Ditch the chill with these hot winter writing contests

Let's keep our writerly minds and fingers warmed up with this list of wintery writing contests! I love Texas contests but with so many online, we can write from anywhere in the world.

Now-January 31: WOW! -- that's Women on Writing -- offers two quarterly, repeating contests for short fiction and nonfiction essays. Closing for the current nonfiction contest is January 31, for the fiction contest February 28. See the site for fees, prizes and rules for both.

Now-February 2: The Masters Review is open to submissions of previously unpublished work for its Winter Short Story Award for New Writers, judged by best-selling author Bret Anthony Johnstone. The contest, for fiction and creative nonfiction up to 6,000 words, is open to any writer who has not published a novel or memoir with a major press. Cash prizes and online publication for all winning entries. All winners also receive review from several partnered literary agencies. Fee: $20.

Now-February 28: The Crime Writers Association has current contests open -- its Emerging Authors Dagger and its Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition .  

Both are open to anyone writing in English. The Emerging Author Dagger is for a crime novel opening (3,000 word maximum) and synopsis (1,500 word maximum) in any crime/mystery/thriller subgenre. Eligible writers must not have had a publishing contract for a full-length novel of any kind, and do not have a literary agent at the time the contest closes. Fee: £42, Cash prize. See the sites for additional details.

The Margery Allingham contest is for short stories up to 3,500 words. Among other criteria, they must meet Golden Age writer Allingham's definition of a mystery: "The Mystery remains box-shaped. . . Its four walls are, roughly, a Crime, a Mystery, an Enquiry and a Conclusion with an Element of Satisfaction in it." Cash prize. Fee: £18. 

Now-March 20: Book Pipeline's Unpublished Contest offers winners cash prizes in multiple fiction and nonfiction genres and circulation to publishing executives. March 20 is the early deadline, with $35 entry fee. Fees increase to $60 by the late entry date of September 5. See the site for details.

Image by Jon Hoefer from Pixabay

March 24-July 11: You don't have to live in Texas to enter the Writer's League of Texas Manuscript 2025 Contest. Although details are skimpy at this point, the contest allows writer in a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres to submit the first (approximately) 10 pages plus a synopsis of their work. No finished manuscript necessary! 

Winners in each category will meet virtually with a top literary agent (and the final judge in their category) via Zoom. All entrants, winners or not, may opt for feedback on their submissions from experienced editors. Check the site for details as they become available. Warning: the site currently is a bit confusion, since it starts by mentioning that the 2024 contest is closed. Just keep scrolling!

A few years ago, WLT changed its Agents & Editors conference from annual to biannual. Due to that change, 2025 will not see an in-person conference. But check out the WLT's online Agents Symposium, as listed in my previous post.

Now-May 1: Thrillerfest's Best First Sentence Contest returns. This is a pay for play event, as contestants must either be ITW members or registered for this year's Thrillerfest XX, June 17-21. Entries may be from the contestant's published or unpublished work. Winners receive a critique from one of the contest judges, who are the festival's 2025 master class teachers. See the site for details.

Now-May 5: Writer's Digest's writing competitions have so many categories, deadlines, and rules, it's condensed them into a pdf "2025 Competition Season Planner." Note that the deadline provided here is only the "early bird" deadline for the organization's poetry and manuscript entries. See the pdf at the site for additional deadlines for categories such as self-published books, personal essays and self-published e-books.

More ongoing contests:

Indefatigable site Reedsy lists more than 300 of what it deems the best writing contests in 2025. Lots of genres and prizes. Submission requirements vary. See the site for details.

Writer of the Future contests repeat quarterly. Open to new and amateur science fiction and fantasy writers. Cash prizes each quarter. No entry fee. See the site for details.

Writer/blogger Erica Verrillo's Publishing and other forms of insanity features lists of free contests monthly. Check the site for details.

Kick the COVID slump – winter writing contests abound

(Updated January 14 to show dates of Writers' League of Texas Manuscript Contest, possible updates to WRiTE CLUB contest)

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I did a lot of posting in 2020 about writing contests that go marching on despite pandemic quarantines. If 2021 looks like a lot of the same, the good news is still that contests aren’t dependent on masks, social distancing, or vaccines. A click of a keyboard can still send them on distant journeys without fear of contagion. Read on for some ways to stretch our writing skills!

Now - April 30: Writers League of Texas Manuscript Contest is now open. Writers don't need to live in Texas to enter in multiple fiction and nonfiction genres. We don't even need a completed manuscript -- only the first 10 pages and a synopsis that describes the rest of the planned book. Winners receive free registration to the conference (now scheduled for September 17-19) in Austin, Texas, plus one-on-one critiques (in person or by phone call) from a top literary agent in each category. Fee: $55 for WLT members, $65 for nonmembers (includes written critique) or $25 for WLT members, $35 for nonmembers who prefer not to receive a critique. See the site for details.

