Writing Contests

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Submit your contest for possible posting. But first, please read what we DON'T post. Then if your contest appears to meet our guidelines, submit your contest. (We need the basics: Name of contest, brief description of what is to be submitted, awards, entry fee, deadline, website URL, and contact email for our follow-up questions.)

Most recently added contest(s) noted in pink -- Contests posted by deadline date.

Read Writing Contest Cautions by Dana K Cassell.

 

Learn when contests are posted - Follow https://twitter.com/danakcassell

 

Award and Contest Ratings - from The Watchdog Desk of The Alliance of Independent Authors

 

Contest judges reveal how they pick the winners - and mistakes you want to avoid with your next contest entries.
Judges Q & A posted here.

 

Narrative Magazine's Winter 2024 Story Contest for short shorts, short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, all forms of literary nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction. Must be previously unpublished, no longer than 15,000 words. Awards: $2,500, $,000, $500, and up to ten finalists will receive $100 each. Entry fee: $27. Deadline: March 28, 2024. Info: www.narrativemagazine.com/winter-2024-story-contest

2024 International Rubery Book Award for self-published and independently published books. Awards: Book of the Year 2000 Pounds sterling; plus 4 category winners each winning 200 Pounds sterling.  All winners receive a review and glass plaque.  Entry fee: $70 USD; $88 CDN. Deadline: March 31, 2024. Info: Info: www.ruberybookaward.com/

Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards – seven categories (main-stream/literary fiction, genre fiction, nonfiction/reference, inspirational/self-help, memoirs/life stories, early reader/children's picture books, middle-grade/young adult). Awards: Grand Prize package includes $10,000, a trip to New York City for the Annual Writer's Digest Conference, and a feature article about you and your book in the March/ April 2025 issue of Writer's Digest. First Place prize packages include $1,000 in each respective category and promotion in the March/April 2025 issue of Writer's Digest. Entry fees: Early-Bird: $100; Regular: $125. Deadlines: Eary-Bird: April 1, 2024. Regular: May 1, 2024. Info: https://bit.ly/2E8tdmE

Gemini Magazine 15th Annual Short Story Contest – any subject, style or length; must be unpublished, stories from blogs allowed. Awards: $1,000, $100, three honorable mentions of $25 each. Entry fee: $8. Deadline: April 1, 2024. Info: https://gemini-magazine.com/short-story-contest-2024/

New Ohio Review Literary Prizes for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Awards: $1,500 each category. Entry fee: $22, which includes a subscription to New Ohio Review. Deadline: April 15, 2024. Info: https://newohioreview.org/contests/

F(r)iction Spring 2024 Contest - Short stories: 1,001 – 7,500 words; Flash fiction: up to 1,000 words per piece; Poetry: up the three pages per poem; Creative Nonfiction: up to 6,500 words. Awards: $300 (poetry, flash fiction) to $1,000 (short story).  Entry fees: $10 – 15. Deadline: April 30, 2024. Info: https://frictionlit.org/contests/

Call for artists and writers for the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal "Abstract" issue is now open. ArtAscent is a theme-based publication that showcases artists and writers from around the world. Abstractions are all around us. Ideas can be abstract; existing as an idea, feeling or quality but not having a tangible existence. Some conversations can be abstract, vague and theoretical and not based on particular examples or facts. And of course, there is abstract art which evokes feelings without trying to realistically represent the appearance of people or things. Abstract art, like poetry, offers a fragment of a mysteriously familiar narrative without directly revealing it in a realistic way. Reveal your most abstract thoughts. Entries may include all art mediums that can be represented in 2D and written explorations of up to 1,800 words. Award: The selected artists and writers, up to 40, will be published in our print and digital magazine and the two-year online exhibition, as well as receive a free digital copy of the magazine. Four will also receive a feature section with a profile written about them. All benefit from exposure to art lovers and engage our readers through our social media, website, and print and digital issues. Entry fees for stories/poems: $20, $40, $80 depending on length. Deadline: April 30, 2024. Info: https://bit.ly/2QIRO7P

