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The Pinch

Fiction Contest or Poetry Contest

WATERMAN FUND ALPINE ESSAY CONTEST

DEADLINE: March 15, 2010

GENRE: Creative nonfiction

OPEN TO: US residents who have not previously had published a book or national magazine article on the subject.

DETAILS: We encourage the submission of essays that explore the relationship between the human spirit and the environment. For example, we seek scientific essays about the effects of global warming; personal stories about hiking experiences; or writings that explore the relationship between people and wildness. 2,500 - 4000 words.

PRIZE: $1,500

The Bellday Poetry Prize
Final Judge: Lucia Perrillo

Deadline for submission: March 15, 2010
Bellday Books will publish the winning book and award $2,000 and 25 copies of the book to the winning author. For complete submission guidelines and contest rules, visit us online or send SASE to Bellday Books, Inc., P.O. Box 3687, Pittsburgh, PA 15230

Annual Writers-Editors International Writing Competition

Deadline: March 15, 2010

Nonfiction (Previously Published and Unpublished); Fiction (Short Story and Novel Chapter); Children's Literature; Poetry. Awards: $100, $75, $50. Entry fee: $3–$20

Prairie Schooner Book Prizes

 in Poetry and Short Fiction: $3,000 and Publication

Postmark Deadline: March 15, 2010 (don't enter before January 15)

Flash-Fiction Contest

Deadline: March 20, 2010

This is an opportunity to attempt what is one of the most difficult and rewarding tasks - to create, in a tiny fragment, a completely resolved and compelling story in 300 words or less. Flash Fiction is a wonderfully entertaining thing to read and a challenging thing to write, but we love it and so do the readers of our Anthology. This is another chance to get a story, however small, into this year's Fish Anthology.

The Ayn Rand Institute offers the

Anthem Essay Contest

March 20 deadline

For 8th, 9th and 10th graders. With a 1st Place prize of $2,000 and more than 200 lesser prizes ranging from $30-500.

Horror Story

Deadline: Mar 22nd
Put your readers on edge or terrorize them for this horror writing contest.

This writing contest rewards a $100 prize to the winner.

Thin Threads Contest

Deadline: March 28, 2010

KIWI is looking for true, inspirational stories; 1200 words or less, that will make readers laugh, cry, or sigh. Stories should be positive, universal, and non-controversial. The "point" or "message" should be evident without preaching. No essays, commentaries, tributes, philosophical or biographical pieces will be accepted. Each story must contain the following elements:

1.  Be real – non-fiction

2.  Capture the essence of a thin thread event

THE EIGHTH TEN-MINUTE INTERNATIONAL PLAY COMPETITION
ENTRY FEE $5. NO ENTRY FEE FOR YOUTH DIVISION
Limit to a submission of five plays.

Deadline March 30, 2010

OnceWritten.com Annual Poetry Contest
Award: $500 & publication
Fee: $15
Deadline: March 31, 2010

GEMINI MAGAZINE SHORT STORY CONTEST

ENTRY FEE: $4

Deadline: March 31, 2010

Grand prize: $1,000. Second prize: $100. Honorable mention (3). All five finalists published in the June 2010 issue of Gemini. No restrictions on content, style, genre or length. Flashes, novel excerpts, experimental--all types of short fiction are welcome.

DAVID BURLAND POETRY PRIZE

Deadline: March 31, 2010

£5 ENTRY FEE

Entries will be accepted from writers of any nationality and from any country provided that they are written in the English or French Language. A maximum of 3 poems per author may be accepted. May be on any subject and written in free style or rhyme. 1st prize: £150, 2nd prize: £50, 3rd prize: £30. All entries must be accompanied with a booking form and payment.

L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest

The next quarterly deadline is March 31.

Meridian Writing Spring Short Story Competition

Deadline: March 31, 2010

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.

