ABA Journal / Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction

Open for entries. Deadline: June 1, 2027.

The ABA Journal will accept entries for the 2027 ABA Journal/ Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction (“The Contest”). Entries should be original works of fiction, no longer than 5,000 words. Entries should illuminate the role of law and/or lawyers in modern life.

Prize: $5,000

Learn more: ABA Journal / Ross Writing Contest for Legal Short Fiction

ABA Journal / Scott Turow Prize for Excellence in Legal Fiction

Entries closed. The deadline was August 1, 2026.

The ABA Journal, together with the University of Miami School of Law and the University of Miami School of Arts & Sciences Announce the Inaugural Scott Turow Prize for Excellence in Legal Fiction, Created to Discover our Next Great Work of Legal Fiction

The Turow Prize will be awarded on November 19, 2026 at a ceremony at the University of Miami. Submissions must be book-length works of fiction published in 2025-2026 that best illuminate the role of lawyers in society and their power to effect meaningful change.

The winning author will receive a cash prize and a signed copy of Presumed Innocent at the award ceremony and reception, and the exclusive right to feature the prestigious Turow Prize logo on their winning book’s cover. The winner will also be featured in a print edition of the Journal, profiled in an ABAJournal.com online article and highlighted in promotional campaigns across the Journal's platforms.

Prize: A cash prize and a signed copy of Presumed Innocent

Learn more: ABA Journal / Scott Turow Prize for Excellence in Legal Fiction

Previous: Cartoon Caption Contest

Readers were asked to help us craft captions for cartoons that were published in upcoming issues of the magazine.

Check out all the cartoon contests here, or view galleries of the best cartoons of 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014.