationwide open call for unpublished fiction that is medical or healthcare-related in theme or focus.

There will be three distinct prizes awarded, as follows:

  • McGovern Center Healthcare Provider Award in Fiction: open to any healthcare provider in the U.S., including residents and fellows. Applicants must be 18 years or older.
  • McGovern Center Student Award in Fiction: open to any student, undergraduate or graduate in the U.S. Applicants must be 18 years or older.
  • McGovern Center Community Award in Fiction: open to anyone in the U.S., 18 years or older.

Eligibility:

  • Open to anyone in the 50 U.S. states and affiliated territories
  • Must hold a valid, personal U.S. tax identification number

Please note that participants may not be UTHealth Houston employees (or members of their immediate families/those living in the same household). Students of UTHealth Houston are eligible to apply. Please refer to the Participation Agreement for full eligibility guidelines.

Criteria:

  • Work must be previously unpublished and original.
  • Work must not have any identifying information on it, including personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), or any other information that may identify the author or any third parties.
  • Work must be medical or healthcare related in theme or focus.
  • 5000 words or less, double-spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman.

Submission Deadline: December 1, 2025, 11:59 PM CT

Submission Guidelines:

  • Please submit via https://go.uth.edu/fiction-writing-awards to enter.
  • Your personal information will be requested on the application form. Please do not include identifying information in your file submission; submissions will be judged blindly.

Judges: A final judge will determine each winner.

Awards: Winners will receive $500 and an opportunity to publish in the Journal of Medical Humanities.

FAQ

1. Who is eligible to apply?

Anyone, 18 years or older, is eligible to apply to the awards, as long as they meet the criteria for the award. Please reference the Participation Agreement for full details regarding eligibility. Individuals may apply in only one award category and may only submit a single creative submission. Individuals who apply for an award and are found ineligible will be disqualified.

2. What is the prize for winning?

Each winner will receive $500 and the opportunity for publication in the Journal of Medical Humanities.

3. What platform will be used to collate submissions?

Qualtrics, which will be connected to an award-specific account. Submissions will be collated and deidentified before distributing to both preliminary screeners and final judges.

4. Timeline of Award Selection?

Award Submission Period Opens: September 1, 2025
Award Submission Period Closes: December 1, 2025

Award Announcement: April 1, 2026

5. What will the judging process look like? Who will be the final judge?

Preliminary screeners will consist of three members of the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics, who will evaluate and narrow the pool of submissions for each award category. Top submissions will be sent to a final judge, who will be a healthcare/former healthcare professional who is also a fiction writer. The final judge will evaluate and select the winning entry from the top submissions of the three award categories.

6. What criteria will the judge be using to determine the winners?

Preliminary screeners and the final judge will be asked to evaluate their given submissions along the following criteria:

    • Originality and Creativity
    • Thematic Adherence and Consistency
    • Style and Presentation
    • Language
    • Form/Structure
    • Character Development