Monday Miscellany for August 23, 2010
August 23, 2010 by Mary Anne
Filed under Writing Contest News
Hello and happy Monday:
I’ve become fascinated by the many potential ways to harness the power of social media. While my own experience is mainly limited to blogging and Twitter, I am also familiar with Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Ning and eCademy, and would like to learn more about tapping into a couple of them for marketing purposes.
Why? Because I believe with all my heart that these sites offer tremendous opportunities for writers–writing jobs that didn’t even exist a year or two ago.
The path I plan to pursue is offering social media support to small and mid-sized businesses. Just as many writers have seized the opportunity to offer email and article marketing services to businesses for the past decade, today’s enterprising writers can provide blog, Twitter, fan page and forum management services for businesses that want and need to maintain a steady Web presence via these vehicles.
I am currently taking a course on how to launch my own social media management business, and hope to do so by this fall or by January first at the very latest. If you think this is something you would like to hear more about, check out the video for this course at my affiliate link, http://budurl.com/lgsocial . I will also keep you posted now and then on my own progress.
OK, here are this week’s writing contests and here’s to your writing success.
Mary Anne
Multiple Categories
First Annual Studio FourFiveZero Writing Contest
Novella and long fiction entries may have up to 25,000 words. Short fiction may consist of up to 15,000 words and the word limit for non-fiction is 40,000 words.
Prizes: 1st: $150.00 and publication contract. Finalists: Publication contract. Awards per category.
Deadline: December 31, 2010
Fees: $10
http://writingcontests.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/first-annual-studio-fourfivezero-writing-contest/
___
Ascent Aspirations Publishing Poetry & Flash Fiction Contest
Maximum length of each poem is 60 lines. Spaces between the stanzas count as lines. The maximum length for flash fiction is 800 words. Previously published work will be accepted.
Prizes: 1st: $100, 2nd: $50, 3rd: $25, 6 honorable mentions: $10. Winners per category and each winner receives one copy of the anthology.
Deadline: October 10, 2010
Fees: $5 for one poem or 3 poems for $10. $10 for each piece of flash fiction.
http://wordstorm-wordstorm.blogspot.com/
___
The Earth Vision Nature Writing Contest 2010
You may submit fiction, creative non-fiction, poetic prose or poetry. Entries should fit within the subject of nature, deep ecology, spiritual ecology, or any work that has some element of nature woven into it. Word count limit is 500-2500 words per entry.
Prizes: 1st: $500; 2nd & 3rd: $100 each; Two (or more) honorable mentions
Deadline: October 15, 2010
Fees: $12
http://www.evbooks.net/contest.htm
___
Writing Spirit Award for Short Fiction and Poetry
Story entries should be no more than 4,000 words. There is no minimum word limit. If you choose to enter the poetry competition, you must send between 4 and 10 poems.
Prizes: 1st: €1000, 2nd: €200, 3rd: €100. Prizes per category.
Deadline: September 30, 2010
Fees: €7
http://www.writing4all.ie/site/catalogues/entry/writing4all_writing/yes.htm?keep_has_js=1
___
Third Annual Donald Barthelme Prize for Short Prose
You may enter up to three previously unpublished prose poems, short stories, or micro-essays. Each entry should be no more than 500 words in length.
Prizes: $1000 and publication
Deadline: August 31, 2010
Fees: $18
http://www.gulfcoastmag.org/index.php?n=7
___
Second Annual NANO Prize
Submit your flash fiction piece, prose poem, or micro essay of 300 words or less.
Prizes: $500 and publication
Deadline: August 31, 2010
Fees: $15 for the first three pieces and $2 for each additional piece. Subscription to NANO Fiction included.
http://nanofiction.org/?page_id=88
___
Fiction
The 9th Speculative Fiction Contest
Your entry must include some sort of actuarial topic. The author must have passed at least one actuarial exam. Entries should be less than 6,000 words.
Prizes: 1st: $200, 2nd: $ 100, Most unique use of technology in a story: $50, Best story emphasizing forecasting or futurism methods: $50, Most creative actuarial career of the future: $50, Readers’ favorite story: A technological surprise.
Deadline: January 31, 2011
Fees: None
http://www.soa.org/professional-interests/technology/2010-speculative-9th.aspx
___
Children’s Writer Historical Fiction Writing Contest
Authors should be young teens. Entries should consist of up to 1,500 words.
Prizes: 1st: $500 and publication, 2nd: $250, 3rd – 5th: $100
Deadline: October 30, 2010
Fees: $15 for non-members. Free to members.
http://www.thechildrenswriter.com/ad028/
___
Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards
You may enter as many manuscripts as you like. Entries should fall into one of the following categories: Romance, Mystery/Crime Fiction, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller/Suspense and Horror. All manuscripts must be 4,000 words or fewer.
