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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.
Poetry: Taking Its Course - improve your poetry in 7 lessons -
Learn when contests are posted - Follow https://twitter.com/danakcassell
Writers-Editors Network Competition deadline March 12 - Guidelines
Writing to Win by Moira Allen
The Colossal Guide to Writing Contests — details on more than 1200 contests for writers.
February Fiction in Five Contest. A prompt will be issued via email to all paid entrants at 9:45 am (Mountain Time) on February 6, 2012. Final fiction stories are to be submitted no earlier than 10:00 am on February 6, 2012, and no later than 10:00 pm on February 10, 2012. Awards: $25, $15 Amazon Gift Cards plus other gift prizes. Entry fee: $5. Deadline: February 3, 2012. Info: http://janiewrites.com/writing-contests/a-fiction-in-five-rules/
To celebrate the February 2012 release of Christopher Profeta's new novel, Life in Pieces, he is sponsoring a contest for short stories dealing with some of the themes addressed in the book (unemployment or economic hardship), maximum 7,500 words. Award: Autographed copy of Life in Pieces and winning story published on the site. No entry fee posted. Deadline: February 3, 2012. Info: chrisjprofeta@gmail.com; http://christopherprofeta.webs.com/writingcontests.htm
Tiny Travel Tales travel writing contest. Word limit 300 to 500 words. Stories should be related to travel or holidays. Open only to residents of India. Deadline: February 5, 2012. Info: www.clubmahindrablog.com/club-mahindra-tiny-travel-tales-contest
First Annual Lyrical Press "How Lyrical is Your Romance?" Contest opens January 16. Must be complete works, between 15,000 and 100,000 words, any heat level, and fit into one of the following subgenre categories: Contemporary romance, Historical romance, Paranormal or urban fantasy romance, Romantic steampunk, or Romantic Suspense. Awards: $200, $100 advance and digital publishing contract. Top-scoring contestant in each genre category will receive an acquiring editor's critique of synopsis and first 50 pages of manuscript. No entry fee. Deadline: February 5, 2012. Info: http://bit.ly/uIsB7x
2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award - for General Fiction and Young Adult Fiction. Entries accepted beginning January 23, 2012. Awards: One grand prize each category - a publishing contract with Penguin, which includes a $15,000 advance. No entry fee. Deadline: February 5, 2012. Info: www.amazon.com/abna
Scenes of the Apocalypse - submit a short story on a possible end of the world becoming true. Will humanity be engulfed by nature? Will wars and crisis turn us against each other? Let your imagination flow and captivate us with your scenes of the apocalypse. Maximum 1000 words. Award: Book voucher from a major retailer. Entry fee: 5 GBP (£5). Deadline: February 8, 2012. Info: http://project2012exhibition.blogspot.com/2012/01/writing-competition-sc enes-of.html
Discovering the Undiscovered Competition 2012: Open to all forms of fiction or creative nonfiction including novels, memoirs, or collections of short fiction & essays. Entry fee: $23. Deadline: Early Bird, February 15, 2012; Final, October 1, 2012. Info: http://gracenotesbooks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article &id=96&Itemid=103
Top of the Mountain Book Award - Fiction and Nonfiction categories. Submit synopsis (fiction) or proposal (nonfiction) and first 25 pages. Awards: $100, $25 plus recognition at Northern Colorado Writers Conference (attendance not required). Entry fee: $20. Deadline: February 15, 2012. Info: www.northerncoloradowritersconference.com/annual-conference-mainme nu-128/2012-conference.html?start=7
100 Words or Fewer Writing Contest Nine. Categories for stories are "Eating" and "Uncommon Character." Your story must relate to one or the other, but the connection can be loose. Awards: two First Prizes of $400 each; two Second Prizes of $50 each. Entry fee: $15. A checkmark evaluation is $10 additionally, and a critique $40 more. But three entries garner a free checkmark evaluation, and four entries garner a free critique. See the website for examples of winning stories, checkmark evaluations, and critiques. Deadline: February 18, 2012. Info: www.100wordsorfewerwritingcontest.com
HOOT flash fiction, poetry, and memoir monthly contest - fewer than 150 words. Award: 30% of the entry fees we receive. Entry fee: $2 for every two entries, unlimited entries. Deadline: The 20th of every month (next is February 20, 2012). Info: http://hootreview.com
2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for independently published books; 60 categories. Awards: $1,500, $750, $500, $250, $100 plus trophies and medals. Entry fee: $75 for the first category plus $50 for each additional category. Deadline: February 24, 2012. Info: www.indiebookawards.com; Next Generation Indie Book Awards, 511 Wilkinson St., Chelsea MI 48118; or 167 Midland Place SE, Calgary, Alberta T2X 1N1.
