Writing Contests
This is a collection of websites dealing with writing contests
Young woman writing a book
Photo credit: Old Musty Books www.oldmustybooks.com
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There are hundreds of literary contests, online and off. Most are real; some are even prestigious. But many are fake. And of the legitimate ones, few are important enough to provide a meaningful addition to your writing resume.
Contest Fakes Fake contests come in many different guises, but they all have a common goal--to take your money. Some are outright scams. A few examples, drawn from Writer Beware's files: One fee-charging literary agency advertises a contest where the prize is agency representation. Representation is indeed offered (to everyone who enters), but the catch is that it comes with a hefty editing fee attached. Another agency uses a false name to run its contest--entrants are told that even though they didn't win their work is "exceptional", and referred to the agency, which charges an up-front fee. An editing service uses a contest as a way to acquire pool of potential customers. The contest is genuine in that there are winners who get prizes, but everyone else is told that their work needs help, and offered the chance to buy it at a "discount" from the service. A similar contest scheme is run by a company that provides coverage for screenplay authors. In addition, guaranteed agency representation is promised for "exceptional" scripts. What's not revealed: the agency is run under a different name by the same people who run the coverage service, and its track record is slim to none. A charity runs a contest in conjunction with a book publisher, with the prize being a publication contract. Entry fees go to support the charity's endeavors. What's not disclosed: the charity and the publisher are run by the same person, and the charity has no verifiable activities. |
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Other contests are run by questionable publishers. Often the prize is a book contract, and winners don't find out until afterward that they must pay a fee for publication, or agree to pre-purchase large numbers of books, or pay the publisher for a publicity campaign (a good reason never to enter a contest that doesn't allow you to refuse a contract if it's offered). Or the publisher may provide the entrants' contact information to a vanity publishing service or a fee-charging literary agency, which then sends out solicitations and pays the first publisher a kickback if any of the entrants bite.
Then there are the "contest mills", which make money on the front end via entry fees. Some advertise enormous prizes--$15,000 for the winner, $10,000 for second place, and so on--with correspondingly high entry fees--$25 or $30. But if you read the fine print, you'll discover that the contest owner reserves the right to award prizes on a pro rata basis--i.e., the prize amounts are determined by the number of entrants, thus guaranteeing a profit no matter what. Other contest mills are run by writers' magazines, which conduct a dozen or more contests a year, or by Internet-based groups that offer monthly contests, and advertise under several different names and URLs to draw more entrants. Contest mills aren't really scams, since there usually are winners, and they really do receive prizes. Even so, contests of this kind can be considered fake, since they exist for no other reason than to make a profit for the organizations conducting them. Also, because of the lack of rigorous judging standards, they're unlikely to carry any professional prestige. By far the most common of the fake contests are the ones conducted by the vanity anthology companies. These companies publish collections of poems, short stories, or essays, which are sold not to the public, but to the contributors. Sometimes publication is contingent on purchase of the anthology and sometimes it isn't, but either way the anthology can't be obtained except by paying for it. Because inclusion in these anthologies is offered to everyone who enters the contests, an anthology-published poem isn't considered a legitimate literary credit. Story credit: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America www.sfwa.org |
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Grace Notes Books is proud to announce our first annual Discovering the Undiscovered competition for a book-length collection of poetry by a single author. The Grand Prize for this competition is $300 and publication of the winning manuscript.
