Some fast & furious updates: contests and conferences

 Sometime ago, I promised an update on the Writer's League of Texas manuscript contest. It's finally arrived! The contest is open now through July 10. This means winners will not be able to meet in-person with a literary agent during the WLT's 2026 Agents & Editors Conference June 26-28. More on this later.

First, though, this Saturday, April 4 is a chance to meet -- free! -- agent Sandy Lu of Book Wyrm Literary Agency. And, for writers in North Central Texas, without hours long travel.

Sandy Lu is the guest speaker at the Dallas Mystery Writers meeting, 10:15 a.m. to noon, at Olive Garden, 4240 Belt Line (at Midway) in Addison, Texas. OK, I said free, but there is a $10 fee (cash only, please bring small bills) for non-members for the program and drinks-only attendees. The fee is reduced to $5 (again, cash only) for non-members staying for lunch. The program is followed by pay-your-own lunch, or just stay and break breadsticks with fellow writers.

As far as I can tell, Lu will not be available for book pitches at the meeting but see her site or contact james@gaskin.com for additional information. 

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Image: wikimedia commons

Back to the WLT manuscript contest. It's open for unpublished manuscripts by writers in or out of Texas, in a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres. The winner in each category will meet virtually with a top literary agent (and the final judge in their category) via Zoom. All entrants who opt for a critique, whether winners or not, will receive feedback on their submissions from an experienced editor. 

All 2026 winners and finalists will be featured in the fourth edition of the WLT Inklist, a catalog of short pitches shared with literary agents and book editors in Fall 2026.

Manuscript entry fees are $65 for WLT members/$85 for nonmembers (which includes a written critique. Fees for contestants who opt out of written critiques are $25 for WLT members, $35 for nonmembers.

Contestants may enter as many categories as they like, with up to four entries per category. Each entry requires separate payment and entry form.

Winners and finalists will be notified by mid-October 2026. Any submissions that include a critique will receive their written feedback by mid-September 2026. After winners and finalists are notified, all other submissions will receive emails of the judging results.

Again, refer to the site for additional details, formatting rules, categories, etc.

Also, see the WLT site for information about its Agents & Editors Conference in Austin, Texas, including a list of featured agents and editors. Registration: $549 for WLT members, $599 for nonmembers. Pitch/consultation sessions with literary agents and editors available for purchase as space allows. 

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Also coming up later this year is the DFW Writers Conference, October 3-4, at the Hurst Convention Center, Hurst, Texas. Registration through September 20 is $449 for both days. Registration includes one complimentary session with a literary agent or editor. See the site for additional information and list of agents/editors so far!

Updates for Texas summer literary events and beyond

 Mark your calendars for summer literary events -- and previews of some beyond summer -- coming up fast!

May 15-18: The annual Dallas Is Lit! festival sponsored by the Dallas Writer's Garret opens this Thursday (May 15) with Hear Me, See Me, a blend of poetry, music and movement at The Oak Cliff Assembly, 919 Morrell Ave., in Dallas. 7 p.m. Tickets $25. See the site for details and ticket purchases.

Dallas Is Lit! continues at 7 p.m. Friday (May 16) with former U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo in conversation with Jodi Voice Yellowfish at the historic Texas Theatre, 231 Jefferson Blvd., in Dallas. Harjo is the first Indigenous person to hold the national poet laureate title. Tickets from $35. See the site for details.

While you're still at the Texas Theatre (yep, the place where JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested) follow Harjo's appearance with Late Night Lit, featuring spoken word artists and the first ever Dallas Is Lit! poetry slam. At 10 p.m. Tickets $25.

Additional events continue through Sunday, May 18. See the Writer's Garret site for details and locations.

May 24: The Writer's League of Texas Big Writer Meet-Up hits nine cities across the state from 3-5 p.m. These in-person events and free and open to all, intended to bring as many writers together as possible. No formal program, but games, conversation and community. See the site to register and for additional details.

June 11-July 30: Sometimes all we want during a Texas summer is to sit in a cool place and let someone else do the heavy lifting. That's the idea behind the Rejebian Series of book reviews.

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Come to the Wesley Hall auditorium at Highland Park UMC, 3300 East Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, for talks by Texas writers and book reviewers. No fees and no reservations needed unless you opt for dinner. Books writing by speakers will be available for purchase on the nights of their event. See the site for complete list of speakers/authors, optional dinner reservations, and more.

June 13-14: On the other hand, what's a summer in Texas without a hotter than hell outdoor event? Like the annual Howard Days festival honoring Robert E. Howard, the early 20th century Texas inventor of Conan the Barbarian and more legendary literary heroes.