Gemini Magazine Short Story Contest

Deadline: March 31, 2010

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. Info: Contest, Gemini Magazine, PO Box 1485, Onset MA 02558

Writing Contest: How I Changed My Mindset Not My Man

Deadline: March 31, 2010

Must be true. Length: Between 750 and 1500 words. Awards: $100, $75, $50. No entry fee stated. Info: sally@sallywatkins.net; Sally Watkins, Contest, PO Box 1417, Orangevale CA 95662.

GREAT AMERICAN THINK-OFF
NO ENTRY FEE

Just submit an essay of 750 words or less by April 1, 2010.
America's premier amateur philosophy contest, The Great American Think-Off, releases its 2010 essay and debate question: "Do the wealthy have an obligation to help the poor?" In writing essays on this question, potential debaters may address individuals, groups, or nations as the essayist determines. The Great Debate will be held in New York Mills, Minnesota on Saturday, June 12, 2010 before a live audience. Entering the competition is easy.
The names of the four finalists, who each receive $500 plus travel, food and lodging expenses, will be announced May 1, 2010.

TIFERET POETRY CONTEST

Deadline: April 1, 2010
$5 ENTRY FEE (limit 10)
TIFERET: A Journal of Spiritual Literature offers an award of $500 for a poem that invokes the sacred. We publish writing from a variety of spiritual and religious traditions. Our mission is to help reveal spirit through the written word and to promote peace in the individual and the world. Unpublished poems in English must be received through our online Submissions Manager by April 1, 2010. First prize: $500 and publication in TIFERET. Three Honorable Mention Prizes will receive publication on website.

Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

– No Fee –

Submit one humor poem by April 1 deadline.
Ninth annual free contest. Fifteen cash prizes totaling $3,600. Top prize $1,500. New simplified online entry process. No entry fee. Winning entries published online. Final judge: Jendi Reiter. Sponsored by Winning Writers, one of the "101 Best Websites for Writers" (Writer's Digest, 2005-2009).

Visit online for guidelines and online submission.

Wergle Flomp Poetry Contest

Deadline: April 1, 2010

Now in its ninth year. We seek today's best humor poems. Total cash prizes have been increased to $3,600, with a top prize of $1,500. This contest is free to enter.

How to Submit Your Entry: New simplified procedure! Just click here to submit your entry online. There is no fee to submit to the Wergle Flomp Poetry Contest. Poets of all nations may enter. Your poem must be in English (inspired gibberish also accepted). Please submit only one poem per year. Your poem may be of any length. Both published and unpublished work are welcome.

First Prize of $1,500 and publication on WinningWriters.com

Second Prize of $800 and publication on WinningWriters.com

Third Prize of $400 and publication on WinningWriters.com

Twelve honorable mentions will receive $75 each and publication on WinningWriters.com

Dark Moon Anthologies Presents: MONSTERS!

Short Story Contest

April 10, 2010 contest end date

1st Prize: $100 and publication as the winning entry in Dark Moon Anthology: Monsters!

2nd Prize: $50 and publication in Dark Moon Anthology: Monsters!

3rd Prize: $25 and publication in Dark Moon Anthology: Monsters!

Special Prize for most original, new monster: $50.00

Treasure Box Tales Spring 2010 contest

Deadline: April 13, 2010

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

Writer Advice's Fifth Annual Flash Prose Contest

Deadline: April 15

Submit flash prose submissions up to 750 words in fiction, memoir and creative nonfiction categories. Prizes: $150/$75/$50/$25. All entries submitted with a SASE will receive brief comments.

The Alabama Writers' Conclave (AWC) is now accepting submissions for its

Annual Writing Contest

Deadline postmark April 20.

Categories include fiction, short fiction, juvenile fiction, nonfiction, humor, traditional poem, free verse poem, and first chapter novel. Prizes of $100, $75, $50, $25, and four honorable mentions will be awarded in July. For more information, contact Marian Lewis, Contest Chair, at bo325sky@earthlink.net

Novel Beginnings 1st Chapter Contest

Deadline: April 30, 2010

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

E.M. KOEPPEL $1,100 SHORT FICTION AWARD
$15 ENTRY FEE

Deadline April 30, 2010.
First Place Award: $1,100. Editors' Choices: $100 each.
Maximum Length: 3,000 words. Stories must be unpublished.
The winning short story and editors' choices will be published on www.writecorner.com . See the website for more details.

