I won’t be updating the Summer Contest page any more, however, feel free to click the links below. Many of the contests are annual or quarterly, so when you click on the guidelines link, it may have the new contest guidelines listed.
Happy writing!
July
Favorite Grandparent Memory Essay
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: July 1, 2008
Guidelines: http://www.nabbw.com/display_news.php?nid=12
The National Association of Baby Boomer Women and Grand Magazine are sponsoring this contest. Write about your warmest, richest memory of a grandparent in 500 words or less, and you may win $250.00 and a membership at their websiteBe sure to copy and paste the URL into your browser because you won’t find the details easily from their main page. At least I didn’t.
Your winning entry will be published on the NABBW website as well as in the September-October issue of Grand Magazine.
Thin Threads Story Collection Contest
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: July 1, 2008
Genre: Nonfiction
Guidelines: http://www.kiwipublishing.com/content/contest.html
Thin Threads TM is looking for true stories of courage, happiness, and miracles in a life-changing moment. The stories should be 1,200 words or less. If you story is a winner, it will appear in the Thin Threads Story Collection, and you’ll receive $100.
Tell Tale Press Contest
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: July 10, 2008
Genre: Short Stories
Guidelines: http://www.telltalepress.net/contest/index.html
If you like writing FanFic, you might enjoy this contest. You must write a short story based upon any of the characters or places in the Tell Tale Press stories. The contest page has a link to the 24 stories you may read before entering. The prizes include savings bonds, stationery, artwork, and possibly more goodies.
Fencon Short Story Contest
Entry Fee: FREE for members, $10 for non-members
Deadline: July 20, 2008
Guidelines: http://www.fencon.org/story.html
This is the fourth annual FenCon contest, and it’s a biggie. Use your imagination to create a science fiction or fantasy story of up to 5,000 words. Winners receive FenCon 2009 memberships, cash prizes, and acknowledgement in the FenCon program book. The first place winner’s story will be published in the book. Guidelines are strict, and there is an official entry form at the website that you must include with your submission.
Inkspotter’s 5th Annual Finding the Right Words Flash Fiction Contest
Entry Fee: $2
Deadline: July 21, 2008
Guidelines: http://www.inkspotter.com
This contest is sponsored by an individual business owner. The theme is open for any type of fiction up to 500 words. 1rst prize is $60 plus publication, 2nd prize is $30 plus publication.
Amazing Story Fiction Contest
Entry Fee: $5
Deadline: July 31, 2008
Guidelines: http://www.thewritehelper.com
This website offers courses and writers’ services. With your contest entry, you receive a critique. Caveat emptor: this may be a contest to help the website owner drum up new clients for her services. The winner does receive a cash prize and publication online.
Glimmer Train Standard Story Contest
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: July 31, 2008
Genre: Short Stories
Guidelines: http://glimmertrain.com/test.html
Glimmer Train has four contests per year that are highly competitive, so polish your writing well before sending in your submission. Your story may be up to 12,000 words, and you may submit up to three entries. The prize is a $700, publication in their esteemed journal, and 10 copies of the issue in which your writing appears.
Narrative Magazine First Person Contest
Entry Fee: $20
Deadline: July 31, 2008
Guidelines: http://narrativemagazine.com/shared/contest.php
The well respected Narrative Magazine is offering $3,000 to the first place winner of their First Person Contest. Second place, third place, and runners up in this writing contest have hefty cash awards as well. The editors state they are looking for a first person account that gives a universal appeal. Best of all, they accept online entries.
August
The First Line
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: August 1, 2008
Genre: Short Fiction
Guidelines: http://www.thefirstline.com
“Roy owned the only drive-thru funeral business in Maine.”
Write a short story between 300 and 3,000 words that begins with this line, and enter it in the First Line Contest. They run four contests each year, and winners receive cash prizes or subscriptions. Your choice. This is a fun contest to get the creative gears turning.
Memoirs Ink Fifth Annual Writing Contest
Entry Fee: $15
Deadline: August 1, 2008 postmark; late deadline: August 15 ($5 late fee)
Genre: Memoir
Guidelines: www.memoirsink.com
This contest calls for personal essays or memoirs up to 3,000 words. The only requirement is that the story is told in first person. Winners will be awarded $1,000, $500, or $250.