Prizes: Grand Prize: Trip to the Writer’s Digest Conference, $2,500 cash, $100 worth of books, 1st per category: $500 and $100 worth of books, Honorable mentions: Promotion. All winners receive the 2011 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market
Deadline: November 1, 2010
Fees: $20
http://www.writersdigest.com/popularfictionawards
___
WritersWeekly.com’s 24-Hour Short Story Contest
You must register before the deadline to be entered. Contest is limited to the first 500 entrants.
Prizes: 1st: $300, 2nd: $250, 3rd: $200. Each winner receives publication and a freelance income kit. 80 additional prizes to be awarded
Deadline: September 11, 2010
Fees: $5
http://www.writersweekly.com/misc/contest.php
___
Pathfinder Fiction Contest
Submit one short story containing between 3000 and 4500 words. Stories should be on the subject of “Paizo’s Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting”.
Prizes: 1st: $100 and publication, 2nd & 3rd: $50
Deadline: September 12, 2010
Fees: None
http://www.pathfinderchronicler.net/?page_id=1743
___
Fourteenth Annual Zoetrope: All-Story Short Fiction Contest
Entries should be unpublished and contain no more than 5,000 words. There are no formatting restrictions.
Prizes: 1st: $1,000; 2nd: $500; 3rd: $250; 7 honorable mentions
Deadline: October 1, 2010
Fees: $15
http://www.all-story.com/contests.cgi
___
The Tennessee Williams 2011 Fiction Contest
Submissions should contain up to 7,000 words. Stories can be any theme or genre.
Prizes: $1500, airfare and French Quarter accommodations to attend the 2011 Festival in New Orleans, VIP All-Access Festival Pass, Public reading and publication
Deadline: November 15, 2010
Fees: $25
___
Hint Fiction Writing Contest
Submit a story containing 25 words or less. Title words are not included in the word count.
Prizes: $100, 10-week writing workshop, publication and one-year subscription
Deadline: October 11, 2010
Fees: None
http://www.writingclasses.com/ContestPages/hintfiction.php
___
Nonfiction/Essay
Sound Money Essay Contest
Essay must be between 1500 and 8000 words. Entries should fall within one of the set forth topics which revolve around “Sound Money”. To be eligible, you must be 35 years old or younger, a junior faculty member or a student of a fully-accredited university, or a policy writer connected to a think tank or a policy institute.
Prizes: 1st: $2000, 6 additional prizes totaling $5,000
Deadline: January 15, 2011
Fees: None
http://www.kosmosonline.org/opportunity/sound-money-essay-contest
___
Annual FundsforWriters Essay Contest
The theme for this contest is “When Writing Made a Difference”. Entries should be nonfiction and tell the story of how someone’s words made a difference.
Prizes: Themed Contest: 1st: $300, 2nd: $100, 3rd: $50. No Theme: 1st: $50, 2nd: $30, 3rd: $20
Deadline: Unknown
Fees: $5 for themed entries. Free for no theme.
http://hopeclark.blogspot.com/2010/08/annual-fundsforwriters-essay-contest.html
___
Mason-Dixon Publishing’s Writing Contest
The theme of the essay contest is “The Presidency of Barack Obama: Chronicling the Hopes and Fears of a Nation”. Many entries will be chosen to be included in an anthology.
Prizes: 1st: $500. All published entries receive a small royalty per book sold.
Deadline: August 31, 2010
Fees: $10
http://www.masondixonpublishing.com/
___
Hunger Mountain Creative Nonfiction Prize
Entries should be creative nonfiction and should not exceed 10,000 words.
Prizes: 1st: $1000 and publication; 2 honorable mentions: $100
Deadline: September 10, 2010
Fees: $20
http://www.hungermtn.org/hunger-mountain-creative-nonfiction-prize/
___
Poetry
The Melissa Lanitis Gregory Poetry Prize
Submit a previously unpublished, full-length poetry manuscript of between 48 and 100 pages.
Prizes: $500, publication, 10 copies and a reading at Lake Tahoe.
Deadline: August 31, 2010
Fees: $20
http://www.bonafidebooks.com/contests/
___
Menopause Press Poetry Contest
Entrants should be over 18. Men are welcome to enter. Submit your best poetry of an appropriate length and style that will appeal to women.
Prizes: Grand Prize: $125, 1st: $75, 2nd & 3rd: $50. All winners receive online publication. 5 honorable mentions.
Deadline: August 31, 2010
Fees: 1st Entry: $15. 2nd & 3rd: $12 each
http://menopausepress.net/?page_id=74
___
Astounding Beauty Ruffian Press Poetry Award
Submit 10 – 20 pages of original poetry not already published as a collection, and by one author.
Prizes: $1,000 and publication
Deadline: August 31, 2010
Fees: $20
http://home.earthlink.net/~astoundingbeautyruffianpress/id1.html
I find a “writer” who tells us that “opportunites lay ahead” (presumably meaning “lie ahead”) a royal turnoff. Virtually NO ONE knows English anymore.
Hello Katherine:
You are right, of course–I have forever struggled with the lay/lie/laid/lies grammar rule, no matter how many times I have referred to it. I stand corrected.
Mary Anne