Category Archives: Contests December

Dec 5 2011

Second Wind Publishing Short Story Contest

Entry fee: FREE

Deadline: December 31, 2011

Guidelines: Second Wind Publishing

Second Wind Publishing is running this contest to fill an anthology. If you dream of being published, this may be the chance for you. The contest ends December 31, and they hope to have the book ready for publication and on sale by April 2012. That’s a fast turnaround.

The thing that makes this contest different from others, is they are posting the contest entries online right now. You can read the entries from other writers. The bad news is, once it’s been published on their blog, you’ve given up first electronic rights. That will limit the places you’ll be able to sell your work if it doesn’t win the contest.

That being said, if you’re still interested, head on over and check out the guidelines and the other entries.

Happy writing!

Nov 22 2011

Christmas Chillers Writing Contest 2011

Entry Fee: Still just 5 pounds

Deadline: December 31, 2011

Guidelines: Christmas Chillers website

Can you write a Christmas story that will send chills down your readers’ spines? You know I don’t mean from the cold. I mean from the macabre.

As you can tell from the title of the contest, the tale doesn’t take the warm, fuzzy route. Have fun with this twist on Christmas with a scary holiday story in 1,200 words.

According to the website, many stories don’t make the final cut because of basic problems. Too many spelling or grammar errors, not having a good opening, or not following directions are mentioned. So be sure to read the rules, send in your best work, and have the best of luck in this contest.

You might want to bookmark the site. They have quarterly writing challenges, so if you don’t have time to get into this one, you might want to try the next.

Happy writing!

Nov 8 2011

$780 Prizes in Writers’ Village Story Contest Winter 2011

Fee: $15 for two entries

Deadline: December 31, 2011

Guidelines: Writers’ Village

I love to get notes telling me about contests. This one came in to my email box at Suite101 and it looks like a interesting one. As their website states, “Every entrant wins because…everyone, winner or not, gets back personal tips.”

Here are the details from the email.

Prizes totalling $780 can be won for short fiction in any genre in the winter 2011 round of the Writers’ Village ‘Best Writing’ award. The top award is $400 (£250), with a $155 (£100) second prize and third prize of $75 (£50) plus five runner-up prizes of $30 (£20).

All entrants, winners or not, gain a helpful critique of their story – a feature thought to be unique among low-fee writing contests.

Winners will be awarded the title ‘Winner, the Writers’ Village Best Writing winter 2011 Award’ and see their work showcased online.

Any genre of prose fiction may be submitted up to 3000 words, except playscripts and poetry. Entries are welcomed world-wide. The fee is $15 (£10) for two entries and multiple entries are permitted. Deadline is 31st December 2011. Entry rules plus all winning stories since 2009 can be found at the Writers’ Village website.

Happy writing!

 

Jul 12 2011

Clive Cussler 2012 Adventure Writing Contest

Deadline: Opens October 1, 2011, closes January 1, 2012 or after the 25th entry

Entry Fee: Free

Guidelines: Adventure Writers Competition

Who hasn’t read a Clive Cussler adventure novel? Okay, put your hand down and head to the bookstore and pick one up. You’ve been missing out on a good read.

Cussler’s books are imaginative, fast paced, and with a hero that can beat any odds. Sort of like James Bond and Indiana Jones rolled into one character. My friend Ann swoons whenever she picks up a Cussler book.

If you’re unpublished in the adventure genre, you’re eligible to enter your manuscript to this contest for free. The grand prize is a cool $1000.

The guidelines state the contest opens on October 1 and closes when they receive 25 manuscripts. That means that if they receive 25 manuscripts on the first day, the conest is closed. So polish up your work and get your manuscript in to the contest early!

Good luck and happy writing!

 

Feb 17 2011

Writers of the Future Contest

Entry Fee: FREE

Deadline: March 31,  June 30, September 30, December 31 every year.

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy

Guidelines: Writers of the Future Contest Rules

If you’re a new writer, and you’ve not been professionally published in a novel, more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, then you can enter this popular contest. It is judged by some of the biggest names in science fiction today, such as Kevin Anderson, Orson Scott Card, and Anne McCaffrey. The contest began in 1988 and is still well respected.

This contest is free to enter, and awards are given every three months. All rights to the story remain the property of the author, which means it may be published elsewhere or in different formats. Enter a short story or novelette up to 17,000 words. They use a blind judging process, so after the cover note, only include the title and page number in the header, not your name.

SEND YOUR ENTRY BY MAIL TO:
L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest
PO Box 1630
Los Angeles, CA 90078

Only one entry per quarter is allowed.

Prizes are:

  • $1000 for first place
  • $750 for second
  • $500 for third.

What are you waiting for? The future is yours!

Dec 21 2010

One Tight Write Fiction Contest

Entry Fee: FREE

Deadline: December 30, 2010

Guidelines: A Word With You Press

Here’s a fun writing contest for all you writers who love to write flash fiction and micro fiction.The December short story contest at A Word With You Press is all about being succinct and spare in your prose. Write a story in 100 words or less. Win $1.00 per word. Entries may be posted on the website. In fact, several short story entries are already online . Take a few moments to read them; that’s all you need for 100 word stories. One I enjoyed is Sheer Resistance.