Poetry-in-Motion Writing Contest. Theme: Holidays and Special Events, Past and Present. Aqard: $1,000 and publication. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: February 29, 2012. Info: www.risingstar31.com/contests.html
TALES2INSPIRE - Submit an inspirational (non-religious) "tale" of a maximum of 1200 words. Winner and Finalist stories published in an anthology of Inspirational Tales. Each published story to include that author's bio, their photo (optional) and one URL link of their choice. Awards: Branding and platform building for each author through: a video appearance on a bimonthly segment of Sylvia Massaro's The Lit Chick Show (free for each story submitted, with featured, longer sessions for winners), blogging about submitted stories on 3 carefully selected social media sites (winners and finalists), logo-sticker for each entrant designating: Winner, Finalist or Nominated to be used for each author's promotional efforts. Each author provided with a fill-in-the-blanks press release to further their branding efforts. Entry fee: $4.95. Deadline: February 29, 2012. Info: www.tales2inspire.com (View each screen in sequence by clicking on the green CONTINUE button at the bottom of each page.)
StageofLife.com hosts national blogging and writing contests each month. No matter what your life stage may be, you'll find a monthly writing and blogging contest. Life stages: Teens, College, On My Own, Wedding and Marriage, Baby, Parents, Grandparents, Home Ownership, Retirement & Empty Nest. Awards: Cash and/or gift card prizes are awarded along with Stage of Life SWAG and Featured Writer status. No entry fees. Deadline: Last day of each month. Next deadline: February 29, 2012. Info: www.stageoflife.com/Writing_Contests.aspx
Wag's Review Third Annual Winter Writers Contest for fiction, poetry, and essays. Award: $1000 plus publication in Issue 13 of the literary quarterly; $500; $100. All entries considered for publication. Entry fee: $20. Deadline: February 29, 2012. Info: www.wagsrevue.com/submit.php.
C4WE Genre-Writing Contest. Genre for the first contest: Spiritual Fiction; 1500-2000 words. Awards: $50, $25, $15. Entry fee: $15. Critiques are available for an additional $10. Deadline: midnight on March 1, 2012. Info: http://janiewrites.com/writing-contests/c4we-writing-contest/
East India Press Short Story Contest for up to 2,500 words. Award: $1,000 prize plus publication. No entry fee. Deadline: March 1, 2012. Info: http://nightingalenovel.com/contest.html
California Series in Public Anthropology's International Competition for short books for undergraduates focused on how social scientists are successfully facilitating change. Books should involve stories that inspire. Awards: Publishing contracts for up to three such book proposals independent of whether the manuscripts themselves have been completed. The proposals can describe work the author wishes to undertake in the near future. Interested individuals should submit a 3-4,000 word overview of their proposed manuscript. No entry fee noted. Deadline: March 1, 2012. Info: www.publicanthropology.org/books-book-series/california-book-series/
Twisted Stringybark Short Story Award 2012. Maximum word length 1500 words; must have some link to Australia (no matter how tenuous); and must have a twist in the tail! Awards: Over A$500 cash, plus publication for place-getters and highly commended stories. Entry fee of $9.75; discounts for multiple entries. Deadline: March 4, 2012. Info: www.stringybarkstories.net
Nantucket Film Festivals Showtime Tony Cox Screenplay Competition. Award: All-expense paid trip to the Festival (June 20-June 24, 2012) and a $5,000 cash prize. All competition finalists are invited to a Mentor's Brunch where they can discuss their projects with NFF's annual Screenwriters Tributee. Entry fee: $55 (regular deadline; $80 (extended deadline). Deadlines: March 12, 2012 (regular); March 26, 2012 (extended). Info: www.nantucketfilmfestival.org
Dan Poynter's Global eBook Awards - 75+ categories - must have bee released on or before March 11, 2012. Awards: Promotion packages. Entry fee: $79. Deadline: March 12, 2012. Info: http://globalebookawards.com/
Robert Frost Poetry Contest for poems and haiku. Awards: A Two Week Residency at The Studios of Key West plus $200 Cash; $100; $50; 2 Honorable Mentions awarded each category. Top three selected entries in each category will be published at www.tskw.org. Entry fee: $10. Deadline: March 15, 2012. Info: www.tskw.org/news-room/announcing-2011-robert-frost-international-po etry-haiku-contests/
2012 Foolish Writing Contest. Answer this question, "It was so funny …." in 200 words or less. Awards: $100, $50, $25. Winners will be published in the April 2012 issue of Foolish Times. Entry fee: $5. Deadline: March 15, 2012. Info: www.foolishtimes.net
Annual Writers-Editors International Writing Competition. Nonfiction (Previously Published and Unpublished); Fiction (Short Story and Novel Chapter); Children's Literature; Poetry. Awards: $100, $75, $50. Entry fee: $3–$20. Deadline: March 15, 2012. Click for Guidelines and Entry form
