The Publishing Triangle introduced its emerging writer award in 2017 to recognize an LGBTQ+ writer who has shown exceptional early talent and strong potential for future literary achievement.
Applicants must:
• Identify as LGBTQ+
• Have published one or two books in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry
• Submit work originally written in English
Unlike our other awards, submissions open each fall, with details and the application available on our website. A jury appointed by the Publishing Triangle’s awards committee reviews all submissions and selects the winner.
Named in honor of Betty Berzon (1928–2006)—author, psychotherapist, and pioneer in LGBTQ+ mental health advocacy—the award is sponsored by her widow, Teresa DeCrescenzo. The winner receives $1,500.
Past winners are:
2025 — Brittany Rogers
2024 — Hilary Zaid
2023 — Crisosto Apache
2022 — John Paul Brammer
2021 — Robert Fieseler
2020 — Oliver Baez Bendorf
2019 — Julian Randall
2018 — Sarah Perry
2017 — Chinelo Okparanta