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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 -
Creative Writing Corner Short Fiction Competition. Maximum length 3500 words. Awards: $500, $250, $100. Entry fee: $15. Deadline: July 15, 2009. Info: www.creativewritingcorner.com/compete.php
National Sports Law Student Writing Competition for current topics in sports law. Award: Complimentary registration for the National Sports Law Institute's annual fall conference in October in Milwaukee, plus an offere to publish the article in the Marquette Sports Law Review. No entry fee. Deadline: July 17, 2009. Info: http://law.marquette.edu/cgi-bin/site.pl?2130&pageID=191.
High Prairie Poets – New Mexico State Poetry Society Bimonthly Contests. 32-line limit. Awards: $25, $10, $5 plus honorable mentions. Entry fee: $3 first poem; $1 each additional poem. Deadline: July 20, 2009. Info: SASE to Carol Dee Meeks, Silver Arrow Estates, 2601 South Elm Place, Apt. #108, Broken Arrow OK 74012; or c_pmeeks@hotmail.com.
New Millennium Awards for Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction. Awards: $1,000 each category plus publication. Entry fee: $17. Deadline: June 31, 2009. Info: www.newmillenniumwritings.com/awards.php.
Review Fuse Flash Fiction Contest - 1,000 words or fewer. Theme: Open. Award: $100; Bonus: All participants will receive 3 peer critiques of their entry. No entry fee, but must register for free Review Fuse account if haven't already. Deadline: July 31, 2009. Info: www.reviewfuse.com/blog/2009/06/flash-fiction-writing-contest-july-2009/ ; support@reviewfuse.com.
Amazing Story Fiction Contest, limit 2,000 words, open theme (no porn or gore). Awards: $100, $50, $25. Winning entry published, author profiled on Web site. Free critique provided upon request. Entry fee: $5 per entry; limit three entries. Deadline: July 31, 2009. Info: www.thewritehelper.com.
Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest - 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, 2009. Mail entries/fees to: Dream Quest One, PO Box 3141, Chicago IL 60654. Info: www.dreamquestone.com.
First Annual NANO Prize for a flash fiction piece, prose poem, or micro essay of 300 words or less. Award: $500 and publication in the Fall issue. Entry fee: $12 for the first three pieces, and $2 for each additional piece; which includes a one-year subscription to NANO Fiction. Deadline: August 1, 2009. Info: www.nanofiction.org/contest.html; NANO Prize, PO Box 667445, Houston TX 77266.
Story Contest, Past Loves Day, 2008. Write true story of a former love, in no more than 700 words. Awards: $100, $75, and $50. No entry fee. Deadline: August 16, 2009. Info: www.ourpastloves.com/contest.
Silverstreet Publications Short Story Competition Summer 2009. Theme: Optimism; minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 2500 words; must not have been previously published. Awards: £200 (or equivalent Currency), £100, £25.00, £10 Book token. Entry fee: £3.50. Deadline: August 29, 2009. Info: http://silverstreetpublications.com/summerwritingcompetition.aspx.
Blue Lizard Productions short film screenwriting contest. The main goal of the competition is to uncover the best unproduced short film screenplay and to work with the gifted writer(s) who wrote it, packaging it with a great director, talented actors and experienced film crew to be produced next year and then screened at film festivals around the world. Award: The winning screenplay writer will be offered an option and purchase price totaling $750. No entry fee; however, site registration required. Deadline: August 31, 2009. Info: http://bluelizardproductions.com/films/short-film-screenwriting.
SunDrop, a new fiction imprint of New Concord Press (EGPG) is preparing to publish two themed anthologies in fall 2009 and early winter 2010. Theme: Seasons of Romance: Winter Love. Each anthology will contain 6 stories, and will be published in trade paperback, e-book, and Kindle formats. Selected authors will receive a one-time payment of $25.00, plus one copy of the book. Deadline: extended to August 31, 2009. Guidelines: www.newconcordpress.com/sundropbooks/seaons1.html (or www.newconcordpress.com then scroll down to SunDrop).