The Bellevue Literary Review
Entry Fee: $15 or $20 with a subscription to the journal
Deadline: August 1, 2008
Guidelines: http://www.blreview.org/Contest/contest_guidelines.htm
Genre: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry
A $1000 prize will be awarded for outstanding writing in each of these three areas. The writing must center on the theme of health, healing, illness, the mind, and the body. Winning submissions will be published in the Spring 2009 issue.
AIM Magazine Short Story Contest
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: August 15, 2008
Theme: Brotherhood among peoples and cultures
Guidelines: http://www.aimmagazine.org
The mission of AIM Magazine is to promote interracial respect, understanding, and tolerance, and to eradicate racism. Your submission should promote these ideals. Winners will receive $100 for a story of up to 4,000 words.
Memoir Journal Contest
Entry Fee: $10
Deadline: August 15, 2008
Genre: Creative Memoir
Guidelines: http://www.memoirjournal.com
This journal is looking for graphic memoirs of up to 10,000 words for this competition. You can buy the journal online or in bookstores to get a taste of what they’re looking for. The contest winner receives $500 and publication. Use the online submission form at the website. You may also make a general submission, not to the contest, of poetry, prose, or memoir.
Linda Flowers Literary Award
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: August 15, 2008
Genre: Short Stories and Nonfiction
Guidelines: http://www.nchumanities.org/flowers.html
This contest is for writers interested in or living in the North Carolina area. In a 2,500 word story, explore the human experience of change, loss, and triumph. The prize is $500, publication, and a stipend to a Writers Residency at the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Read the guidelines carefully; they require five copies of your manuscript.
Pockets Fiction Writing Contest
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: August 15, 2008
Genre: Short Stories for Children
Guidelines: http://www.upperroom.org/pockets/contest_winner.asp
Write a modern Christian themed story in 1,400 words that appeals to children 6-12 years old for this contest. Pockets is a well established, prestigious magazine. The winner takes home $1000 and publication.
Aspiring Authors Writing Contest
Entry Fee: $6
Deadline: August 15, 2008
Guidelines: http://aspiring-authors.com/rules.html.
This is a very small contest for writers of all genres of short fiction.
Awards: The prize pool will be 75% of all entry fees. 65% of the prize money goes to the first place winner, 20% to 2nd place, 15% for 3rd place. I’m guessing the other 25% goes to the owner of the website, who produces an anthology of the winning entries through Lulu.com. This contest probably won’t do much for your writing credits, so enter it at your own risk.
Impressions by First Person Arts
Entry Fee: $10
Deadline: August 15, 2008
Genre: Memoir
Guidelines: http://impressions.firstpersonarts.org/
In 1,500 words or less, tell the story of something noteworthy that happened to you. This contest is also open to memoirs on film up to five minutes long, or up to five photographs. Tell your story well, and you will garner recognition at the First Person Festival in Philadelphia this November.
Story Contest, Past Loves Day, 2008
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: August 17, 2008
Genre: Memoir
Guidelines: www.ourpastloves.com/contest.html.
Write a true story of a former sweetheart, in no more than 700 words. Awards: $100, $75, and $50. The guidelines page includes a link to last year’s winning stories.
Family Circle Fiction Contest
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: August 31, 2008
Guidelines: http://www.parents.com/family-life/fitness/stress-relaxation/fiction-contest-winners/?page=7
Family Circle Magazine would like to read your short story of up to 2,500 words on any subject of interest to women. This national magazine will publish the winning entry, award the author $750 and a gift certificate to any course at mediabistro.com, with an AvantGuild membership. Two runners-up will win $250, an AvantGuild membership, and possible publication online.
Southern California Review
Entry Fee: $10
Deadline: August 31, 2008
Guidelines: http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/mpw/students/SCR_Contests.php
The Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California and Southern California Review are sponsoring the first annual fiction prize for literary writing in any genre. The work may be up to 8.000 words. The winning entry will appear in the Spring 2009 Southern California Review. First prize is $1000, second prize is $200, and third prize is $100.
Midnight Hour Halloween Contest
Entry Fee: $10 for subscribers, $15 for the public
Deadline August 31, 2008
Guidelines: http://www.oncewritten.com/Contests/MidnightHour.php
Do you have a chilling tale of the macabre to tell? If you can write it in 3,500 words or less, this contest is a perfect place to submit it. If you can scare the judges, you might win the first prize of $500.
Electric Dragon Café Short Story Contest
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline August 31, 2008
Theme: Birth and rebirth, dark tales of growth.
Guidelines: http://www.electricdragoncafe.com/submit/contest.php?
