Announcing the 2026 BLR Prizewinners
We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 BLR Literary Prizes.
Our deepest thanks to our judges — Joan Silber, Nicole Chung, and Patricia Spears Jones — and to the many writers whose work we had the privilege of reviewing.
Poetry: Dara Laine (winner) and Miranda Saake (honorable mention)
Nonfiction: Won Lee (winner) and Ardis Garcia (honorable mention)
Fiction: Shannon Perri (winner) and May Lee-Yang (honorable mention)
Meet the winners below, and subscribe to BLR to read the winning stories, poems, and essays in Issue 50, coming Spring 2026.
Goldenberg Prize for Fiction
Judged by Joan Silber
Winner: “The Senator” by Shannon Perri
Honorable Mention: “Hunting Game” by May Lee-Yang
Shannon Perri holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Texas State University and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Texas. Her writing has appeared in Joyland Magazine, Sycamore Review, Texas Highways, and Texas Observer. She lives in South Austin with her husband and two children. www.shannonperri.com
May Lee-Yang has been published in Water~Stone Literary Review and anthologies including What We Hunger For. She has received support from Hedgebrook, Kundiman, The Playwright Center, the National Performance Network, and the Loft Literary Center. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The University of Minnesota.
Felice Buckvar Prize for Nonfiction
Judged by Nicole Chung
Winner: “Running Deep” by Won Lee
Honorable Mention: “The Last Tableau” by Ardis Garcia
Won Lee is a Korean-American writer based in Chicago. He is a Litowitz MFA/MA student at Northwestern University. His poetry appears in Bellevue Literary Review, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, and Action, Spectacle. His criticism can be found in Bear Review and TriQuarterly.
Ardis Garcia writes Fiction and Creative Nonfiction. Previous workshops and residences include Anaphora Arts, the Lambda Literary Foundation’s Emerging Writer’s Retreat, Macondo Writers, Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, and Boldface. A queer native Tejana, Ardis lives in the New York City area.
John & Eileen Allman Prize for Poetry
Judged by Patricia Spears Jones
Winner: “Telling the Bees” by Dara Laine
Honorable Mention: “Stinson Beach” by Miranda Saake
Dara Laine is a poet based in Baltimore, originally from a hay farm in New Jersey. Her work centers grief, memory, and the sacred ordinary through restrained lyricism and domestic realism. Her poems appear in American Poetry Journal, Pine Hills Review, and Sky Island Journal.
Miranda Saake is a writer, teacher, and mother from Northern California. She has been published in The Rebis, Clarion, and Gossamer Arts. She was most recently shortlisted for the Bridport Prize for poetry in the UK. mirandasaake.substack.com
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