1. Judging will be blind at all levels. Initial judging will be conducted by a network of published writers and editors selected by Grace Notes Books. The final judging will be conducted by Grace Notes staff. Judges feedback will be provided to finalists at the close of competition. The winning entry will receive publication of their manuscript and the option of either $300 in cash or an advance of $150 against royalties and a standard royalty contract of 15% of the cover price (retail is generally $12.99 for our trade paperbacks). In addition, the winning author will receive 3 contributor’s copies of the book upon publication. All finalists will be considered by Grace Notes Books for future publication and those offers may be made at the end of the competition. 2. All finalists will be featured in a special edition of the Notes and Grace Notes literary magazine, including 5 poems published (selected by the editors), author interviews, photos, an article on each author including a full bio. 3. Manuscripts between 45 and 200 pages. We accept all styles of poetry from modern to classic and beyond. However, all manuscripts must be in standard 12-point font, thoroughly edited, and sent electronically. We do not accept postal entries. 4. Author’s name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript. 5. Email your manuscript as an attachment with your Name, Address, Phone Number, Title of Entry, and Paypal Confirmation Number in the body of the email. Each entry will be tracked by their confirmation number. After paying your entry fee, Paypal will direct you to our information page, which will give you specifics about submitting your manuscript. 6. A non-refundable entry fee of $15 must accompany each submission. Authors may submit as many manuscripts as they want, but a separate entry fee is required for each one. Replacements will not be accepted for revisions of manuscripts already submitted. 7. By entering the competition you are acknowledging that you have read and agree to abide by these rules and that you may be disqualified for breaching these rules without a refund of your entry fee. However, you are under no obligation to accept the publishing offer should your manuscript be selected as the winner. In the event that the winning author declines publication, Grace Notes Books may select another of the finalists for the publication offer. Submission Deadline June 15, 2010 Finalists Announced August 15th, 2010 Winner Announced September 15th, 2010 More information: Grace Notes |
Grace Notes Discovering the Undiscovered: Novel and Memoir Competition
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Grace Notes Books is thrilled to announce the 1st annual Discovering the Undiscovered competition for Novels & Memoirs. The winning entry will receive publication of their manuscript and be offered a choice of either a cash prize of $1000 or a $500 advance and a standard royalty agreement. The winning author along with two runners-up will also receive free books or products as well as cash prizes!
Guidelines for Novel/Memoir Submissions Judging will be blind at all levels. Initial judging will be conducted by a network of published writers and editors selected by Grace Notes Books. All entrants will receive feedback from their first round readers. Finalists will receive the same feedback as well as more extensive feedback from our final judges. The final judging will be conducted by the Grace Notes editorial staff. The winning entry will receive publication of their manuscript and the option of either a $1000 cash prize or an advance $500 against royalties and a standard royalty contract of 15% of the cover price (retail is generally $12.99 for our trade paperbacks). In addition, the winning author will receive 3 contributor's copies of their book upon publication. All finalists will be considered by Grace Notes Books for future publication and those offers may be made at the end of the competition. Manuscripts between 70,000-100,000 words. All manuscripts must be in a standard 12 point font, thoroughly edited, and sent electronically. We do not accept postal entries. Author’s name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript. Email your manuscript as an attachment with your Name, Address, Phone Number, Title of Entry, and Paypal Confirmation number in the body of the email. Each entry will be tracked by number. After paying your entry fee, Paypal will direct you to our information page which will give you specifics for sending your manuscript. Grace Notes Books seeks works of quality and we do not believe that genre restricts quality. A great writer is a great writer whether they’re writing staunch literary epics or fun science fiction stories. We really enjoy stories that push the boundaries in either direction, stories that have a strong entertainment value and are executed in the finest literary styling. In other words: Send us anything and everything. Just be sure it’s wonderful. We are not interested in pornography for the sake of pornography; graphic elements are acceptable but must be pertinent to the story itself. A non-refundable entry fee of $25 must accompany each manuscript. Entries received before January 1st are eligible for a discounted entry fee of $20. While we wish this were not required, we are a fledgling publishing company chasing a dream (in the middle of an economic crisis) and an entry fee is a necessary evil. The entry fees accrued will be contributed to prize money and book advances for this contest, with a smaller amount being donated to the monthly competitions hosted at notesandgracenotes.com, publishing costs for the winning title, and marketing for the winning book. Please see our rebate policies as we offer several ways to reduce the costs of your entry. By entering this competition you are acknowledging that you have read and agree to abide by these rules and that you may be disqualified for breaching these rules without a refund of your entry fee. However, you are under no obligation to accept the publishing offer should your manuscript be selected as the winner. In the event that the winning author declines the publishing offer, Grace Notes Books will select another of the three winning entries for the publication offer. The winning author will not receive any advance payments but will still be eligible to receive the cash and product prizes they are entitled to. All entries will receive their initial judges feedback before the close of the contest. Those entering before the early bird deadline will receive their feedback before March 1, 2010. These entrants may opt to revise their entry based on their judges feedback and re-submit it for ½ off the usual entry fee. Entries received after the early deadline will not be eligible for resubmission. Authors entering two manuscripts will pay a discounted entry fee of $35 before the early deadline and $45 regular deadline. Authors entering both the novel and the Collected Shorts/Novella competition will pay a discounted entry fee of $30 before the early deadline and $35 regular deadline. Novel/Memoir Competition Timeline: Contest Begins November 1, 2009 Early Bird Deadline January1, 2010 Final deadline April 15, 2010 Finalists Announced June 15, 2010 Winners announced September 1, 2010 Winning Book Published November 1, 2010 More information: Grace Notes |
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For 79 years, the Annual Writer’s Digest Competition has rewarded writers just like you for their finest work. We continue the tradition by giving away more than $30,000 in cash and prizes!