Be sure to read all the guidelines. You’re basically giving away your first electronic rights for a chance at the $100 prize money. But if you need writing clips, this is a small one to add to your collection.

The theme for this month’s One Tight Write contest is “Secrets.” It could be yours, it could be imaginary, or it could be one you wish you had. Take a look at some of the Writing Picture Prompts I’ve posted here to get your creative writing started.  You’ll have to click on each day to see the pictures.

Happy writing!

Dec 7 2010

Pillsbury People Essay Contest

Entry Fee: FREE

Deadline: December 20, 2010

Guidelines: Pillsbury People Essay Contest

Here’s a contest that allows you to rave about why you love baking. It’s not often that anyone will listen to you talk about your passion in the kitchen, right? If you love baking like I love baking, this is one contest you’ll want to check out.

In 250 words, explain what makes you a “Pillsbury People.” I believe that particular term is up for interpretation, but it probably involves flour and frosting.

All entries are done on their website. The winner will receive a $10,000 kitchen makeover. Yes, you read that correctly. No, I did not accidentally type a couple of extra zeroes. Ten thousand big ones. For your kitchen.

Judging criteria is as follows:

  • 50 points: Relevance to Theme
  • 20 points: Creativity
  • 20 points: Originality
  • 10 points: Clarity of Expression

That last one surprised me. Only 10 points for clarity? What if you have a great idea, and you just can’t express it clearly? I suppose it’s a good thing I’m not a judge.

Competition is certain to be stiff in this contest. It closes at 11:59 p.m. EST on December 20. Check out the Pillsbury Essay Contest official guidelines carefully before submitting.

Here’s a picture of my world famous Monkey Bread that I make with Pillsbury Biscuits in a can.

Monkey_bread

Image by Suzanne Pitner

Why it’s called Monkey Bread I have no idea. But its cinnamon gooey yumminess is perfect on a holiday morning. It’s fast and easy to make.

Here’s the recipe for Monkey Bread.

Happy Writing!

Nov 30 2010

Terry Pratchett Novel Competition

Entry Fee: FREE

Deadline: December 31, 2010

Guidelines: http://www.terrypratchett.co.uk/news/termsandconditions.html

Here’s another fabulous competition with a grand prize of publication.

  • Are you an author who has never had a novel published?
  • Do you have a completed adult novel, between 80,000 and 150,000 words?
  • Do you live in the UK or Ireland?

If you answered yes to all three questions, you may enter your novel into the Terry Pratchett competition for free. (Be sure to read the guidelines in their entirety.)

Yes, folks, this is one of the few free novel competitions left on the planet. The grand prize winner will receive a publishing contract with a sizable advance. Five runners up will be chosen as well.The winner will be announced May 31, 2011.

If you write science fiction and fantasy, this may be your opportunity.

Happy writing!

Nov 24 2010

Affordable Insurance Essay Contest

Entry Fee: FREE

Deadline: December 13, 2010

Guidelines: http://www.affordableinsuranceoptionsonline.com/essay-contest/

If memoir writing is your thing, or you love writing essays, then consider this contest. Affordable Insurance is looking for true stories that (yeah, you guessed it,) exemplify the importance of insurance coverage.

Tree fell on house.

Image by Bradleygee on Flickr

The stories or essays only need to be 200-350 words long, so your writing must be succinct. Here are some short story writing tips for micro fiction. The nice thing about this contest is the guidelines also indicate how the writing will be judged. The weighted categories are as follows:

  1. Importance of insurance coverage: 50%
  2. Creativity: 30%
  3. Grammar: 20%

The first two items are totally dependent on your own point of view. To help with the third item, grammar, try using the Autocrit Editing Wizard. It will catch redundant phrases, overused words, cliches, and more writing oops that sometimes slip into a story. With a free version, you can submit up to 500 words at a time.

The contest has some nice cash prizes.

First place $200

Second place $100

Third place $50

Entry is easy using the online submission form at the Affordable Insurance blog.

Nov 23 2010

American Short Fiction Story Contest 2011

I first blogged about this contest in 2008. They’re accepting submissions for the 2011 round, so instead of rewriting the blog again, I’m reposting the old one with the current updates included. It’s sort of like regifting, only better, because you could win $1000 with this.

Entry Fee: $20

Deadline: December 8, 2011

Guidelines: American Short Fiction

This literary magazine is looking for stories up to 6,000 words on any subject. All entries are considered for publication. American Short Fiction wants exceptional writing, so be sure to read the sample story posted on the submissions page, or pick up a magazine and read more of the stories.

The editor who will make the final decision on the winning entries is Justin Cronin, winner of the Pen/Hemingway Award and the Stephen Crane Prize.

If you have a piece of writing suitable for this magazine, you may submit it online after paying the entry fee through PayPal. The first place prize is $1000 and publication, second place prize is $500. Questions should be directed to editors [at] americanshortfiction.org.

Happy writing!