"Our Upper Mississippi River: Connection, Inspiration, Transformation" Essay Contest - open to adult writers who are residents of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. Award: The winning essay will be published in the newsletters for Prairie Rivers Network and the 1Mississippi Campaign. No entry fee. Deadline: March 16, 2012. Info: http://prairierivers.org/umressay/
The Word Hut Short Story Competition; 1000 words maximum; any subject or genre. Award: £50.00. Entry fee: £4.00. Deadline: March 18, 2012. Info: www.thewordhut.com
2012 Apex Awards for Publication Excellence. Communicators can choose from 130 different categories under 11 headings: newsletters; magazines and journals; magapapers and newspapers; annual reports; brochures, manuals and reports; electronic media and video; Web and intranet sites; campaigns, programs and plans; writing; design and illustration; and one-of-a-kind publications. Entry fee: $99. Deadline: March 19, 2012. Info: www.ApexAwards.com
"Intimate Landscape" Juried Book Competition. Open to Interpretation is a collaborative book project bringing together photographers, poets and writers. Each book begins with a themed call for photos. The chosen photos become the literary inspiration for the writers' submissions. A book is created that matches each winning photo with two stories or poems that offer different interpretations of the image. The unique collaboration adds new dimensions to both the photos and the written word. Award: $300 Judge's Selection Award. Entry fee: $10. Deadline: March 29, 2012. Info: www.open2interpretation.com/submit_intimate_landscape.html
The Big Read Essay Contest for Broawrd County high school students to write about a change in their life; 1500 words maximum. Cash prizes. Deadline: March 30, 2012, Info: (954) 357-7386; www.broward.org/LIBRARY/MYLIBRARYONLINE/FCFTB/Pages/LiteraryEvent s.aspx#ec
South American Short Story Writing Contest - For short stories set in or about South America. Candidates must have previous writing experience either in a print publication or online in a blog. Candidates must live in South America. Awards: $100 USD and publication in gringolandiasantiago.com. No entry fee. Deadline: March 30, 2011. Info: www.gringolandiasantiago.com/2011/11/13/south-american-short-story- writing-contest/
Meridian Writing Spring Short Story Competition. Open Theme/Genre, 3000 words max. Awards: £100, £50 & £25 plus firstwriter.com vouchers. Entry fee: £5. Deadline: March 31, 2012. Info: www.meridian-writing.co.uk.
Write Reality - The Reality Show Idea Contest. Dedicated to finding the next hit reality show. Write a short, descriptive summary of your reality show idea. Award: $2000 and consideration by reality production companies such as MPH Entertainment, producers of The Dog Whisperer. The top ten ideas are read by industry judges from such companies as OWN and the Discovery Channel. Entry fees and deadlines: Early deadline - March 31, 2012, $25. Regular deadline - May 31, 2012, $35. Final deadline - August 31, 2012, $45. Info: www.writerealitytv.com
Third Annual Gemini Magazine Short Story Contest; no restrictions on content, style, genre or length. Awards: grand prize of $1,000; second place wins $100; plus three honorable mentions. All five finalists will be published online in the June 2012 issue. Entry fee: $4. Deadline: March 31, 2012. Info: www.gemini-magazine.com/contest.html
2012 Bristol Short Story Prize – any theme or subject; entry can be made online via the website or by post. Entries must be previously unpublished with a maximum length of 3,000 words. Awards: £1000 (about $1,600) plus £150 Waterstone's gift card, £700 (about $1,125) plus £100 Waterstone's gift card, £400 (about $643) plus £100 Waterstone's gift card. The Waterstone's gift cards can be used online from anywhere in the world. 17 further prizes of £100 (about $160) will be presented to the writers whose stories appear on the shortlist. All 20 shortlisted writers will have their stories published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 5. The winning story will also be published in Bristol Review of Books and Venue magazine. Entry fee: £7 (about $11) per story. Deadline: March 31, 2012. Info: www.bristolprize.co.uk
Leapfrog 2012 Fiction Contest. Adult: literary and science fiction novels, novellas, and story collections. Children's: middle-grade and YA novelos. Awards: Publication contract offer with advance, plus finalist awards: $150 plus manuscript critique by finalist judges. Entry fee: $30. Deadline: May 1, 2012. Info: www.leapfrogpress.com; fictioncontest@leapfrogpress.com
