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Click here for printable guidelines and poster for GCWA's 21st Annual "Let's Write" Literary Contest

 

-- Contests Links --

 

CYCLAMENS AND SWORD PRESS POETRY CONTEST

Deadline November 30, 2008

$5 ENTRY FEE

First prize is $300, second prize $100, third prize $50 and seven honorable mentions. Winning poems and honorable mentions will be published in our winter issue. BONUS - A chapbook containing the winning poems and the honorable mentions will be published and presented to the winners in addition to their cash prize. Poems not to exceed 30 lines length (excluding title and spaces between stanzas).

Graveyard Publishing

All stories submitted for this contest must be received by December 1st, 2008

 is sponsoring a short story contest, and will be publishing a book with the selected winning stories. The Authors whose stories are selected will receive a publishing contract from Graveyard Publishing giving us exclusive rights to publish their submitted work, a free copy of the published book, and 10% of any of the profits generated by sales from the book. (Profits being the sales price, minus any expenses associated with the publication of the book.)

Requirements: Short stories submitted for consideration in our contest must be of the Horror, Science Fiction, Science Fantasy, Macabre, or Occult genre. All stories submitted must be your original and never before published work. Stories must be a minimum of 20 single spaced pages, or 40 double spaced pages, and must be submitted in Microsoft Word format. Contest only open to those 18 years of age and older.

MORTEN H. CLAUSEN POETRY COMPETITION

Deadline December 1, 2008.

$10 ENTRY FEE

Original, complete poems in any genre, meter, or format. Your entry may be up to 150 words in length and either published or unpublished. First prize $500, second prize $100, third prize $50, fourth prize $25, 5 honorable mentions.

MONA SCHREIBER HUMOR CONTEST FOR FICTION AND NONFICTION

Postmarked by December 1

$5 ENTRY FEE

Writers of comedic essays, articles, short stories, poetry, shopping lists and other forms are invited to submit. Works up to 750 words in length accepted. All entries must be postmarked by December 1 for a December 24 announcement of three winners: 1st: $500. 2nd: $250. 3rd: $100.

Tupelo Press $10,000 Dorset Prize for 2008
Open to All Poets Writing in English
Submission Period: September 1 - December 15, 2008 (Postmark)
Again this year, the Dorset Prize includes a cash award of $10,000 in addition to publication by Tupelo Press (in paper and hardcover editions), a book launch at Poets House in New York City, and national distribution through Tupelo Press and Consortium Book Sales and Distribution, Inc., Ingram and Baker & Taylor.
The 2008 Dorset Prize will be judged by Ilya Kaminsky. All finalists will be considered for publication. Personal friends as well as current and former students of Ilya Kaminsky are not eligible for this year's Dorset Prize.

RHODE ISLAND WRITERS CIRCLE POETRY CONTEST

Deadline December 29, 2008.

$10 ENTRY FEE

Contest open to residents of the United States and Canada.

Poems must be unpublished. 5 pages of poetry considered a submission. Open: free or formal verse. First Place: $200. Second Place: $150. First and second place winners receive cash awards, staged readings, and are published in the RI Writers' Circle Anthology.  A number of other poems will be recognized for artistic merit.

MEET THE AUTHORS  WRITING CONTEST: E.L. DOCTOROW and PETER MATTHIESSEN in NY

$25 ENTRY FEE
Deadline December 30, 2008.

Contest winners are eligible for a free trip to New York to personally meet National Book Award-winning authors E.L. Doctorow and Peter Matthiessen. The winners will also receive autographed books by the authors - or, may opt for a combined $1,000 in cash prizes instead of the trip. In addition, ten Honorable Mentions will receive recognition. First place $500, or an all-expense paid trip to meet the authors Spring 2009. Second place $300, or meet the authors. Accommodation provided. Third place $200, or meet the authors. Ten Honorable Mentions. Submit an unpublished story or chapter of a novel (fiction or creative non-fiction), of 5,000 words or less. Pages should be paper clipped. Your name, address, email, phone and title of work should also appear on a cover sheet. Double-space; use 12 point font. Enclose legal size self-sealing SASE for critique and list of winners. Do not use FedEx, certified mail, etc. 

PEACE PLAY CONTEST

Deadline December 31, 2009

NO ENTRY FEE

1st Place: $500, production, room and board to attend rehearsals and/or production. 2nd Place: $100, possible production. One submission per writer, unproduced submission preferred, 15-50 minutes in length, exploring a contemporary peace theme (broadly defined).

HACKNEY SHORT STORY AND POETRY AWARDS

Deadline December 31, 2008.

$10 ENTRY FEE

The winners will be announced at the conference on March 13-14, 2009. Length not to exceed 5,000 words per story. Poetry not to exceed 50 lines per entry.  Awards $5,000 in annual prizes for poetry and short fiction, ($2,500 national and $2,500 state level; 1st place, $600; 2nd place, $400; and 3rd place, $250).

