The 4th Annual Kalanithi Award is accepting submissions of unpublished short stories, essays and poems that address patients and providers facing chronic or life limiting illness. The contest, hosted by Stanford’s Palliative Care Section, is open through December 1, 2019. Three winners will receive an honorarium (made possible by a Palliative Care benefactor) and, subject to editorial review, publication in Pegasus Review.

Although Stanford affiliates are encouraged to submit their writing, the contest is open to all. Among last year’s winners was "Pulseless" by David James Bell.

The award is named for Paul Kalanithi, who used creative writing to search for meaning through his illness. As a result, the wonderful legacy he left includes the bestselling memoir When Breath Becomes Air. This year’s judges are Lucy Kalanithi, Abraham Verghese and other Stanford faculty.

Click here for additional submission guidelines, such as limits on word count and poem length.

Click here to enter and upload a poem, story or essay.