January 15 -29: #10Queries, not exactly a writing contest but a chance to find out if our queries and first five pages have what it takes to hook an editor’s/agent’s/reader’s attention. Writers submit their names in a random drawing via Rafflecopter. If selected, their query and first pages will be randomly assigned to an editor who will tweet comments using the Twitter hashtag #10Queries. Writers must have a compete query letter and first five pages of their manuscript to enter but will not submit these unless their name is drawn. Free. See the Revise & Resub site for details.

Now – January 31: The Masters Review Winter Short Story Award for New Writers contest for fiction up to 6,000 words. $20 entry fee, celebrity judge, cash prizes and potential for publication and agency reviews. See the site The Masters Review | Submissions for details.

Now – January 31: The early pricing deadline ($25) for Book Pipeline’s Book Pipeline Unpublished Contest.  Cash prizes and distribution to selected agents and publishers for unpublished manuscripts in nonfiction and multiple fiction genres. 

Now – February 26: Crime Writers’ Association competition for unpublished writers. No completed novel needed to enter, but writers must be able to send their first 3,000 words and a 1,500-word synopsis. Cash prize for winner. Entry fee: £36, payable through PayPal, which will be happy to convert your currency. See site  for details for this and the following:

Now – February 26: Also from CWA, the Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition. Submissions limited to 3,600 words and must pay homage to the Golden Age author’s definition of a mystery, “The Mystery remains box-shaped, at once a prison and a refuge. Its four walls are, roughly, a Crime, a Mystery, an Enquiry and a Conclusion with an Element of Satisfaction in it.” Cash prize plus perks for winner. Fee: £12. See the site for details.

Now – April 1: Early bird deadline for entry in Writer’s Digest 2021 Self-Published Book Awards. $99 for first entry, $85 for each additional entry.  See the Writer’s Digest WD Competitions - Writer's Digest site for details.

Now – May 7: Early bird pricing deadline for entry in Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition. $20 for first poetry entry, $15 for each additional poetry entry. $30 for first prose entry, $25 for each additional prose entry in multiple categories. See the Writer’s Digest site  (WD Competitions - Writer's Digest for details.  

Although DL Hammons has said his WRiTE CLUB readers’ choice contest is still on for 2021, he hasn’t announced dates yet. This may be due to the contest’s association with the DFW Writers Workshop conference. I learned at the January 13 evening meeting of the DFWWW that the conference is now schedule for October 22-24 as an in-person event. I'm waiting to hear back from Hammons about how this affects the dates of his contest. 

In the meantime, of course we still want more contests! Check out the listings on Ralan.com, Kotobee, Erica Verrillo’s Publishing. . . and Other Forms of Insanity blog , and Reedsy.

Grab bag of goodies for Texas writers

My (multiple) inboxes are overflowing with more goodies than I can categorize, so I’ll toss them out for whoever can use them. 

Contests:

February 1: Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Contest, 8,000 word maximum, set in the near future (no more than 50-60 years out) of manned space exploration. Free, but limited to one entry per contestant. See the site for details. And hurry – submissions must be received no later than 12:01 a.m. February 1, U.S. Pacific time! (If you’re unsure what that translates to in your part of the world, check out this time conversion site.)

February 2: The Masters Review announced that all of its contests in 2020 will end on Sundays, starting with its Winter Short Story Award for New Writers, closing February 2. (This is an updated submission date, but I can’t find an exact time for this one.) Entry fee: $20. First, second, and third-place winners receive cash prizes, publication, and agency review.

February 3: On a personal note, my query + first 5 pages is among those editors will be tweeting about in Revise & Resub’s #10Queries posts on Twitter. Thankfully, all participating writers will be granted anonymity!

image: Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Whew! Now get started on your submissions for D.L. Hammons WRiTE CLUB readers’ choice contest. Although Hammons is currently busy revising a novel for his agent (and writing a sequel) he promised at the recent group critique meeting we attended to hold the annual WRiTE CLUB contest in 2020, with celebrity judges to be announced on his site March 23. 

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Literary events:

March 7: African American Book Expo + Mixer-Dallas, Grace Banquet Hall, 7111 Marvin D. Love Freeway, in Dallas. Noon – 10:30 p.m. See Eventbrite site for tickets and details.

Not yet on the FenCon website but workshop organizer says I’m free to spread the word that the Dallas-area sci-fi/fantasy convention’s September 18-20, 2020 workshop instructor will be author Kevin Ikenberry. Keep an eye on the FenCon site (and this one!) for specifics.

Also up – registration is now open for the North Texas WORDfest’s March 21 “all-you-can-meet” festival of creative connection. Free is always an option – registrants get all the activities plus a map. But WORDfest now offers $10 premium and $35 ultra-deluxe options. These include raffle tickets, discount codes for other Dallas-Fort Worth-area writers events, goodies from the treat counter, and more. Whichever way you decide to go, you can feel good about making this event even better!

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What else have I left out? Drop me a comment, and I’ll consider updating. Still to come, I haven’t forgotten about all those class/workshop events I promised earlier this month. (Where has the year gone?)