The Christmas Spirit book project

Deadline: May 1, 2010

(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.

28th annual writing contest sponsored by Southwest Writers

Postmark Deadline: May 1, 2010

(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.

Leapfrog 2010 Fiction Contest

Deadline: May 1, 2010

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.

$2,000 Awaits Winners of the

Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition

The final deadline: May 15, 2010;

Entries are now being accepted for the 2010 Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition, created to enthusiastically support the efforts and talent of emerging writers of short fiction whose voices have yet to be heard.

Writers will compete for a $1,000 first-place prize, $500 second-place prize, and $500 third-place prize in this internationally-acclaimed competition. Several honorable mentions are also awarded each year. As an added prize, beginning in 2009, The Saturday Evening Post will publish our first-place winner. Payment by The Saturday Evening Post for publication of the winning story will be in addition to our $1000 first-place prize.

Stories in all genres of fiction are welcome. Maximum length is 3,000 words, and writers retain all rights to their work. Winners will be announced at the end of July.

For complete guidelines, please visit, e-mail shortstorykw@gmail.com, or send an SASE to the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition, P.O. Box 993, Key West, FL  33041.

HOW JOURNAL SHORT STORY CONTEST
Deadline May 15, 2010

$20 ENTRY FEE
The contest is open to all writers and all themes. The word limit is 12,000. Considers unpublished novel excerpts if they feel like complete stories. It's fine to submit more than one story.

1st Place - $1,000 and publication in H.O.W. Journal
2nd Place - $300 and publication in H.O.W. Journal
3rd Place - $100 and publication in H.O.W. Journal

WOMEN WHO WRITE
$10 ENTRY FEE
Deadline May 30, 2010

Poetry and prose accepted.
Open to women writers 18 or older. Women Who Write will retain one-time publication rights, after which, all rights revert back to author. Prose limit 3,000 words.  
First Place: $150 and five copies of anthology, Second Place: $100 and five copies of anthology
Third Place: $75 and five copies of anthology
Winners' work is published in Calliope, Women Who Write's annual anthology. Winners read their poetry and selections from their stories at the awards program.

Ninth annual Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize

Deadline: Postmark May 31, 2010

Award: Publication plus $300. Entry Fee: $15 per entry (3 poems, 6 pages total). Info: CALYX Inc., Lois Cranston Poetry Prize, PO Box B, Corvallis OR 97339.

Dark Moon Books (an imprint of Stony Meadow Publishing) is sponsoring its first annual

"Scary Poetry" Contest

Contest Deadline: July 1, 2010

1st Prize: $50 and publication as the winning entry in Poems of Monsters, Mayhem and Madness: Poetry To Keep You Awake At Night!

2nd Prize: $25 and publication in the Poems of Monsters, Mayhem and Madness: Poetry To Keep You Awake At Night!

3rd Prize: $10 and publication in the Poems of Monsters, Mayhem and Madness: Poetry To Keep You Awake At Night!

All other poems selected will appear in Poems of Monsters, Mayhem and Madness: Poetry To Keep You Awake At Night! with author credit. (All entries will receive a PDF copy of the finished anthology. No other remuneration will be provided, but copies of the book will be available from the publisher at 35% off the retail price.) We expect to include at least 100 poems in the collection.

DORIS GOODERSON SHORT STORY COMPETITION
ENTRY FEE £3 per story or 2 for £5
Deadline July 12, 2010.

Limit 1,200 words. Prizes: 1st £150, 2nd £70 and 3rd £40. Copyright remains with the author, although winning entries will be published in the Wrekin Writers 2010 Anthology and may also be published on the Wrekin Writer website.

