Category Archives: Contests February

Jan 19 2012

NAESP Children’s Book of the Year Contest 2012

Entry Fee: $45

Deadline: March 1, 2012

Guidelines: NAESP Foundation

This is a contest I first blogged about last year, and I feel it’s good enough to mention again this year. The competition highlights talented unpublished writers of children’s books. It’s judged by Charlesbridge Publishing and the National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation. An endorsement by them will go far for your writing reputation.

Last year, they received 1,000 entries. The deadline this year is stated as March 1, 2012 on the website, which is an extension from the deadline listed in the application packet.

You may submit picture books or chapter books. Entries are only by snail mail with their entry form that you can print off the website. Winners will receive a publishing contract and will be announced March 23, 2012 at the NAESP 2012 Annual Convention in Seattle. The entry form is a bit confusing, so it might be worth a phone call or email to clear up any questions you have when you look at it.

Take a bit of time now to polish up that manuscript and send it in. Additional entries have a reduced rate of $25, so if you have more than one manuscript ready, go for it.

Charlesbridge Publishing is well known for publishing quality books for children and teachers. They run interesting contests for kids. One of my students once finaled in a dragon drawing contest they sponsored and received a nice book and certificate as a prize. Be sure to stop by their site and get a feel for the house style.

Happy writing!

Feb 22 2011

Fairy Tale Magazine Open to Submissions

Fee: FREE

Deadline: Feb. 24, 2011, May 14, 2011, June 30, 2011, and September 30, 2011

Guidelines: Enchanted Conversation: A Fairy Tale Magazine

Payment: Fiction and nonfiction: $0.10 per word, Poetry: $50 flat rate

Picture of fairies by moonlight

Image by Jeroen Kransen, Queen Fabiola's Fairy Tale

Fairy tales aren’t just for children anymore. This magazine takes fairy tales to new realms of wonder and enchantment.

The deadlines above are for different issues. The February issue is with a Rumpelstilstkin theme. Check the website for the themes of each subsequent issue. Read the guidelines carefully, because the open window for submissions is usually just a few days long.

You may write a story up to 1,500 words following the issue’s theme, or submit original poetry. Fairy tales are all about the romance of true love and dreams coming true. Unless they’re of the darker kind, such as where witches eat children or mermaids turn into sea foam.

If you love fairy tales and you love creating new enchanted stories or poems, check out this site. The artwork is phenomenal.

I’m a fairy tale lover, and have a new story East of the Sun and West of the Moon Redux coming out in the July 2011 issue of Pink Narcissus Press. If you get published in A Fairy Tale Magazine, share your good news here. I’ll tweet it for you.

Have fun writing your new fairy tale!

Feb 10 2011

Menopause Press Fiction Contest

Entry fee: $15 for first story, $12 for second and third stories. Three story max.

Deadline: February 28, 2011

Guidelines: Menopause Press Contest Page

Menopause Press bills itself as “real literature for real women.”

They are looking for women’s fiction with strong female characters, strong plots, and meaningful themes. Be sure to read the guidelines to see what they don’t want to see.

Electronic submission makes the process easy. Pay the fee via PayPal, then submit your manuscript of up to 3,500 words. Since the very first thing mentioned on the contest page is the concreteness of the deadline, it would appear that deadlines are important to this publisher. Don’t be late!

  • First place: $75 and publication
  • Second place: $50 and publication
  • Third place: $25 and publication

Up to five honorable mentions will receive critiques. That’s well worth the entry fee by itself. They also mention that if there are more than 100 entries, the first, second, and third place winner may receive bonuses of writing books. What I read into that last line is this contest doesn’t receive a huge number of entries, giving your manuscript better odds. If you want to raise your odds even higher, read these articles:

How to Win a Fiction Writing Contest

Benefits of Fiction Writing Contests

Jan 27 2011

Children’s Writer Contest

Entry Fee: FREE to subscribers, $15 without subscription

Deadline: February 28, 2011

Guidelines: Children’s Writer

Children’s Writer is one of the best magazines of its kind for writers of anything from picture books to young adult. Each issue includes articles from talented published authors and market listings for the topics covered. I save all my copies. They’re that good.

You don’t have to be a subscriber to enter this contest, but if you are, you get a discounted entry fee. This magazine is a companion to a well respected writing program, so follow the guidelines carefully. Give it your best writing. There will probably be a good deal of competition.

The theme for this contest is Kindergarten. Write a story in 150 words or less that has to do with family or school. It should be at a level that a kindergarten student could read. Most of all, it should be entertaining. No preaching here.

The first place winning story will be published in a future issue of Children’s Writer. Cash prizes are not too shabby:

  • First place: $500
  • Second place: $250
  • Third, fourth and fifth place: $100

Good luck and happy writing!

Jan 18 2011

Creative Writers’ Circle Contest

Entry Fee: FREE

Deadline: February 28, 2011

Guidelines: Creative Writers’ Circle

Creative Writers’ Circle is devoted to offering free writing contests. The current contest is sponsored by Serenity Sales. They’re offering a $60 gift certificate to the winner, and $35 gift certificate for second place and a $25 gift certificate for third place.

Using the prompt provided at the end of this post, write a story of 3,500 words or less. Entries must be previously unpublished, original works of the entrant. Clean writing is the goal here, in more ways than one. No profanity or explicit sexual content will be considered for a winning entry.