Launch Pad: Boosting You Out of the Slush Pile third annual Novel Rocket contest for unpublished novelists. Entrants are asked to submit the first chapter and synopsis of their complete novel; finalists must provide the complete manuscript and a book proposal. Here's how it works: One genre category is judged monthly, June through November. The winning entry is posted on the blog and the writer moves into the final round. Judges are all members of the Novel Rocket blog. The Grand Prize winner is chosen by a separate panel of judges. Award: an inscribed crystal rocket, plus, review by an agent and/or editor appropriate for the winner's genre, intended audience, and submission history. Entry fee: $35. Deadlines: Based on the category. Historical Fiction (WWII era and before), May 10, 2012. Suspense/Crime/Mystery/Thriller, June 10, 2012. Contemporary Fiction/Women's Fiction (general fiction for and by men or women, with a setting from 1950 to the present), July 10, 2012. Middle Grade/Young Adult Fiction, August 10, 2012. Contemporary Romance, September 10, 2012. Speculative (Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror), October 10, 2012. Info: www.novelrocket.com/p/launch-pad-contest.html
FBFT Sports Writing Competition 2012. Entries may be up to 1500 words in length and must be related to sport in some way. Awards: £50, £30, £20 (paid in British Pounds Sterling by bank transfer or Paypal); plus publication on website. No entry fee. Deadline: midnight on May 13, 2012. Info: www.freebetsfreetips.com/blog/fbft-sports-writing-competition; sportswriter@freebetsfreetips.com
Adventum's 2nd annual Ridge to River Contest for outdoor creative nonfiction essays or memoir excerpts of no more than 5,000 words. Essays of an academic nature will not be considered. Award: $500 + MSR Pocket Rocket Storve + publication. Entry fees: $15 for a single entry, $25 for two entries. Entry fee includes a copy of the Summer/Fall 2012 issue. All entries will be considered for publication. Deadline: May 15, 2012. Info: www.adventummagazine.com/contests.html
Watch Me Bounce "Resilience" Writing Contest. Poetry may be 3-30 lines in length; stories may be 50-3000 words, fiction or nonfiction, in any genre, but must be themed around the topic of "resilience." We are looking for stories and poems about either getting through, bouncing back from, and/or growing from adversity. Entries may be of any type of adversity, including: Psychological/Emotional, Physical/Medical, Grief, Stress, Family, Career or General. Award: Winner receives free critique, publication, and possibly featured on our website for up to one month. No entry fee. Deadline: May 20, 2012. Info: www.WatchMeBounce.com
The Chameleon Theatre Circle 13th annual New Play Contest. All submissions must be original works that have not been produced. The company is accepting 10-minute plays, one-acts and full-length features, including musicals. Awards. Winning plays will be showcased in a concert-format festival in September 2012. Cash awards of $100, $50, $25 depending on play length. No entry fee. Deadline: May 31, 2012. Info: www.chameleontheatre.org/newplay/index.php
Rhyme & Reason Writing Competition 2012 - Short Story and Poetry. Theme: Seasons. Awards: £110, £60, £30; book token prizes in Youth section. Winning entries will be published in 2013 diary edition of Rhyme & Reason. Note: "We reserve the right to publish any unplaced entries." Entry fee: £5 per short story or poem; £4 per entry for 3 or more entries. All profits from entry fees and sales of the diary go to Iain Rennie Hospice at Home. Deadline: June 30, 2012. Info: www.irhh.org/sitehome/fundraising/fundraisinggroups/rhyme_reason.html
Everything A Miracle Poetry Contest is open to anyone who can tell about a true miracle in the form of a poem. A miracle is an extraordinary experience. You may also create from specific knowledge or a perspective which allows the "ordinary" to be seen as extraordinary. Awards: $350, $100, $50. Winners will be published on our website and included in the book publishing project. Entry fee: $6 per poem. Postmark Deadlines (semi-annual): June 30 and December 31 each year. Info: www.everythingamiracle.com
Everything A Miracle Nonfiction Short Story Contest is open to anyone who can tell about a true miracle in the form of a short story. A miracle is an extraordinary experience. You may also create from specific knowledge or a perspective which allows the "ordinary" to be seen as extraordinary. Multiple entries are accepted. Awards: $700, $200, $100. Winners will be published on our website and included in the book publishing project. Entry fee: $12 per story. Postmark Deadlines (semi-annual): June 30 and December 31 each year. Info: www.everythingamiracle.com
Discovering the Undiscovered: Collected Poetry Competition for book-length poetry manuscripts. Award: $450 and publication. Entry fee: $17. Deadline: September 15, 2012. Info: http://gracenotesbooks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article &id=97&Itemid=102
WritersType.com sponsors three annual contests in the categories of First Chapter, Flash Fiction, and Short Story. Awards: In each category, the monthly winner receives a $25 honorarium, comments from readers, and publication on website. Each month, the top two submissions in each category advance to the annual competition. Annual prize a total of $250. Entry fee: $10. Deadline: December 31, 2012. Info: www.writerstype.com
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.
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 also do not knowingly post contests requesting material that is pornographic/erotic 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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