Win a trip to New York City ! GRAND PRIZE: $3,000 cash and a trip to New York City to meet with editors or agents. Writer's Digest will fly you and a guest to The Big Apple, where you'll spend three days and two nights in the publishing capital of the world. While you're there, a Writer's Digest editor will escort you to meet and share your work with four editors or agents! Entry Deadline: May 14, 2010. Add $5 per manuscript or poem to Entry Fee(s) on all entries submitted after May 14. Compete and Win in 10 Categories! Inspirational Writing (Spiritual/Religious) Memoirs/Personal Essay Magazine Feature Article Genre Short Story (Mystery, Romance, etc.) Mainstream/Literary Short Story Rhyming Poetry Non-rhyming Poetry Stage Play Television/Movie Script Children's/Young Adult Fiction More information: Writers Digest |
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The Gemini Magazine Short Story Contest will award a grand prize of $1,000. Second Place wins $100 and there will be three Honorable Mentions. All five finalists will be published in the June issue of Gemini.
We tried to keep the entry fee reasonable at $4. Multiple entries are allowed at $4 apiece. The deadline is March 31, 2010. So what types of stories are we looking for? There are no restrictions on content, style, genre or length. All types of fiction will be considered--novel excerpts, flash fiction, mainstream, experimental. Basically no rules except one: writers should send their best--after first taking the time to edit and proofread carefully. The finalists will simply be stories that strike a chord with us. Both new and established writers are welcome to enter--everyone gets a chance. For example, in our recent Flash Fiction Contest, two of the six finalists were previously unpublished. While the stories have very different themes, I believe they all have one thing in common: a certain compelling readability. In one story, a woman refuses to believe her son is not coming home from war--even though he's been gone for decades. In another, a Russian mail order bride gets cold feet. In another, a gifted young musician suffers a career ending nervous breakdown. Every story will be read. We love a good story and look forward to discovering those extra special ones that demand to be read again and again. More information: www.gemini-magazine.com Email: contest@gemini-magazine.com Mailing Address: Contest, Gemini Magazine, P.O. Box 1485, Onset, MA 02558 |
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The Saints and Sinners Literary Festival in association with the Marigny Theatre Corporation and the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival announces a playwright’s competition. The winning play from our fourth annual contest will be produced by the Marigny Theatre Corporation and will premiere the weekend of the 8th annual Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, May 13-16, 2010. Registration: There is a $10 fee for every play submitted. Participants can enter more then once. Click here to open and print the registration form in your browser. Note: you cannot complete this form online; you must print it and return the completed paper form with each of your submissions. This requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader version 3.0 or above. Prizes: The winning entry will receive complimentary registration to the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival and a stipend of $250. Finalists: The finalists’ names and titles will be announced on the Saints and Sinners website. Dates: Deadline for submission is December 31st yearly. (Entries postmarked later than December 31st will not be considered) The winner will be announced in March of the following year. Entry Fees: Participants can make more than one submission. There is a $10 entry fee per submission to cover administrative costs such as copying, postage, judging, etc. Contest Guidelines: Previously produced plays will be considered as long as they have not been produced in the greater New Orleans area. Characters should be kept to a minimum--preferably 5 or under. Staging should be simple or adaptable to a small stage. Correspondence: If you would like to verify that your submission was received, please consider using the tracking service that is offered by the U.S. postal service, or send a self addressed postcard with your submission. Postcards will take longer to process. DO NOT send manuscripts certified mail or signature required. Judging: Judges come from all over the country, and all entries are judged anonymously. Please send two title pages with the text: one with the play’s title only, another with all author information unattached. Plays must be typed. Please do not append professional resumes or biographies to your entry: the judges only consider manuscript quality. We regret that we are unable to return manuscripts. Please make sure to keep a copy of your entry for future use. Contact: For questions or further information concerning the play contest, contact Saints and Sinners Literary Festival at playcompetition@sasfest.org Please Note: The Saints and Sinners Literary Festival reserves the right to publish all winning contest entries in special edition Festival anthologies and/or collections if appropriate.Mail your entry, check, and registration form (available at www.sasfest.org) to: Saints and Sinners Play Contest 938 Lafayette St. Suite 514 New Orleans, LA 70113 All submissions requiring an entry fee should have checks payable to: The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival. |
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The Saints and Sinners GLBT Literary Festivals First Annual Short Fiction Contest is soliciting original, unpublished short stories between 5,000 and 7,000 words with GLBT content on the broad theme of Saints and Sinners. The contest is open to authors at all stages of their careers and to stories in all genres.
