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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.
Most recently added contest(s) noted in pink -- Contests posted by deadline date.
Read "Writing Contest Cautions" by Dana K Cassell - click here.
Poetry: Taking Its Course - improve your poetry in 7 lessons -
100 Words of Fewer Contest Number Four. For our Fourth Contest, we offer three contests!
Contest 1: Any subject, any style (not poetry or anecdotes).
Contest 2: "The Walk." The story takes place on a walk.
Contest 3: Non-gendered pronouns only - "I, me, mine, you, yours, we, us, our, ours, they, them, their, theirs." Any subject. Each entry must be fiction in 100 words or less. Awards: Contest 1: $300, $50, $50. Contest 2: $150, $50. Contest 3: $150, $50. Entry fee: $15; plus checkmark evaluation: $18; plus critique: $31. Deadline: February 9, 2010. Info: www.100wordsorfewerwritingcontest.com.
Dead of Winter Nonfiction Contest. Memoir, articles, opinion pieces, essays, rants, etc. 2,000 words or fewer. Open subject. Free critique available upon request. Awards: $70, $35, $20. Entry fee: $5 per entry, limit 3 entries. Winner profiled, wining entries posted on Web site. Deadline: February 10, 2010. Info: www.thewritehelper.com.
Kudos January/February Competition. All you have to do is email 1 entry, with 'Orbis' as subject. by February 12: Poem (maximum 30 lines), which may rhyme (though maybe try something a bit more adventurous than couplets, sonnets or villanelles?); 50 word short, short story; or intro to a short story, which incorporates the words '161' and 'Peacock'. Award: Subscription to either Kudos or Orbus; category winners receive current issue of Kudos. No entry fee listed. Deadline: February 12, 2010. Info: www.kudoswritingcompetitions.com; baldock.carole@googlemail.com.
Las Vegas Film Festival Annual Screenwriting Competition. Awards: Ten scripts will be recognized as Finalists in the Competition along with 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Winners. Cash prizes are awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. Winners will have the opportunity to have their work forwarded to our talent management and agency partners. Finalists and winners will be featured on our Web site and in our annual press release announcing the winners of the competition. Entry Fee: $40. Deadline: February 15, 2010. Info: Las Vegas Film Festival, 10300 West Charleston Blvd. Suite 13-149, Las Vegas NV 89146; http://lvfilmfest.com/Filmmakers/Screenplay_Competition.aspx.
Get Published Now Online Academy Synopsis Writing Contest. Submit a one-page synopsis (maximum 300 words) written for the Fairy Tale of your choice. Awards: First prize wins a one-hour synopsis or query letter revision consultation ($75 value) with former publisher and Academy Director, Molli Nickell. Winning entry and three honorable mentions will be constructively critiqued and posted on the Academy site. No entry fee. Write "Synopsis Contest" in subject line and submit to: academycontest@gmail.com. Deadline: February 18, 2010. Info: www.getpublishednow.biz/contest.html.
Wild Violet annual Fiction and Poetry contests. Awards: First place winners in each contest receive $100 and publication; second and third place winners receive publication. Entry fee: $5. Deadline: February 26, 2010. Info: wildvioletmagazine@yahoo.com or www.wildviolet.net/contests.html.
Review Fuse Poetry Contest – 50 lines or fewer. Theme: Open. Award: $100. No entry fee, but must register for free Review Fuse account if haven't already. Deadline: February 28, 2010. Info: www.reviewfuse.com/blog/2009/11/poetry-contest-february-2010/ ; support@reviewfuse.com.
Abbey Hill Literary 1st Quarter 2010 Quick Lit Challenge. Write a story of up to 1,500 words incorporating challenges posted on Web site. Awards: $250, $100, $50, $25. New! Separate 750-word Flash Fiction contest - no prompt required. Winning entries, including author's name and a brief bio, will be posted. Entry fee: $10 or $20 including critique. Deadline: February 28, 2010. Info: www.ahliterary.com; Editor@ahliterary.com.
The Motherhood Muse Spring and Fall contests - Two categories: Nonfiction essay and fiction short story; 500-1,200 words. Awards: $100, $50 each category and publication in our digital literary magazine. Entry fee: $10. Deadlines: May 1, 2010 and November 1, 2010. Info: www.themotherhoodmuse.com.
Carteret Writers 19th Annual Writing Contest. Categories include flash fiction, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children's. Awards: $100, $50, $25 in each category. Entry fees: $5 (members); $10 (non-members). Winning entries will be published in the 2010 edition of the literary journal Shoal. Deadline: March 9, 2010. Info: www.carteretwriters.org or send stamped, self-addressed envelope to Carteret Writers, PO Box 2284, Morehead City NC 28557.
