|
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.
Most recently added contest(s) noted in pink -- Contests posted by deadline date.
Read "Writing Contest Cautions" by Dana K Cassell at www.wordpreneur.com/2007/03/writing-contest-cautions/#more-207
Poetry: Taking Its Course - improve your poetry in 7 lessons - click for information
Ramble Underground, Quarterly Journal of Fiction and Poetry semi-annual Short Fiction Contest. 50% of the entry fees go to Ramble Underground for site upkeep. 35% to the First Place winner ($100 minimum) 15% goes to the Second Place winner ($50 minimum). Plus one honorable mention. All three stories will be published in the next edition of Ramble Underground. 2500 word max. Entry fee: $6 per story. Deadline: May 15, 2008, or November 15, 2008. Info: www.rambleunderground.org/underground_winter06_006.htm
Mom Writer's Literary Magazine first-line writing contest for creative nonfiction or fiction, 700–1,200 words. The first line must be "I knew what I was supposed to be doing, but my desires distracted me...". Awards: $100 plus publication; also honorble mentions. Entry fee: $10. Deadline: May 16, 2008. Info: www.momwriterslitmag.com and www.momwriterslitmag.com/FictionContest.htm; editor@momwriterslitmag.com.
77th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition - 10 categories. 1,001 winners. Awards: $3,000, $1,000, $500 plus more. Entry fees: Poems are $10 for the first entry; $5 for each additional poem submitted in the same online session. All other entries are $15 for the first manuscript; $10 for each additional manuscript submitted in the same online session. Deadline: May 15, 2008. Info: www.writersdigest.com:80/contests/annual/77th/
2008 Movie Script Short Contest. Turn your short story into a short script and win a chance to see your short script made into a short film. Awards: 1st place gets produced. 1st, 2nd, 3rd place receive fabled Golden Brad Award and prize package. Entry fee: $40-$50 (earlier entry, lower entry fee). Deadline: May 20, 2008. Info: www.moviescriptcontest.com/enter_short.html; Movie Script Contest, PO Box 6336, Burbank CA 91510-6336.
High Prairie Poets - New Mexico State Poetry Society Bimonthly Contests. Open to all poets. 32-line limit. Award: $20, $10, $5 plus 3 honorable mentions; no poems published. Entry fee: $2 first poem; $1 each additional poem. Deadline: May 20, 2008. Info: Send SASE to Carol Dee Meeks, Silver Arrow Estates, 2601 South Elm Place, Apt. #108, Broken Arrow OK 74012; or e-mail c_pmeeks@hotmail.com.
WOW! Women On Writing Quarterly Flash Fiction Contest sponsored by Seal Press (www.sealpress.com). Word count: 250-500 words. Awards: $200, $150, $100 plus additional prizes, gift certificates, and subscriptions. Entry fee: $5. Deadine: May 31, 2008. Info: http://wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
Seventh annual Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize. Award: Publication plus $300. Entry Fee: $15 per entry (3 poems, 6 pages total). Deadline: Postmark May 31, 2008. Info: CALYX, Lois Cranston Poetry Prize, PO Box B, Corvallis, OR 97339. www.calyxpress.org.
Micro-Fiction Competition 2008 - up to 300 words on any subject. Awards: Overall winner receives £200. Runner-up receives 10 Leaf Books. All selected entries will be published in a competition anthology. Entry fees: £3 per single submission; £10 for four submissions. Deadline: May 31, 2008. Info: www.leafbooks.co.uk/
Society of Southwestern Authors Writing Contest. Poetry – 40 lines max; Short Story – 2500 words max; Personal Essay/Memoirs - 2500 words max; Short Stories for Children Ages 6- 12 – 1500 words max. Awards each category: $300, $150, $75, $25. Winning entries published in The Story Teller. Entry fee: $10 per entry. Deadline: May 31, 2008. Entry forms available at www.ssa-az.org. Or send SASE to SSA Writing Contest, Entry Forms Dept., PO Box 35484, Tucson AZ 85740.
One Great Joke Contest. Awards: $100, $50, $25, plus "Become a Richer Writer" book for honorable mentions. No entry fee. Deadline: June 15, 2008. Info: www.archangelshecky.com/Contest.html
Promising Playwrights 2008 Contest: Playscript writing contest open to high school and college students who are legal residents of Indiana. Winner receives cash prize as well as copyright and production of winning script. Complete rules: http://committed.to/gaslightppproject for complete rules and prize details. The site offers a lot of helpful information to help you write your script, and you can download the application there as well. Deadline: July 1, 2008. Alternate site link: www.angelfire.com/in/LilyNBlue/ppppcontest.html.
Haiku in Bloom Contest. Limit 2 Haiku per entry; no limit to number of entries. Awards: $80 + certificate, $40, $20. Entry fee: $4. Deadline: July 10, 2008. Info: http://lyricalpassionpoetry.page.tl/; Lyrical Passion Entertainment LLC, 1747 Capital Circle NE, Suite 705, Tallahassee FL 32308.
