Weird & wonderful fall writing contests and events

(Updated November 15 with information about DL Hammons' WRiTE CLUB contest.)

How long has it been since I posted about writing contests? Well, that's too long! Here's a sampling, both wonderful and weird, to whet your writing appetite. The good news -- they're all virtual!

First -- WRiTE CLUB, DL Hammons' popular reader's choice contest, has officially kicked off for 2021. Submissions accepted November 15-28. It's fun! It's Free It's got great prizes. See DL's site  for details.

Now-October 26: The Writers Guild of Texas annual flash fiction contest offers cash prizes to the top four stories. Entries must be 300-1000 words, original, and not previously published. No poetry, essays or fan fiction. See the guidelines for additional requirements. First entry fee for nonmembers is $35, which includes a complimentary WGT membership through December of the following year, $15 each for additional entries (maximum of three). WGT members may submit one entry at no additional cost. Additional submissions cost $15 per entry. See the site for additional guidelines.

Now-November 15: Carve Magazine's Prose & Poetry Contest 2021 offers cash prizes and publication for winners in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Writers may submit multiple entries, with maximum wordcounts of 10,000 for prose, 2,000 for poetry. Stories (literary only -- no genre fiction) essays, and poems must be previously unpublished (including on-line publication). Entry fee: $17. No mailed submissions. See the site for full details.

Image: Ryan McGuire for Pixabay

December 2: Twitter's quarterly pitch your book by tweet event, #PitMad (brought by Pitch Wars) tempts literary agents and acquisition editors to request manuscripts by "liking" the authors' 280-character pitches. Open to all unagented writers working in all genres. Work must be completed and polished but unagented. Include the #PitMad hashtag and an age sub-hashtag. Writers may also include multiple genre or additional hashtags and may multiple manuscripts. Just don't pitch more than three times for any single work during the day. Not yet ready to query? No fear -- #PitMad repeats quarterly, starting again March 2022. See the Pitch Wars site for details.

Now-December 31: L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future contest is for new and amateur writers of science fiction and fantasy. Repeats quarterly. Cash prizes for first through third-place, with each quarter's first place winners competing for an additional annual prize. Original works only, not previously published in professional media, up to 17,000 words. No entry fee. See the site for details.

Want more? Need more? Of course! So check out Arthur Klepchukov's Writing Contests Worth Your Time and Erica Verrillo's Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity blog. And don't forget Reedsy's list of contests as well as Ralan.com!

***

Then there are the writing/literary conferences. Pandemic protocols moved many of what were normally spring and summer events into late autumn, even early winter, so there's till time to catch some old favorites and make new ones.

October 25-28, 30-31: The Texas Book Festival opted for a hybrid formal. October 25-28 events are virtual, those 30-31 in-person at outdoor venues in Austin, Texas. Free as always, but check the site for details.

November 1-30: Maybe NaNoWriMo (short for National Novel Writing Month) isn't exactly a conference. But this self-described seat-of-your-pants creative writing event has gone world-wide. Start a book, make friends virtually or in-person, and give yourself an excuse to let someone else roast the Thanksgiving turkey!

November 4-7: The World Fantasy Convention goes bravely hybrid -- live from Montreal, Canada, or in your living room. Many details still to be hashed out, so see the site and remember to check COVID-19 protocols for international travel.

November 5-6: New to me is the Fiction Intensive Virtual Writing Conference, taught by the likes of of Steven James, Donald Maass, Tosca Lee, and more authors, agents, and editors. As always, see the site for registration and complete details.

November 18-20: The RWA Conference (Romance Writers of America) opted for full-on virtual. Check the site for details and registration.

December 15-17: Finally on my list of major literary conferences is WorldCon, the international science fiction event, to be held in Washington, D.C. Stay tuned to the site for details.

As we near the end of 2021, look ahead. Some 2022 events are staying virtual -- which means less expensive. Events like Donald Maass's BONI (Breakout Novel Intensive), going virtual June 13-19, 2022; and Breakout Novel Graduate Learning Retreat January 17-23, 2022. And yes, there are in-person versions of both. See the Free Expressions site for details.

(Post updated to include Writers Guild of Texas flash fiction contest)

Like leaves before a storm, writing contests mount

 Did we writers imagine a pandemic could stop us? OK, maybe for a minute. But writing contests in particular laugh at shutdowns of in person events. I’ll start with a sample of those coming up in the next month. Write like the wind, my friends! 

These listing include samples from the new to me Kotobee digital publishing blog and other sites. Befitting the times, several of them focus on evil doings. As always, check the sites for details:

 

August 31: Midsummer Mystery Contest is accepting entries in mystery, thriller, crime, and related genres “that keep readers on the edge of their seats.” Ongoing and completed books accepted; 7,500-word minimum. No entry fee, cash prizes.

 

August 31: 2020 University of New Orleans Press Publishing Lab Prize is for book-length work -- novels and short story collections only. Entry fee: $28. Prize: $10,000 and publication.