The Lunch Hour Stories annual

VERY Short Story and Narrative Prose Poem Contest

accepts submissions through December 31 of each year. Three winners are awarded cash prizes and publication in a print anthology. Nine additional stories (finalists) are considered for publication in the same anthology.

SPS STUDIOS POETRY CARD CONTEST
1st prize: $300 * 2nd prize: $150 * 3rd prize: $50.

Deadline December 31, 2008.
In addition, the winning poems will be displayed on our website sps.com. Poems can be rhyming or non-rhyming, although we find that non-rhyming poetry reads better. We suggest that you write about real emotions and feelings and that you have some special person or occasion in mind as you write. Poems are judged on the basis of originality and uniqueness. English-language entries only.

The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest

is open to anyone who loves to express their innermost thoughts and feelings into the art of words or to write a short story that is worth telling everyone! And to all who have the ability to dream. Write your best short story or poem for a chance to win cash prizes. All entries must be original.

Deadline: December 31, 2008 *  Winners will be announced on January 31, 2009 

 Guidelines:
(1) Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style or form, single or double line spacing.

Or

 (2) Write a short story five pages maximum, single or double line spacing, on any subject or theme, creative writing, fiction and non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary and journal entries).
Prizes:

Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize is $250. Third Prize $100.
Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize is $125. Third Prize is $50.

Entry fees:
Writing Contest entry fee is: $10 per short story. Poetry Contest entry fee is: $5 per poem. 

To send entries by mail: Include title, name, address, phone, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself) on the coversheet, add a self-addressed stamped enveloped for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: DREAMQUESTONE.COM.

Mail to:

Dream Quest One, Poetry & Writing Contest

P.O. Box 3141, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for further details, to print out an entry form or to enter online.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: College Tales

 DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 31, 2008.

to be published May 2009     We are looking for true stories and poems about your experiences in college. We are looking for stories written by college students, or by graduates about their college years.  We prefer stories and poems written in the first person of no more than 1,200 words.   Here are some suggested topics:  Moving in and meeting the roommateSaying goodbye to families and friendsLearning to live away from homeFunny and embarrassing stories about college lifeSpring BreakTransferringTaking a year off from collegeCareer college studentsSemesters or summers abroadChoosing majorsDealing with the workload, figuring out professors, grade pressureBeing pre-med, pre-law, and other stressful endeavors before grad schoolMore tests - MCATs, GMATs, LSATsRelationships with friends, family, girlfriends and boyfriendsLifestyle choices, food, drinking or dry.Personal growth - choosing new friends, coming out, patching up relationshipsMoney - problems, jobs, scholarships, paying your own wayMedical and psychological challengesGreek life, eating clubs, pledging, and membershipSports, clubs, volunteer work, and other extracurriculars.Anything else that you think is interesting about college that you would like share If your story is chosen, you will be a published author and your bio will be printed in the book.  You will also receive a check for $200 and 10 free copies of your book, worth more than $100.  We will copyright your story in your name and you will retain the rights to resell it.

SUBMISSIONS GO TO http://chickensoupforthesoul.com/form.asp?cid=submit_story.

Fees (if applicable) $7.00

Prizes (if applicable) First prize: $250.00, Second prize: $100.00, Third prize: $50.00. First, second, third prize, and selected honorable mention winners will be published in future issues of the WRITERS' Journal.

Description: Not to exceed 2,000 words, only previously unpublished stories, no profanity, manuscript format, cover sheet. Follow guidelines precisely: details at http://www.writersjournal.com/RomanceContest.htm.
Contact Info: WRITERS' Journal Magazine

Address: PO Box 394, Perham, MN 56573

Phone: 218-346-7921 *  Fax: 218-346-7924

E-mail: writersjournal@writersjournal.com, Web site: www.writersjournal.com

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS AWARD IN SHORT FICTION
$25 ENTRY FEE

Manuscripts accepted only during the month of January.
This annual award is given to the manuscript collection of short fiction selected by an independent judge to be the best submitted. The winning author will receive publication under a standard book contract that includes a cash prize of $1,500 as an advance against royalties. The winner and finalists will be announced in May. Submissions may include short stories, novellas, or a combination of both (but a single novella is not an eligible submission).  The competition is open to all writers in English. Manuscripts must be between 150 and 300 typed pages (approx. 40,000 to 80,000 words). Individual stories or novellas in the collection may not exceed 125 pages (approx. 35,000 words).

SPECTRA PULSE FICTION CONTEST

Deadline January 13, 2009.
NO ENTRY FEE
Presenting a new short fiction contest for unpublished writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. For its third edition of Spectra Pulse, Bantam Spectra is allowing unpublished writers to get their work featured alongside some of the most well-respected names in science fiction and fantasy. One lucky winner will receive $100 and have his/her story published in the Summer 2009 issue of Spectra Pulse, Bantam Spectra's exclusive magazine distributed at
Comic-Con San Diego and select conventions and bookstores (available July 2009). Up to 2,000 words. Open to US residents over 18.

