Category Archives: Contests April

Words with Jam First Page Contest

Posted on April 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

Entry fee: £5 for one or £8 for two submissions

Deadline: April 29, 2011

Guidelines: Words With Jam Entry

Words with Jam is a top notch literary and writer focused magazine based in the UK and produced by Quinn Publications. This month they’re running a contest looking for the best first page of a novel. It doesn’t have to be a completed novel; it can be a work in progress. The very famous best-selling author and ghostwriter, Andrew Crofts, is presiding as judge over the proceedings. After forty years of writing experience, he certainly knows what it takes to create a compelling first page. If you think you’ve got a winner, this is a good contest to enter.

Happy writing!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Contests, Contests April, Writing, Writing markets

Tagged , , ,

Five Stop Story Competition

Posted on April 7, 2011 | 1 Comment

Entry Fee: Free

Deadline: April 22, 2011

Guidelines: Five Stop Story

I just love quirky contests, don’t you? This one challenges writers to tell a story in five stops. The stops might be travel stops, emotional stops, symbolic stops. The story must embed the number five within it in a meaningful way. To get the gist of what I mean, read the Valentine’s Short Story Competition winners at the website.

Five Stop Story pays in publication on their website and a copy of the book, The World’s Greatest Short Stories, edited by James Daley. If you need clips, this might be a good place to settle in with a cuppa and get typing.

Happy writing!

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Contests, Contests April, Writing, Writing markets

Tagged , ,

Blueberry Lane Books Open for Two Anthologies

Posted on April 5, 2011 | Leave a comment

Submission Fee: Free

Deadline: April 16 and April 30, 2011

Guidelines: Blueberry Lane Book Guidelines

Drastic Consequences, Drastic Measures, Volume II

Blueberry Lane Books is publishing an anthology of stories about what happens when people are pushed to their limits. This is a paying market for short stories up to 5,000 words.Submit your story by April 16, 2011.

In the Spaces Between

This anthology needs stories that blend science fiction and mystery. The deadline is April 30, 2011.

Blueberry Lane Books accepts agented and unagented submissions. All work must be original and high quality.

Good luck!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Contests April, Writing, Writing markets

Tagged , ,

Get Published! Harper Teen Midsummer Night’s Dream Contest

Posted on March 22, 2011 | Leave a comment

Entry fee: FREE (You need Facebook)

Deadline: April 19, 2011

Guidelines: Midsummer Night’s Dream Writing Contest

Do you love YA romance? Do you love Shakespeare? Then you’ll love this new contest by HarperTeen. They’re looking for a writer to create a 5,000 word story from the viewpoint of Hermia, Helena, Lysander, Demetrius, Titania, or Puck. Ah, Puck. You’ve got to love Puck.

Judges will choose the top twenty entries by April 29. Out of the top twenty entries, five will be published in an anthology to be published in September 2011. Other prizes include an iPod Touch.

The first round of judging is a voting round going on right now. Take a look at the website. Several entries are up already. This means the earlier you get your story submitted, and the more exposure you give to your story, the more votes it might get. Post a note here to list your story and the URL, and readers can go vote for you!

Have fun writing for this contest. It’s always fun to remake old classics.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Contests, Contests April, Writing, Writing markets

Tagged , , , ,

UNLV Witness Magazine Call for Submissions

Posted on March 10, 2011 | Leave a comment

Fee: FREE

Deadline: April 1, 2011

Guidelines: Witness Magazine

Witness Magazine is published by the Black Mountain Institute at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. They publish three times a year, but as with many university and college literary magazines, they’re only open to submissions certain months of the year for their reading period. September 1 through April 1 is your window of opportunity at this magazine.

You may submit to the special issue, which right now is themed “disaster.” They’re also open to general submissions, which are published in the online issue of the magazine. Submissions must be previously unpublished in any format, including on blogs.

Head to the website for more details and the online submission manager.