The entry fee is $10 per story with a 3 story limit per author. One grand prize of $250 and two second place prizes of $50 will be awarded. In addition, the top stories will be published in an anthology from QueerMojo, an imprint of Rebel Satori Press. There will also be a book release party held during the 8th annual Saints and Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans May 13-16, 2010. The deadline for the receipt of manuscripts is January 2, 2010. To enter click: more information |
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Prizes totalling $485 (£300) can be won for short fiction in any genre in the spring 2010 round of the Writers’ Village ‘Best Writing’ award. The top award is $242 (£150), with a $48 (£30) 2nd prize and $32 (£20) 3rd prize, plus ten runner-up prizes of $16 (£10). Winners will be awarded the title ‘Winner, the Writers’ Village Best Writing spring 2010 Award’ and see their work showcased online.
Any genre of prose fiction may be submitted, including a section of a novel. Entries are welcomed world-wide. Entry is $8 (£5) per item and multiple entries are permitted. Deadline is 31st March 2010. Details plus the winning 2009 entries can be found at: http//:www.writers-village.org More information: www.writers-village.org Email: cwriting@btinternet.com. Address: Village Guild, PO Box 6336, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 6BJ, UK |
Essay contest ..... Carebox Show You Care contest
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CAREBOX™ was created as a thoughtful way to let friends and family know you care. Maybe someone you know is going through a difficult time, or maybe you just want to let them know you're thinking of them. Either way, these thoughtful gifts will brighten their day, and maybe even help make things a little better.
CAREBOX™ came about as a result of the founder losing both of her parents to cancer. She wanted to find a way to help people reach out when they didn't really know what to say, much less do. She also made it her mission to work towards a world that's free from cancer. That's why a portion of the profits from each box goes towards organizations fighting cancer through research, education, and early detection. |
Give Me That House contest ..... Enter an essay or a video
You could WIN A HOUSE!
Short Story contest ..... Rain Stories
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Summer is about to end? Autumn is knocking at the door? Stormy weather and rain predicted? It is time to read a book or even write one. Take advantage of the unpleasant rainy weather and enter the latest BookRix Short Story Writing Contest for free: Tell us your rain story, turn your wordsmith powers into positive cashflow and fame. Write a story that has anything to do with rain, or Mr. Rain, or a dog named Rain, whatever.
Key Facts: Anyone registered at our BookRix.com website can join the contest (except citizens of Germany, Austria and Switzerland). Authors and readers can enter the competition for free and win cash money. Enter a book about rain that you have already written and published or write a new rain story. Write an Essay! Film a Video! Go For the Win!! Do you dream of TRULY owning a beautiful family home of your own- mortgage-free? With an investment of only $75 and a little skill, your dream could come true We all want the American Dream. But what is the American Dream? It is having a home. Do you dream of having a home to really call your own, free and clear of mortgage? That is a dream we all share. Forget the worry of being strapped to a mortgage. Forget the debt. Forget the worry of sinking home values. Forget the worry of money owed to the bank or mortgage company. Looking at the economy today, it may seem an even more impossible dream to own a home than ever before. But if you have $75 and the talent and courage to develop a exceptional short video or short essay that stands above the rest - then this dream could be your reality. And in addition, 2nd place prize is $10,000. There is a great oppotunity in front of you, but only if you enter! See full contest rules here. So how do you do it? Use your talents! What Inpsires You? Submit your essay or video on this topic! Is your best skill in writing? Can you put it into words? Put that talent to work and submit an essay! You might weave the right words that lands you in a wonderful mortgage-free home of your own. Is video your medium? Can you impress or capture a heart with your movie making skills? Submit a 3 minute video and put yourself in the running to win your slice of the American Dream! This could be your big break. Your chance to find a true refuge from the economic woes of our time. The security of a mortgage-free home could be yours - but only if you enter - so enter now! |
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Poems can be on any subject or written in any style and there is no line limit.