Writing Contest Prompt

Silver moonlight spilled across the wilderness, shining like a searchlight on snow-dusted mountain peaks and filling the valleys like floodwater. Ara stood in the shadow of a tall oak, sheltered from the unusual nighttime brightness. Traveling in the revealing moonlight didn’t feel safe, but neither did the woods. Those closely clustered trees were older than her grandparents and could hide too many things beneath their dense canopy – not so much as a single drop of moonlight touched the forest floor. Behind Ara, her mare nickered. She felt the animal’s breath on her shoulder, followed by a soft nudge. She didn’t want to stand still any longer. Well, neither did Ara. She swung into the saddle, clutching a familiar strand of blue beads that had been mined out of the very mountains she faced. She heeled her mare forward and wondered for what must have been the hundredth time where Jon was now.

Jan 13 2011

NAESP Children’s Book Contest

Entry Fee: $45

Deadline: February 15, 2011

Guidelines: NAESP Foundation

This isn’t the usual free contest that I mention, but I think it’s a valuable one. The competition is to highlight talented writers who have not yet been published. It’s judged by Charlesbridge Publishing and the National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation. An endorsement by them will go far for your writing reputation.

You may submit picture books or chapter books. Entries are only by snail mail with their entry form that you can print off the website. Winners will receive a publishing contract and will be announced April 7, 2011 at the NAESP 2011 Annual Convention.

Take a bit of time now to polish up that manuscript and send it in. Additional entries have a reduced rate of $25, so if you have more than one manuscript ready, go for it.

Charlesbridge Publishing is well known for publishing quality books for children and teachers. They run interesting contests for kids. One of my students once finaled in a dragon drawing contest they sponsored and received a nice book and certificate as a prize. Be sure to stop by their site and get a feel for the house style.

Happy writing!

Jan 11 2011

Floris Books Fantasy Writing Contest

Entry Fee: FREE

Deadline: February 28, 2011

Guidelines: http://www.florisbooks.co.uk/kelpiesprize/

Floris Books, a publisher in Scotland, is now open for the 2011 Kelpies Prize. They are looking for novels for middle grade readers, set in Scotland, between 40,000 and 70,000 words. If you have a fantasy or science fiction novel with definitive characterization, standout dialogue, and a plot that makes it a page turner, then Floris Books may be the publisher for you.

Winners receive a cash prize, possible publication, and will be announced in August 2011 at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. The contest is supported by the Scottish Arts Council.

The entry fee is free, but they only accept entries by snail mail, so you’ll have the expense of printing and postage. Read the Kelpies Prize guidelines carefully.

Happy writing and good luck!

Jan 6 2011

Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest 2011

Entry Fee: FREE

Deadline: February 1, 2011

Guidelines: http://williamledbetter.com/contest.htm

If you’re into futuristic fiction, science fiction about space travel in the near future, check out this free contest. The competition was set up by Baen Book and The National Space Society to honor Jim Baen after his death in 2006. He was active in the world of science fiction publishing and writing.

Space ship traveling in space.

Image by clix on Stock.xchng

In 8,000 words or less, write a story that shows the near future of manned space exploration. You may send your entry by email with a .rtf attachment. As always, check the writing guidelines carefully. Make note of the editors’ comments on what they want and do not want. They also have the winning entries from past years available to read. For more tips, read the article How to Win a Fiction Writing Contest.

Winners will be notified by March 15, 2011 and will be published on the Baen Books website and paid accordingly. Nice clip, a little cash, and bragging rights on being published.

Happy writing! May the Force be with you. (And if you read the guidelines, you’ll see why the Force isn’t something they want to see in your story.)

Jan 4 2011

Samhain CyberPunk Romance Anthology

Entry Fee: FREE (regular submission process)

Deadline: February 1, 2011

Guidelines: Samhain Publishing Submissions Page

Samhain Publishing is one of the biggies in the online publishing world. They are open right now to submissions for a summer 2011 cyberpunk romance anthology.

Recipe for Cyberpunk Romance:

  1. Take a handful of cybernetics, a smish of punk rock, and a whole lotta love.
  2. Mix them all together with a sprinkling of dark virtual reality. Make it as hot or sweet as you like it.
  3. Continue to mix until your romance reaches 25,000 to 30,000 words and is well done.

Send your novella to samhain and cross your fingers that yours is chosen for publication. Check the guidelines for the naming convention and other details. Decisions on the anthology stories will be made by February 28, 2011, so you won’t have long to wait.

As always, if you get published, send me a link and I’ll post a link to your writing here on the TeacherWriter blog.

Happy writing!

Dec 23 2010

The Binnacle Ultra Short Competition for 2010-2011

Entry Fee: FREE

Deadline: February 15, 2011

Guidelines: The Binnacle Ultra Short Competition

The Binnacle at the University of Maine at Machias is sponsoring the Eighth International Ultra-Short Competition. They are asking for prose submissions of 150 words or less, or poetry of sixteen lines or less. Prizes of at least $300 will be awarded. Submissions for this contest begin on December 1, 2010 and close on February 15, 2011. You may submit up to two entries.

Winning entries will be published in May 2011, and the prizes will be awarded at that time. Writers who are not one of the winners may not be notified, so if you enter this contest, you’ll need to visit the website from time to time for updates on the winners.

Need a writing idea to get you started? Try the Monday Writing Picture Prompts.

You can follow me on Twitter as @suzannelilly to get updates on contests and prompts, or subscribe to my RSS feed.

Good luck!