 

August 31: I’ve mentioned the WOW! Women on Writing Flash Fiction Contest in earlier posts but here it is again with a chance to win cash prizes for your best 750 words. Entry fee: $10.

 

September 3: #PitMad is the quarterly Twitter pitch contest aimed at agents and editors. Tweet a 280-character pitch for a completed, polished, but unpublished manuscript between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. EDT.

 

September 5: Also a return from previous contest listings – Book Pipeline’s 2020 Unpublished Contest  seeking unpublished manuscripts across several genres of fiction and nonfiction. All entries must meet standard industry lengths – depending on the genre, this may vary from 50,000-120,000 words. Entry fee: $55. Prize: $15,000 and additional perks.

 

September 15: For writers who don’t share my fear of query letters, try TheQueryLetter.com Writing Contest. It’s actually about writing book blurbs (back cover copy) of 100 words or fewer that sets the stage for a novel. No entry fee. Prize €500.

 

September 27-29: Remember that #PitMad contest? Consider it a preview for Pitch Wars, the annual opportunity to gain a writing mentor in the publishing industry. Mentors have already been announced, with their wish lists to come September 12-26.

 

September 30: Writers of the Future welcomes all types of science fiction, fantasy, and dark fantasy. But not too dark, perhaps. Excessive violence or sex, as determined by the judges, will result in disqualification. No entry fee; cash prizes.

 

September 30: Finally, here’s the contest that’s kept me pounding the keyboard for the past month, the Watty Awards. I was wary of Wattpad, since it’s basically a non-paying platform but it’s provided a home for some of my previously published short stories. So why not try for the Watty – a contest for book-length manuscripts? Word count must be at least 50,000, with entries in 10 categories. No entry fee.

 

Since so many of these contests are nearing deadline, I’ll stop for now. For those who need more, check the Kotobee site, as well as old favorites – Ralan.com, New Pages, Publishing and other Forms of Insanity.

Image by Comfort from Pixabay

Wordcraft – Ready, set, write! Contests galore!

image: wikimedia commons

Once again, notices for writing contests fill my inbox. I’m listing these in the order of urgency – some have looming deadlines!

Now – October 14: Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction contest closes this Friday (11:59 p.m. EST). Don’t get caught short! Enter short stories (4,000 words or less) in any of several genres. Grand prize includes cash, a trip to the Writer’s Digest annual conference, and exposure in the May/June 2017 issue of the magazine. Fee: $25 for first story, $20 each for additional stories. Or enter WD’s short short fiction contest (1,500 words or less), with a November 15 deadline. See WD's site for details on both contests.

***

Now – October 25: Writers Guild of Texas Flash Fiction Contest. Stories must not be more than 1,000 words, and no less than 300. Cash prizes in first, second, third and honorable mention categories. Winners will also have their work published in the WGT’s 2017 newsletter. Fee: free for WGT members, $25 for nonmembers. See the site for details.

***

Now – October 31: Houston Writers Guild Press’s newest contest celebrates diversity and how it strengthens society and/or individuals. Categories include fiction in all genres, nonfiction, and poetry. Fiction and nonfiction entries should be no longer than 5,000 words. Cash prizes for first, second and third place winners in each category, and publication in the HGW Press anthology, “Out of Many One – Celebrating Diversity.” Fee: $15 for first entry by HWG members, $10 for each additional entry (up to three per category); $30 for first entry by nonmembers, $25 for each additional entry (up to three per category). See HWG's site for format and additional information.

***

Now – November 15: Carve Magazine’s Premium Edition Contest for fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Winners in each category receive $1,000 and publication in the magazine’s premium print edition. All contestants receive a discount on new subscriptions to the magazine. See site for details.

***

Now – January 15, 2017: Writers’ League of Texas Book Awards Contest. This one is open to Texas authors of books published in 2016. Winners in each of five categories receive $1,000 cash, a commemorative award and recognition at the 2017 Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas. An additional Discovery Prize winner in each category receives $250. Fee: $40 per title for WLT members, $60 for nonmembers, $70 for publishers/agents submitting on behalf of writers. See the WLT site for details.

***

image: wikimedia commons

October 21 – January 15, 2017: Writers’ League of Texas Manuscript Contest. Previous winners in any of several categories have won recognition at the WLT conference in Austin, Texas, and a complimentary consultation with an agent in their genre. Full details available October 21.

***

Now – December 1: Third Annual Book Pipeline Competition for authors with material suitable for film or television adaptation. Entries may include: novels, nonfiction, plays, graphic novels and comics, book proposals or pitches (fiction or nonfiction) and short stories. Grand prize winner receives cash, airfare to Los Angeles for meetings with industry professionals, and exposure to production companies and agencies. Fee: $65. See Book Pipeline for details. The similar Script Pipeline includes details for its screenwriting contest, with a December 31 deadline.

***

Upcoming: Moonlight Mesa Associates’ Cowboy Up Contest for western fiction and nonfiction. Entries accepted January 1, 2017, through May 1, 2017. Fee: $25 per entry. In previous years, prizes have included cash and publication in a print anthology, but Moonlight Mesa for upcoming details.