Editor Jennifer Best of the Best Ebook Contest - open to all self-published or independent e-press published novels. Novel must be available to the public for purchase before being entered. Award: $250. Each of 30 semi-finalists will have their novels showcased for a day on the Web. No entry fee. Deadline: midnight, PST, August 31, 2009. Info: jennifer@editorjennifer.comn; www.editorjennifer.com.
Review Fuse August Poetry Contest. 50 lines or fewer; theme be a bull fighter; must adhere to clean content policy. Award: $50. No entry fee (must register for free Review Fuse account if you haven't already). Deadline: August 31, 2009. Info: www.reviewfuse.com/blog/2009/05/poetry-contest-august-2009/; support@reviewfuse.com.
Planet Earth Awards 2010 for travel writing: article or essay; book. Must have been published between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2009. Awards: $200, $100, $50 in each category. Entry fee: $15 Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW) members; $30 non-members. Deadline: September 1, 2009. Info: BATW Planet Earth Awards 2010, 1368 Sanchez Street, San Francisco CA 94131; www.batw.org/news/planetearth2010/.
2009 Newport Review Flash Fiction Contest for stories of not more than 1,000 words. Awards: $150, $100, $50 and publication; all stories will be considered for publication. Entry fee: $7 per entry; 3 for $20. Deadline: postmark of September 1, 2009. Info: www.newportreview.org/?contests.html; Newport Review Flash Fiction Contest, PO Box 65, Warren RI 02885.
Arttrav.com Italy travel article writing contest. Awards: "book and bag" prizes and a grand prize from sponsors. No entry fee. Deadline: September 13, 2009. Info: www.arttrav.com/contest
Review Fuse Poetry Contest - 50 lines or fewer. Theme: Open. Award: $100; Bonus: All participants will receive 3 peer critiques of their entry. No entry fee, but must register for free Review Fuse account if haven't already. Deadline: September 25, 2009. Info: www.reviewfuse.com/blog/2009/06/poetry-contest-september-2009/; support@reviewfuse.com.
CALYX Press Poetry Book Prize - open to Oregon women writers for complete unpublished book manuscripts (75-125 pages). Award: CALYX Books contract for publication of the manuscript in Fall 2010 and $500. Entry fee: $25. Submission period is September 1 through deadline: September 30, 2009. Info: CALYX Poetry Book Prize, PO Box B, Corvallis OR 97339; http://calyxpress.org.
Bartleby Snopes Dialogue Only Contest - Compose a short story entirely of dialogue. Award: $250 plus publication. Entry fee: $10 for unlimited entries. Deadline: September 30, 2009. Info: www.bartlebysnopes.com/contests.htm.
Angel Animals Network contest seeks true stories of remarkable women and dog companions who give service in extraordinary ways and fulfill their life's purpose. Each entrant will b e considered for publication in Dogs and the Women Who Love Them, to be published by Nee World Library in Fall 2010. No entry fee. Deadline: September 30, 2009 postmark. Info: www.angelanimals.net/contests.html.
"Scare The Dickens Out of Us" ghost story contest fundraiser sposnored by The Friends of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart, Texas. Ghost stories with a character from Charles Dickens works (any character, any work) and set in the month of December around any of the December holidays; 4,000 words or less. All publication rights remain with the author. Awards: $500 and a trophy, $250, $150, and special Caldwell County local prize $100. Entry fee: $20. Deadline: October 1, 2009. Info: www.clarklibraryfriends.org.
2009 New Southerner Literary Contest for poetry, fiction and nonfiction appropriate for publication in the magazine, which promotes self-sufficient living, environmental stewardship and support for local economies. Awards: $200 in each category. Entry fee: $10 for prose up to 5,000 words, or up to three poems, each no longer than 50 lines. Deadline: October 1, 2009. Info: www.newsoutherner.com/?page_id=119.
