The Fitzcarraldo Essay Prize : This Prize Might Be Your Next Big Break – Buildwriting

The Fitzcarraldo Essay Prize : This Prize Might Be Your Next Big Break Hey Essay Writers! This Prize Might Be Your Next Big Break Remember when we were kids and someone would say, “I’ll give you $5 to eat that weird bug”? Well, what if someone offered you £4,000 to write that weird essay idea you’ve been sitting on? Plus a writing vacation in ITALY? Yeah, I thought that might get your attention! What’s This Magic Called? The Fitzcarraldo Essay Prize! The Fitzcarraldo Editions/Mahler and LeWitt Studios Essay Prize is back for 2025, and it’s basically the cool kid of essay competitions. They’re looking for writers who want to play with what an essay can be. No boring rules about topics—write about whatever makes your brain light up! If you live in the UK or Ireland and haven’t secured a publishing deal yet, this one’s for you! What Do You Win? (Spoiler: It’s Pretty Sweet) Let me break down this prize package because it’s kind of amazing: £4,000 cash money (hello, rent payments while you write!) Up to TWO MONTHS in Spoleto, Italy to work on your book (pasta and writing, anyone?) Your finished essay published as an actual book by Fitzcarraldo Editions (yes, a real book with your name on it) I’m not saying this will make your parents finally respect your career choice, but… it might help. Now stop reading this and go work on that proposal. That Italian writing retreat isn’t going to book itself!