GCWA's

21st Annual "Let's Write" Literary Contest

Opens January 15, 2009

Lyric Poetry Review

announces the Lyric Family Prize, deadline January 15.
One prize package of $300, a signed broadside from our series, a lifetime subscription, and publication in Lyric, will be given for a poem or group
of poems.  Submit up to three poems with a $10 fee to Lyric Prize, PO Box 2494, Bloomington, IN  47404. 

Contest, Iowa State University

Deadline January 15.

Go! is an online magazine for teens about transportation and careers in transportation and is published by Iowa State University.

 Briefly, the contest includes a $1,000 prize for the best non-fiction article (up to 2,000 words) focused on some aspect of transportation for a teen audience. The contest is open to all writers, published and unpublished, age 16 and up. Submissions must be previously unpublished.

BUFFALO CARP FLASH FICTION

Deadline January 16, 2009.

$10 ENTRY FEE

Prize is $250 USD, plus five copies of Buffalo Carp, Volume 6. All entries will be considered for publication.

Send no more than three (3) flash fiction stories, each one being no longer than 600 words. ONLY unpublished flash fiction stories may be submitted.

GCWA's

Magnolia Quarterly Spring Contest

(For GCWA members, only.)

Deadline: February 1, 2009

GCWA's

21st Annual "Let's Write" Literary Contest

Deadline: April 15, 2009

WINTER 2007-2008 FLASH FICTION CONTEST

OVERVIEW: WOW! hosts a (quarterly) writing contest every three months. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, communication, and well-rewarded recognition to contestants. The contest is open globally; age is of no matter; and entries must be in English. We are open to all styles of writing, although we do encourage you to take a close look at our guest judge for the season (upper right hand column) and the flavor of our sponsor, if you are serious about winning. We love creativity, originality, and light-hearted reads. That's not to say that our guest judge will feel the same... so go wild! Express yourself, and most of all, let's have some fun!

WORD COUNT:  Maximum: 500  *  Minimum: 250  The title is not to be counted in your word count. We use MS Word's word count to determine the submitted entry's word count.

Whim's Place Flash Fiction Contest

Deadline: QUARTERLY *  Entry Fee: $5

Prize: $250 plus publication

A quarterly flash fiction contest. Deadlines for each quarter are March 30, June 30, September 30, December 30. Submit flash fiction of 500 words or less. Submit by regular post or e-mail. Full contest rules and regulations available on website.

LORIAN HEMINGWAY SHORT STORY COMPETITION

$12 ENTRY FEE
The first-place winner will receive $1,000 in cash, while the second- and third-place winners will receive $500 each. Created to support and encourage the efforts of writers who have not yet achieved major-market success. To be eligible for the 2008 competition, stories must be original unpublished fiction, typed and double-spaced, and they may not exceed 3,000 words in length. There are no theme restrictions. Deadline
May 1, 2008 for $12 entry fee. $17 for each story postmarked from May 2 up to and including May 15. Entries postmarked after May 15, 2008, will not be accepted. Winners will be announced at the end of
July 2008 in Key West, Florida. All entrants will receive a letter from Lorian Hemingway and a list of winners, either via regular mail or e-mail, by October 1, 2008.

"Life for Change"

seeks stories for a new type of contest. People write their story, others vote for it, and the author of the story with the most votes wins a payout.

 Right now payouts are $100 US, but the site aims to award over $12,000 per month.
Take a look and let me know what you think!  http://www.lifeforchange.com/life

WinningWriters.com

Best resources for poets and writers

Winning Writers finds and creates quality resources for poets and writers. Our expert online poetry contest database, Poetry Contest Insider, ranks and profiles over 650 poetry contests.

Writer's Digest - Contests

sponsors several writing contests annually. If you'd like to receive contest news via email,

subscribe to the Writer's Digest Competition Update.

SWINK  editors' awards for emerging writers

Prizes in fiction and poetry will be awarded by the editors of Swink to a writer who has not yet published a nationally distributed book of fiction, poetry or creative non-fiction. Finalists will be selected by Swink’s editors and will be announced by mail and on our website. The Fiction Award will be chosen among the finalists by Charles D'Ambrosio; the Poetry Award will be determined by Marianne Boruch.

Rosebud Contests for Writers

Rosebud sponsors three biennial writing contests, each with a $1,000 award to the winner, plus a new competition in conjunction with The Writer. These contests are judged independently of Rosebud submissions (though winners and some runners-up will be published in the magazine) and each requires a $10 entry fee.

Funds For Writers

Great lists of contests, grants, and markets for free-lance writers

 

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