2009 Autumn Book Festival Writing and Poetry Contest. Separate categories for students and adults. Winners will be announced at the Autumn Book Festival and posted on the Web site. No entry fee. Deadline: October 1, 2009. Info: Autumn Book Festival, PO Box 682, Fostoria OH 44830; nlc_tcog7@yahoo.com; bss_tcog13@yahoo.com; www.autumnbookfestival.bravehost.com/contest.html.
Rosebud Magazine's third biennial Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award for Imaginative Fiction. Original unpublished works of fantasy, science-fiction, mystery and horror are welcome, but the editors are also open to any stories that reach beyond the boundaries of those genres, take a variety of literary and creative risks, and tell a good story. Ideal length is 1000 to 3500 words; up to 4500 words considered. Awards: $1,000 and publication in Rosebud. Four runners-up will receive $100 each and publication. All submissions considered for regular publication in Rosebud. Entry fee: $10 (or $15 to include a copy of the awards issue). Deadline: October 15, 2009 postmark. Info: Rosebud Magazine, N3310 Asje Rd., Cambridge WI 53523; Rod Clark, jrodclark@smallbytes.net.
100 Words or Fewer Fiction Contest. Open theme. Awards: $400, $200, $100, $50, $50. Scored checkmark evaluation sent to each participant. Winning stories published on Web site and 10 Honorable Mentions listed by name. Entry fee: $18. Critique available for $22. Deadline: October 20, 2009. Info: www.100wordsorfewerwritingcontest.com.
Illinois State Poetry Society 16th Annual Contest. Categories: free verse, formal verse, poem related to Abraham Lincoln and/or Charles Darwin. Maximum length one page. Awards: $50, $30, $10. Entry fee: $6 for up to 3 poems, $1 each additional. ISPS members $3 up to 5 poems, $1 each additional. Deadline: October 30, 2009 postmark. Info: www.illinoispoets.org/contest.htm.
Wriers Alliance of Gainesville (WAG) 2010 Contest -- Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry. Awards: $350, $75, Honorable Mentions in each category. First and Second Place winners and selected Honorable Mentions will be published in Bacopa literary journal. Entry fee: $11; $9 WAG members (with first entry free). Deadline: October 31, 2009. Info: www.bacopaonline.com.
Great Lakes Novel Prize, must be set in the Great Lakes Region and written by an author presently living in the region, must be a novel or collection of interrelated short stories, 40,000 to 80,000 words. Award: $350, publication, and a royalty contract (note: publisher does not usually pay an advance, so it is a true prize). Entrants receive copy of published book. Entry fee: $20. Deadline: October 31, 2009 (must be postmarked between September 1 and October 31). Info: www.smithdocs.net or www.DrinianPress.com; Drinian Press, PO Box 63, Huron, OH 44839.
Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival One-Act Play Contest for plays up to one hour in length that have not been produced, published or performned. Award: $1,500 plus staged reading, full production, Festival VIP access, and publication in literary journal. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: November 1, 2009 postmark. Info: www.tennesseewilliams.net/index.php?topic=contests.
Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival Fiction Writing Contest for unpulished short stories, written in English, up to 7,000 words. Only open to writers who have not yet published a book of fiction. Award: $1,500 plus publication and public reading. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: November 16, 2009 postmark. Info: www.tennesseewilliams.net/article.php?story=fictioncontest2.
2009 Stormfield Press Literary Contest - fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Awards: $300, $75. Both winners have option to publish (author retains all rights to work). Entry fee: $15. Deadline: November 30, 2009. Info: http://stormfieldpress.wordpress.com/contest-submission-guidelines/
Bottle Tree Productions One Act Play Competition For Writers. Awards: $1,000, $250, $100. One-act plays of any length may be submitted. Plays can have previously been produced or work-shopped but not professionally. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: November 30, 2009. Info: www.bottletreeinc.com/script_contest.html.
Good Read Novel Writing Competition. Submit 75 pages of a fully completed unpublished novel. Award: $500. Entry fee: $40. "The rules allow for a resubmission after receiving our critique, which is included (along with 20 pages of line editing) in the $40 fee." Deadline: November 30, 2009. Info: www.awomanswrite.com.
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
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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