No Singing, No dancing .. Just the power of the pen! Poetry Rivals 2009 is now in full swing and we are already close to receiving our 2000th entry! You might not consider yourself ‘a poet’, but by sharing your words with us you could find yourself performing your poem in front of a panel of judges and a live audience, with the chance of winning a publishing contract with the UK’s largest publisher of new poetry! There is also a top of the range laptop computer up for grabs for the under 18 winner. We are inviting entries on any subject and in any style from poets of all ages and all walks of life. Whether you want to dedicate your heartfelt poem to a loved one; walk down memory lane; bring out the lighter side of life in humorous verse or have just written what you’re thinking and feeling, we want to read it! The top 100 poets (50 x under 18s and 50 x over 18s) will be invited to our live Poetry Slam to perform their piece in front of a panel of judges and a live audience! The winners from each age group will walk away with the prizes. As they say, we are our own harshest critic so why not let us judge your words, you never know the winner of Poetry Rivals 2009 could be you! |
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Prizes
1st Place $100; 2nd Place $50; 3rd Place $25, in each category. Honorable Mentions as determined by judges. Winners will be published in the Writers Voice, the SIWG anthology, unless authors request otherwise. Winners will be notified by mail in September. Entry Fee Five dollars per entry, maximum of three entries per author. Check or money order only, no cash. Make checks payable to: John A. Logan College. Entries not enclosing the fee or following the rules will be discarded. Entry Rules 1. Fiction - Any subject or genre. Nonfiction - Biography, memoir, article, or essay on any topic. Poetry - Any style or topic. (Please, no explicit sex or excessive violence.) 2. Original work of the entrant; unpublished at time of submission. 3. Page limit - Up to eight pages for Fiction and Nonfiction, one or two pages for Poetry. 4. Format - Standard manuscript format (8-1/2" x 11" paper, typed and double-spaced, 1" margins,12-point Times New Roman, pages numbered and title of entry on every page). Poetry may vary margins and spacing as needed. 5. Two copies of each entry. 6. Cover sheet for each entry, with contestant's name, address, category (Fiction, Nonfiction, or Poetry) and title of entry. Author's name should appear only on the cover sheet, not the manuscript. Optional - Provide email address for winner notification; brief bio to include with publication. 7. All winners must supply social security numbers in order to collect a cash prize. Please do not supply your SSN until you are notified that you have won a cash prize. There will be no exceptions to this rule. |
Writer’s Relief
Writer's Relief provides literary services and writers' services is holding a special 15th anniversary contest with two first-prize winners
Notes & Grace Notes ..... This is an online writing community hosting monthly contests with cash prizes and no entry fees. They hire professional judges for the Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Fiction and Screenplay categories.
Writers' League of Texas Contests ..... The Writers' League of Texas hosts several contests with deadlines in March and April
Monthly Writing Contest ..... Hosted by Scribophile, an online critique group for aspiring authors
Book Contest ..... Zimbo Books Fiction Competition
Novel Contest ..... Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival Fiction Writing Contest
Writing Contests ..... Long list of writing contests
Writers Gazette ..... A list of writing contests and other writing resources
Bulwer-Lytton ..... The Bulwer-Lytton fiction contest
Writing Contests and Awards ..... From WritersNet
FreeFall Magazine Fiction and Poetry Contest ..... From The Alexandra Writers' Centre Society.
Long list of contests ..... From The Write Place
Contests and Vanity Anthologies ..... Things to look out for, from SWFA
Several Contests ..... From the Literary Times
Many more Contests ..... From Freelance Writing