The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest

Deadline: July 31, 2010

Open to everyone! This competition welcomes anyone who loves arranging words into the beautiful art of poetry or to write a short story that is worth telling everyone. And to all who have the ability to dream... Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original.

Guidelines: Write a poem, thirty lines or fewer on any subject, style, or form, typed or neatly hand printed.

And/or write a short story, five pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, creative writing fiction or non-fiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries and screenwriting). Also, must be typed or neatly hand printed.

Multiple poetry and short story entries are accepted. All contest winners will be announced on August 31, 2010

Prizes:Writing Contest First Prize is $500. Second Prize: $250. Third Prize: $100.

Poetry Contest First Prize is $250. Second Prize: $125. Third Prize: $50.

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

To send entries: Include title(s) with your story (ies) or poem(s), along with your name, address, phone#, email, brief biographical info. (Tell us a little about yourself), on the coversheet. Add a self-addressed stamped envelope for entry confirmation. Fees payable to: “Dreamquestone.Com”

Mail to: Dream Quest One - Poetry & Writing Contest

THE "SCARE THE DICKENS OUT OF US" SHORT STORY CONTEST 2010

Deadline October 1, 2010.
$20 ENTRY FEE
First prize, $1,000 and a trophy.
Second prize, $500 and a ribbon.
Third prize, $250 and a ribbon.
Junior contest prize $250 and a trophy.

The contest is a Friends of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library fundraiser and is privately funded. All entry fees go to the Friends and are used for library projects. The contest is open to published and unpublished writers alike. The ghost story must be 5,000 words or less, in English, and typed double-spaced.

THE SPRING 2010 24-HOUR SHORT STORY CONTEST

Now accepting entrants! Each contest is limited to 500 entrants so don't delay if you want to participate.

1st Place: $300, 2nd Place: $250, 3rd Place: $200

Entry fee is $5. You can see the complete list of 85 prizes

Caliterary Review Contest

Stories or novellas previously published are eligible, as long as the publication did not exceed 2,000 copies.

*Reading Fee $25.00. AWARDS: FIRST $1,000, SECOND $300 THIRD $200 (each additional entry in this SAME category, $10, not to exceed 5 total submissions)

GUIDELINES FOR POETRY: Not to exceed three pages per poem. Maximum: three poems per entry.

*Reading Fee 15.00 (for 3 poems) AWARDS: FIRST $400, SECOND $200, THIRD $100 (each additional poem entry in this SAME category, $10 each, not to exceed 5 total submissions)

These dates are ANNUAL, REVOLVING deadlines

SHORT FICTION .......MAR 30, SEPT 30
POETRY..................... MAR 30, SEPT 30
NOVELLA....................................... JAN 7
 ESSAY/ non-Fiction......... JAN 7, AUG 30
PHOTOGRAPHY ....................... AUG 30

NOTES AND GRACE NOTES MONTHLY CONTEST

The deadline is the last day of each month.
NO ENTRY FEE
Notes and Grace Notes offers a monthly contest in Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction and Historical Fiction. The prize starts at $25 (and sometimes it ends up being a bit more depending on if we get donations). Finalists get judges feedback, but also all entries submitted on the site can be open for general feedback if the author chooses. The word limit for the monthly contest is 3,500. Entries are limited to 2 per category. No themes. All entries will also be considered for the Literary Mag.

Inamorata Romance Books (an imprint of Stony Meadow Publishing) is sponsoring its

First Romantic Short Story Contest

Contest Deadlines: The 1st of every month for the following month's contest.

The contest is open to all writers, whether published or unpublished, and we are looking forward to reading some great short stories!

Monthly Winner: $20 and e-publication as the winning entry in the current month's contest. (Monthly winners may also be considered for eventual inclusion in an upcoming Anthology of Romance Short Stories Collection.)

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 COMPETITIONS

"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

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.

Funds For Writers

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

Click below for more links --  

Conferences & Workshops    Contests    Places to Publish

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