It's held in Howard's hometown of Cross Plains, Texas, with celebrations at his home (now the Robert Erwin Howard Museum, 625 SW St.) and around town. Mostly free or opt for the Friday night (June 13) banquet and silent auction for $25. (Note: make banquet reservations pronto -- Howard fans literally come from all over the world for this event!). The Cross Plains Review office gives fans a glimpse of the 1930's newspaper office where Howard briefly worked. The Cross Plains Library houses a growing Howardian collection. And the Cross Plains branch of the U.S. Postal Service offers an HD souvenir with a unique Howard Days cancellation stamp. 

See the site for additional information and to register for the banquet.

July 11: As mentioned previously, this is the deadline for entries for the Writer's League of Texas manuscript contest. Use the online form to submit approximately the first 10 pages (not more than 2,750 words) of a fiction or nonfiction manuscript in any of several genres. Writers do not need a completed manuscript but should also attach a synopsis descripting the rest of the planned book.

Winners in all categories will meet virtually with a top literary agent (the final judge in their category) via Zoom. All entrants, winners or not, have the option of written feedback from an experienced editor.

Fees: $75 for Writer's League members, $95 for nonmembers who request the written critique. $35 members/$75 nonmembers without critique,

See the site for online submission forms and additional information. 

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Beyond summer, there are still events, but check deadlines and updates for the following:

Aug. 6: That's the deadline for manuscript entries for the horror/fantasy/sci-fi writing workshop of Austin's ArmadilloCon. Dates for the convention itself have been (mercifully) pushed back to September 12-14. But our fellow writers will need time to read and critique each other's offerings before then! As always, at Southpark Hotel, 4140 Governors Row, Austin.

Check the general site for basics, some of which are still sketchy. Then follow the link for entry fees to the entire convention, including the workshop, as well as detailed instructions for writers.

Sept. 27-28: AuthorPalooza, sponsored by the Houston Writers Guild, has been moved from its previously announced date of the first week in October due to a scheduling conflict. See the HWG site for details. 

Looking ahead -- Texas literary events & contest updates

 When I last posted here about spring literary events in the state, some had only limited information available. So, some updates!

Now-April 30: Submissions are open for the Houston Writers Guild anthology Journey into Hope contest. Word count should be no more than 5,000 words, and submissions in all genres must involve the anthology's theme, journey into hope, in some way. Winners and honorable mentions will be published, with first through third place winners also receiving cash prizes.

In addition, all prize winners will receive complementary 3-Day Pass registration to the AuthorPalooza Conference hosted by the HWG October 3-5, 2025.

Entry fees: $30 for HWG members, $40 for nonmembers.

Site the site for details.

May 15-18: Tickets will soon be available for the annual Dallas is Lit! festival of the Dallas Writer's Garret. Events include music, an evening with U.S. poet laureate Jo Harjo, books and author fair, Common Language Project reading event, and more. Check the site for details and to reserve space for authors, bookstores, literary organizations, and creative businesses.

Now-July 11: The site for the Writer's League of Texas manuscript contest is now open with complete information.

Use the online form to submit approximately the first 10 pages (not more than 2,750 words) of a fiction or nonfiction manuscript in any of several genres. Writers do not need a completed manuscript but should also attach a synopsis describing the rest of the planned book.

Winners in all categories will meet virtually with a top literary agent (the final judge in their category) via Zoom. All entrants, winners or not, have the option of written feedback from an experienced editor.

Fees: $75 for Writer's League members and $95 for nonmembers who request the written critique/$35 members/$75 nonmembers without critique.

See the site for online submission form and additional information.

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Of course, check my previous posts for ongoing contests and state literary events. Meanwhile, wouldn't it be nice to have something local, preferably free, especially for those of us not close to major metropolitan areas?

Image by XWu from Pixabay

Lucky us! Besides its many in-Austin and online classes, the Writers League offers two free morning writing workshops in small Texas libraries in April.

April 19, Meg Gardiner (Unsub) and Stacey Swann (Olympia, Texas) visit the Coleman Public Library, 402 S. Commerce St., Coleman, for a writing workshop beginning at 10 a.m. Pre-register at (325) 625-3043.

April 26, Swann teams with Amy Gentry (Good as Gone) at the Salado Public Library, 1151 N. Main St., Salado, beginning at 10 a.m. Again, free, but pre-register at (254) 947-9191. Light refreshments provided at both sites.

By the way, attendees at the Coleman workshop are only about a half hour drive from the town of Cross Plains, home to early 20th-century writer Robert E. Howard, creator of Conan the Barbarian and more. However, note that Howard's house at 625 SW St. in Cross Plains probably will not be open to the public until the annual Howard Days festival June 13-14. More on that still to come!

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.