Here’s another university press currently accepting submissions.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Contests, Contests April, Writing, Writing markets

Tagged , , , ,

Deakin University Windmills Writing Contest

Posted on March 8, 2011 | Leave a comment

Fee: FREE

Deadline: April 1, 2011

Guidelines: Deakin University School of Communication and Arts

Windmills is the name of the literary magazine and the non-theme for this creative writing contest. Windmills go round and round, spinning in the wind. That’s what the sponsors of the writing contest at Deakin University would like to see writers do with their words. They’re asking for the spinniest prose and poetry you can write.

Words@Deakin is holding this contest for writers of prose and poetry. Poetry should be up to 50 lines long and prose may be up to 1000 words. For examples of what the editors love to see, check out a copy of their magazine Windmills, or follow them on Facebook or Twitter as DeakinArtsEd. The submission guidelines are available at the website in a PDF file.

Windmills also takes regular submissions besides contest submissions. Have some fun playing in your wordbox, and when you’ve brushed all the sand off and polished it up, send it to them.

Happy writing!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Contests, Contests April, Writing, Writing markets

Dear Editor.com Manuscript Contest

Posted on April 10, 2010 | Leave a comment

Deadline: April 14, 2010

Entry Fee: FREE

Guidelines: http://dear-editor.com/2010/04/07/newsflash-a-dear-editor-com-giveaway-a-free-yamg-edit/

Do you have a manuscript ready to pitch to an agent? If so, enter this contest for a free manuscript critique from Dear Editor.com, where writers write to get it right.

The editors at the site are celebrating a one month anniversary. Yay! They are so happy they are going to celebrate by giving away a substantive critique on the Middle Grade or Young Adult manuscript of the winner.

Please read the guidelines carefully. Please read them again. Then please do the things they ask so you don’t get disqualified.

Good luck! Wish me luck, too! I’m entering my manuscript, Jynx, You’re It, which is making the rounds among agents right now.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Contests, Contests April

Tagged , ,

Cup of Comfort Your Love Story Contest

Posted on April 1, 2010 | Leave a comment

Deadline: April 20, 2010

Entry Fee: FREE

Guidelines: http://www.cupofcomfort.com/CallforSubmissions

Cup of Comfort, published by Adams Media, is one of  the best selling lines in the book industry today. Their contests uncover new talent and original writers who are able to create a compelling, emotionally packed story.

Right now they are looking for stories of true love, stories of how you and your soul mate found each other, be it a hard hewn road or sailing on smooth waters. Check the story guidelines for plenty of editorial tips about what they want to see in a story.

Winners will be awarded $1,000 and publication both in Redbook Magazine and in Cup of Comfort for Couples.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Contests, Contests April, Writing

Tagged , ,

Writer Advice Flash Prose Contest

Posted on February 23, 2010 | Leave a comment

Deadline: April 15, 2010

Entry Fee: $10 (includes critique comments)

Guidelines: http://writeradvice.com/

Here’s a contest for flash fiction writers in any genre. Tell a story in fiction or creative nonfiction in 750 words or less that grabs the reader and hangs on. They are looking for stories with strong themes and unexpected discoveries (i.e. twist ending) for this contest.

First place winners receive $150, second, third and fourth place entries also receive cash prizes. The honorable mentions will be published, presumably on the Writer Advice website.

If you’re looking to strengthen your short story work, this might be a competition to consider submitting to, because if you include a SASE with your entry, you’ll receive comments from the judges on your work. Every bit of feedback helps!

The Writer Advice page also has a PowerPoint presentation with the guidelines that you can download to your computer.

Good luck and happy writing!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Contests, Contests April, Writing

Tagged , , ,

The Crucible Fiction and Poetry Contest

Posted on April 20, 2009 | Leave a comment

Contest: The Crucible Poetry and Fiction Competition

Entry Fee: FREE

Deadline: May 1, 2009

Guidelines: http://www.barton.edu/academics/english/crucible.htm

Jump on this one right away. Barton College’s literary journal, The Crucible will accept entries for its contest until May 1, 2009. Guidelines are very specific, so be sure to read them carefully. The fiction word limit is 8,000 words, three copies of the manuscript must be submitted, and winners will receive up to $150 and publication in the Fall issue.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Contests, Contests April, Contests May

Tagged , ,