According to the website, Electric Dragon Café is of the opinion that the literary world is falling into an artsy abyss. That being said, they’re looking for the double bacon cheeseburgers of the writing world. The stories that are wonderful to ingest, but not necessarily nutritious for your mind. The author of the most entertaining story will receive a $25 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble.
September
Newport Review Fourth Annual Flash Fiction Contest
Entry Fee: $7 per story, 3 for $20.
Deadline: postmarked by September 1, 2008.
Genre: Flash Fiction
Guidelines: http://newportreview.org/contests.htm.
Enter your well-crafted stories of up to 750 words. The upside of this contest is the awards: $150, $100, and $50. The downside of this contest is they do not accept e-mail submissions. You must mail a check and your manuscript to:
Newport Review, Flash Fiction Contest, PO Box 65, Warren RI 02885.
Raving Dove’s Evolve Beyond Violence Nonfiction Essay Award.
Entry fee: $15.
Deadline: September 1, 2008.
Theme: Anti-war, anti-violence, human rights, peace.
Guidelines: www.ravingdove.org/award
First prize is nice in this one: $1,000 plus publicity and publication. Three honorable mentions will also be published. Submit a 600- to 800-word essay addressing one of the themes. This is the first annual contest, so it may not have as many entries as some of the more well-known contests.
Contest: Life Lessons Essay Contest
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: September 9, 2008
Guidelines: http://www.realsimple.com/lifelessons
Do you have a story to tell about something momentous that happened to you? The print magazine Real Simple wants to hear your stories of the most important day of your life. Write about it in 1,500 words or less, and you could win $3,000 and have your essay published in Real Simple. Each entry will be judged on originality, creativity, use of language, and appropriateness to the theme. You may enter online or by snail mail.
Robert Watson Literary Prizes
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: September 15, 2008
Guidelines: http://www.greensbororeview.org/contests/
Poetry writers and fiction writers may both submit to this contest sponsored by the Greensboro Review MFA Writing Program. A winner in each category will receive $500. They only accept submissions by snail mail, so make sure you send in your story with a SASE early enough to reach them by the deadline.
Saturday Writers Contest
Entry Fee: $5
Deadline: September 15, 2008
Guidelines: http://www.saturdaywriters.org/contest.htm
Saturday Writers is part of the Missouri Writers Guild. This, their seventh contest, is open to any genre of short fiction, no longer than 2,008 words. Cute, eh? They have thorough guidelines, so be sure to read them. You may pay the entry fee by PayPal, but a hard copy of your submission must be mailed to them. Good luck!
Tony Hillerman’s Mystery Short Story Contest
Entry Fee: $15
Deadline: September 15, 2008
Guidelines: http://www.wordharvest.com/index.php/contests/shortstory
Do you love mysteries set in the West and Southwest United States? WordHarvest and Cowboys & Indians Magazine are the sponsors of theis contest. Your short story of 2,500 words or less must include a cowboy or a native american character. The winning story will be published in an upcoming issue of Cowboys & Indians Magazine, and the author will ride off into the sunset with $1,500 in her saddlebag.
The Glass Woman Prize
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: September 21, 2008
Theme: Stories of women’s experiences
Guidelines: http://www.sigriddaughter.com/GlassWomanPrize.htm
This contest celebrates the voices of women in the world. The first prize is $600 and two runners up will receive $100. I admire Beate Sigriddaughter, the woman running this contest; she donates the money for the prizes out of her own pocket to support women writing. You can read some of the winning entries on the website. Prepare to be inspired.
L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers Of The Future Contest
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: September 30, 2008
Genre: Short Stories
Guidelines: http://www.writersofthefuture.com/rules.htm
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.
Send in your best science fiction, fantasy, or horror short story up to 17,000 words in length. If you win, you’ll be $1000 richer for first place, $750 for second, and $500 for third. Your work will be published in the next L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Anthology. In addition, the winners will receive a trip to the award ceremony in Seattle, and be registered for a week-long workshop. So what are you waiting for? The future is yours!
Note: This contest repeats every three months.
Hi~
Thanks for the shout-out about Raving Dove’s essay competition. However, please note that The Evolve Beyond Violence essay competition has been replaced by The Raving Dove of Hope Award, an essay competition offered to all high school students in Oregon. Theme: The importance of nondiscrimination. Good prizes, no entry fee. The URL with all info is the same: http://www.ravingdove.org/award.
Many thanks for making the necessary change up above.
Jo-Ann Moss