Cat Writers' Association (CWA) 15th annual Communications Contest with more than $12,000 in prize money in its kitty. 20 sponsored special awards of $500 to $1,000 as well as Muse Medallions™ to winners in approximately 35 writing and graphic arts categories. The special awards in 2008 cover topics that include veterinary research, health, behavior, nutrition, seniors, kitten care, safety issues, the human-animal bond, humane issues and responsible ownership, plus awards for fiction and new writers. Open to work published between June 16, 2007 and June 15, 2008. Categories cover feline-oriented articles and columns, short stories, poetry, books, photography published in magazines, newspapers, newsletters and online and video/audio tapes of broadcast material. Deadline: July 1, 2008. Info: www.catwriters.org or send SASE to Arden Moore, 2851 Todd Street, Oceanside CA 92054.
Amazing Story Fiction Contest -- Short stories of 2,000 words or fewer. Free critique with every entry. Winning story published and author profiled on our website. Awards: $100, $50, $25. Entry fee: $5 per entry, limit 3 entries. Deadline: postmarked July 31, 2008. Info: www.thewritehelper.com; amy@thewritehelper.com; Amazing Story Contest, c/o Amy Harke-Moore, 104 Harke Lane, Old Monroe MO 63369.
Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to everyone! Write a poem, 30 lines or fewer on any subject and/or Write a short story, 5 pages maximum on any theme, for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original. Awards: Poetry Contest: $250, $125, $50; Writing Contest: $500, $250, $100. Entry fees: $5 per poem, $10 per story. Postmark Deadline: July 31, 2008. Mail entries/fees to: Dream Quest One, PO Box 3141, Chicago, IL 60654. Info: www.dreamquestone.com.
Aspiring Authors Writing Contest for all genres of short fiction. Awards: The prize pool will be 75% of all entry fees - 65% of the prize money goes to the first place winner, 20% to 2nd place, 15% for 3rd place. Entry Fee: $6.00. Deadline: August 15, 2008. Info: http://aspiring-authors.com/rules.html.
Newport Review Fourth Annual Flash Fiction Contest for stories of up to 750 perfectly chosen words. Awards: $150, $100, $50. All winning stories and honorable mentions will be published in a future issue of Newport Review. Entry fee: $7 per story, 3 for $20. Deadline: postmarked by September 1, 2008. Info: Newport Review, Flash Fiction Contest, PO Box 65, Warren RI 02885; http://newportreview.org/contests.htm.
Raving Dove's Evolve Beyond Violence Nonfiction Essay Award. First prize: $1,000 plus publicity and publication; three honorable mentions. Submit a 600- to 800-word essay with one or more of the following themes: anti-war, anti-violence, human rights, peace. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: September 1, 2008. Info: www.ravingdove.org/award
Whisper from the Heart Poetry Club - Poems, Short Stories, Art and Photography. Awards: Publication in anthology. Entry fee: South Africa £5.00; £1.00 for students. Deadline: September 30, 2008. Info: www.whisperpoetry.com/index.php/Competition-&-Rules.html
The Movie Deal Screenplay Contest 2008 - 9 Categories. Awards: Top scripts in each category will be reviewed by a Hollywood Agency; other prizes as well (software, gift cards, memberships). Entry fees: $50 script or pilot; $20 short script. Deadline: September 30, 2008. Info: 2418 W. Bloomingdale Avenue, Suite C3, Chicago IL 60647; www.themoviedeal.com.
The Earth Vision Nature Writing Contest 2008, short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetic prose, or poetry. Awards: $500, $100, $100. Entry fee: $12. Deadline: October 15, 2008. Info: www.evbooks.net/contest.htm
Inspired Alms First Annual Writing Contest, poem or short story. Awards: $1000, $500 (half goes to charity of writer's choice). Entry fee: $6, $11. Deadline: October 15, 2008. Info: www.inspiredalms.com, inspiredalms@yahoo.com.
Suspense Magazine First Annual Writing Contest. All entries must be in the suspense/mystery/thriller genre. Writers retain all rights. Awards: Winner will receive 12 Bestselling Books (many or all of them autographed by the authors). Second and Third places will receive Amazon.com gift cards. No entry fee. Deadline: December 31, 2008. Info: www.suspensemagazine.com/contest.html.
Creative Quills Writing Contests: Humorous story or essay; Inspirational essay; Poetry. Awards: $150 and online publication ($50 for poetry), online publication and editing/promotional consultation, promotional consultation and literary advice. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: December 31, 2008. Info: www.creativequills.com; booklady@creativequills.com; Andrea Foster, Creative Quills, PO Box 942, Kingfisher OK 73750.
Annual Neurobiological Learning Society Choice and Top Choice Awards for (1) published or unpublished books; (2) published or unpublished articles; and (3) published or unpublished enduring public education media concerning any aspect of the neurobiology of learning, especially transformative learning. Awards: (1) Top Choice Award: $100, review and press release; (2) Up to 30 choice awards, 10 each for books, articles and enduring public education media: review and press release. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: December 31, 2008. Info: Daniel S. Janik MD PhD, 2630 Kapiolani Blvd #1601, Honolulu HI 96826; phone/fax (808) 941-3927; drjanik@gmail.com; Intercultural Communications College, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd #1000, Honolulu HI 96814; (808) 946-2445, fax (808) 946-2231.
CNW/FFWA Annual Florida State 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, 2009. Click for Guidelines and Entry form or send SASE to CNW/FFWA Contest, PO Box A, North Stratford NH 03590 (after June 1, 2008).
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 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.
|