WOW! Women On Writing Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest - Seeking creative nonfiction on any topic (1000 words or less) and in any style -- from personal essay and memoir to lyric essay and hermit crab, and more! The mission of this contest is to reward bravery in real-life storytelling and create an understanding of our world through thoughtful, engaging narratives. Limit: 300 entries. Awards (20 winners!): $500, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store; $300, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store; $200, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store; $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication, interview, and gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store; gift code good for one item from CreateWriteNow's Store. Entry fee: $12; critique option for an additional $13. Deadline: April 30, 2024. Info: www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php#EssayContest

93rd Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition – 9 categories. Awards: $5,000, $1,000, $500, $250, $100 plus more. Entry fees: Early-Bird: Poems $20; other entries $30. Regular: Poetry: $25; other entries: $35. Deadlines: Early-Bird: May 6, 2024. Regular: June 3, 2024. Info: http://bit.ly/2WG5oyE

The Irene Adler Prize is open to women commencing or continuing to pursue a bachelor's, master's, or PhD degree in journalism, creative writing, or literature at a recognized post-secondary institution in 2024-25. Applicants may hail from any country worldwide. Awards: a $1,000 US scholarship. Up to two awards of $250 apiece will be given for honorable mentions. No entry fee. Deadline: May 30, 2024. Info: www.lucasaykroyd.com/scholarships

WOW! Women on Writing Spring 2024 Flash Fiction - Seeking short fiction of any genre between 250 - 750 words. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, great writing, and provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants. Electronic submissions via e-mail only; reprints/previously published are okay; simultaneous  submissions are okay; multiple submissions are okay. Open  internationally. Limit: 300 entries. Awards (20 winners!): $400, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate; $300, publication, interview, and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate; $200, publication, interview and $25 Amazon Gift Certificate; $25 Amazon Gift Cards, publication and interview; $20 Amazon Gift Card. Top 10 stories are published in the WOW! Women On Writing e-zine, and contestants are interviewed on WOW's blog, The Muffin. Entry fee: $10; critique option for an additional $10. Deadline: May 31, 2024. www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php

 

Our Contest Posting Rules & Guidelines

We will NOT knowingly post or leave posted contests that retain all rights to either submitted or winning entries. Nor will we knowingly post contests that retain ownership to all entries or assume the right to publish all entries, either on the Web or in print, thereby costing the creators the ability to eventually sell first rights. Such contests are simply attempting to get free content or, even worse, are getting the writers to pay for their content. If winners only are posted or published, the writer can determine prior to entering whether or not the winning prize money is sufficient for transferring first or one-time rights.

Thus, we will not post contests where entries are posted for general judging by site visitors.

We do not post "sweepstakes" - or contests where winners are determined by drawings or chance. Our intent is to publish only those contests where the writing itself is judged against other entrants; not where the luck of the draw determines winners.

Similarly, we will not post contests where the entrants must post their entries on their own sites or blogs, or get them published on others' sites or blogs, with the intent of linking back to the sponsor's directed Web site or blog, and particularly using key words that will be of benefit to the sponsor. Our feeling is that if an author or Web site owner wishes to use others' material to drive traffic to them, or to rev up their ad click revenues, they should simply pay writers for their promotional or content writing.

Also, we do not post contests sponsored by book publishers that have entry or reading fees, with the reward being a published book and/or advance. Viable publishing houses treat manuscript reading and advances as costs of doing business, and do not charge authors for submissions.

We do not knowingly post contests sponsored by or promoting websites or services that offer writing of academic essays, term papers, or other assigned papers for enrolled students or applicants for enrollment..

We also do not knowingly post contests requesting material that is pornographic or promotes violence.

We do not post contests where the "prize money" is really a certificate or credit toward products or services that will cost the writer additional money in order to accept the prize.

We post literary contests that offer cash, publication, or book (or related) prizes, but not those where the prize is a house or other property. These contests are illegal in a number of locations.

We may post "Calls for Anthology Submissions" on our Contests page; however, we will not post anthology notices if (1) there is a submission fee required, (2) rights to *entries* are retained, or (3) rights to *winning entries* extend beyond one-time use in that anthology. This also applies to magazine contests with the "prize" being publication in an upcoming "contest" issue.

If your contest appears to meet our guidelines, submit the following basic information: Name of contest, brief description of what is to be submitted, awards, entry fee, deadline, website URL, contact email in case we have follow-up questions, to contestadd@writers-editors.com.

    

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