2010 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. Deadline: March 10, 2010. Info: www.indiebookawards.com; Next Generation Indie Book Awards, 511 Wilkinson St., Chelsea MI 48118.
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, 2010. Click for Guidelines and Entry form
2010 Apex Awards for Publication Excellence. Communicators can choose from 127 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. Deadline: March 17, 2010. Info: www.ApexAwards.com.
Meridian Writing Spring Short Story Competition. Maximum 3,000 words, any theme/genre. Awards: £100, £50 & £25 plus firstwriter.com vouchers. Entry fee: £5 per story; extra for basic critique. Entries accepted online and via post. Deadline: March 31, 2010. Info: www.meridian-writing.co.uk.
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 in the May or June 2010 issue. Entry fee: $4. Deadline: March 31, 2010. Info: Contest, Gemini Magazine, PO Box 1485, Onset MA 02558; www.gemini-magazine.com/contest.html.
Writing Contest: How I Changed My Mindset Not My Man. Must be true. Length: Between 750 and 1500 words. Awards: $100, $75, $50. No entry fee stated. Deadline: March 31, 2010. Info: www.sallywatkins.net/contest.html; sally@sallywatkins.net; Sally Watkins, Contest, PO Box 1417, Orangevale CA 95662.
TreasureBoxTales Spring 2010 contest for short stories up to 1300 words describing your treasure and experience. Open to all ages. Awards: $500, $100, plus online publication. All entries will be considered for future print publication. Entry fee: $10. Deadline: April 13, 2010. Info: www.treasureboxtales.com.
GCWA's 22nd Annual "Let's Write" Literary & Photo Contest 2010. Maximum entry length: 36 lines (poetry), 2500 words (fiction and nonfiction). Two photography divisions: black and white, and color. All entries must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration for publication during this competition. Awards: $80, $50, $20 in each category. Entry fee: $8. Deadline: April 15, 2010. Info: Gulf Coast Writers Association, Let's Write Contest, PO Box 10294, Gulfport MS 39505; www.gcwriters.org/contest.html
Novel Beginnings 1st Chapter Contest. First chapter of a novel only. Limit 6,000 words or fewer. Free critique available upon request. Awards: $100, $50, $25. Entry fee: $10 per entry, limit 3 entries. Winner profiled, winning entry posted on Web site. Deadline: April 30, 2010. Info: www.thewritehelper.com.
The Christmas Spirit book project (St. Martin's Press) seeks true stories that emphasize the significance of the Christmas season. Stories may run from 900 to 1,300 words. You may send an original or a reprint. Writers retain rights and those accepted will receive a $50 honorarium plus a copy of the book. Deadline: May 1, 2010. Info: www.christmasspiritbook.com.
28th annual writing contest sponsored by Southwest Writers (New Mexico) for original, unpublished manuscripts. Editors and agents select the top three entries in 14 categories including fiction and nonfiction books, articles, essays and poetry. Awards: Cash prizes of $150, $100, $50 in each category; plus a $1,000 storyteller award. Entry fees: $10-$20 Poetry; $20-$35 Other; additional for critiques. Postmark Deadline: May 1, 2010. Info: Categories, contest rules and entry form at http://southwestwriters.org/swwcontest.php.
Leapfrog 2010 Fiction Contest – Adult fiction: literary novels, novellas, short story collections - minimum 22,000 words; Children's fiction: middle-grade and YA novels - minimum 20,000 words. No picture books. Award: A publication contract with advance for one book in each category. Finalists receive $150 plus a manuscript critique. Contest opens January 15, 2010. Entry fee: $30 for adult fiction; $20 for children's fiction. Deadline: May 1, 2010. Info: www.leapfrogpress.com.
Ninth annual Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize. Award: Publication plus $300. Entry Fee: $15 per entry (3 poems, 6 pages total). Deadline: Postmark May 31, 2010. Info: CALYX Inc., Lois Cranston Poetry Prize, PO Box B, Corvallis OR 97339; www.calyxpress.org.
Second annual "Scare The Dickens Out of Us" ghost story contest sponsored by The Friends of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart, Texas. New, original ghost stories of any genre, any tone, any subject; 5,000 words or less. All publication rights remain with the author. Awards: $1,000, $500, $250. Entry fee: $20. Deadline: October 1, 2010. Info: www.clarklibraryfriends.org. Also, the Junior Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story contest shares identical rules except the entry fee is $5, the award is $250, and entrants must be age 12-18. Winners will have to provide proof of age.
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.
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