Writing Contest News for September 27, 2011

Hello:

This past weekend I watched in awe as two football teams,  one college and one pro, came back from shaky starts and scoring deficits to win their respective games.

Now, I’ve watched a lot of football games over the years, and have seen my share of come-from-behind victories, but what impressed me about these two games was that anyone watching would have thought the eventual winners were seriously outmatched, outwitted and outgunned.   Not only that, but the pre-game press coverage for these teams had been less than encouraging.  Despite the fact that both had winning records going into this weekend’s games, they’d only previously beaten mediocre opponents, had played far from flawless football, and appeared as though they would both get their butts kicked.

But the members of these two teams apparently knew something that the media, the opposing teams and even their most loyal but resigned fans did not—what they had was unwavering perseverance and heart.  No matter what mistakes they made early on, no matter how big the setback and how long the odds, they kept going back out on the field and grinding it out.  As we watched in disbelief, they turned the tides of their games with grit, persistence and, bless their hearts, belief in themselves.

Hmmm.  Perseverance, heart and faith in oneself…you bet there’s a writing analogy there.

OK, let’s move on to this week’s list of writing contests.  Here’s to your writing success.

Mary Anne

Writing Contests with Multiple Categories

TCR Flash Fiction & Poetry Contest

Entries may consist of a maximum of 8 pages.

Prizes: $1,000 and publication

Deadline: October 31, 2011

Fees: $35 for Canadian entries and $45 for non-Canadian.

http://www.thecapilanoreview.ca/econtest/

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2012 National Writing Contest in Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry

Authors may submit 30-pages or up to five poems.

Prizes: $1,000 and publication.

Deadline: October 1, 2011

Fees: $15

http://www.prescott.edu/experience/publications/alligatorjuniper/writing-contest-guidelines.html

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So to Speak Journal’s Nonfiction and Poetry Contests

Up to 5 poems may be submitted to the poetry contest. Submissions of personal essays, memoir, profiles, and other nonfiction pieces should not exceed 4,500 words.

Prizes: $500 per category.

Deadline: October 15, 2011

Fees: $15

http://sotospeakjournal.org/contests/

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Whispered Words

Authors may submit prose of any kind: literary, science fiction, children’s, memoir, essay, or creative non-fiction.

Prizes: 1st: $1,000; 2nd: $400; 3rd: $200.

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: $20 Canadian ($25 for international entries)

http://wcdr.ca/wcdr/?page_id=1479

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The Society of Southwestern Authors 2011 Writing Contest

Short stories are limited to 2,500 words maximum. Personal essays and memoirs may not exceed 2,500 words. Poetry entries may contain no more than 40 lines.

Prizes: 1st: $250; 2nd: $125; 3rd: $75; Honorable mentions: $25.

Deadline: October 31, 2011

Fees: $15

http://www.ssa-az.org/contest.html

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New Media Writing Prize 2011

Entrants may submit any form of media.

Prizes: Best Student New Media Writing Prize: a laptop donated by Adido; Best New Media Writing Prize: an iPad 2.

Deadline: October 31, 2011

Fees: None

http://www.newmediawritingprize.co.uk/

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Mid-American Review Literary Competitions

Authors may submit stories of up to 6,000 words or three poems.

Prizes: $1,000 and publication.

Deadline: October 1, 2011

Fees: $10

http://www.bgsu.edu/studentlife/organizations/midamericanreview/fallcontests11.html

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Fiction Writing Contests

Crimson Skull Short Story Contest

Submit a piece of short horror fiction based around some element of Halloween. Stories should contain at least 1,000 words and no more than 4,000.

Prizes: $30 Amazon Gift Card & $10 Gift Certificate for Fright-Rags.

Deadline: October 15, 2011

Fees: None

http://carnageconservatory.wordpress.com/crimson-skull-short-story-contest/

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Indiana Review’s 2011 Fiction Prize

Authors may submit only a single piece of fiction.

Prizes: $1,000 and publication.

Deadline: October 15, 2011

Fees: $12 for postage ($7 for addresses in Canada).

http://indianareview.org/prizes/2011-fiction-prize/

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Ruminate Short Story Contest

You may submit one short story per contest entry and it must be 7000 words or less.

Prizes: $1,000 and publication.

Deadline: October 15, 2011

Fees: $15

http://www.ruminatemagazine.org/contests/short-story.html

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Texas Review Press Clay Reynolds Novella Prize

Submitted manuscripts may be up to 150 pages in length.

Prizes: $200 and publication.

Deadline: October 15, 2011

Fees: $20

http://www.shsu.edu/~www_trp/competitions.html

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The First NAWG Open Short Story Competition

Stories can be any length from 500 to 2000 words.

Prizes: 1st: £250; 2nd: £100; 3rd: £50.

Deadline: October 31, 2011

Fees: £5

http://www.nawg.co.uk/competitions/open-competitions/

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Nonfiction/Essay Writing Contests

Ruminate Nonfiction Prize

You may submit one nonfiction piece per entry and it must be 7000 words or less.

Prizes: $1,000 and publication.

Deadline: January 15, 2012

Fees: $15

http://www.ruminatemagazine.org/contests/nonfiction-prize.html

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Poetry Contests

The Clarinda Harriss Poetry Prize

Manuscript of 20 to 30 pages of poetry should be submitted.

Prizes: $250, publication and 30 copies.

Deadline: October 1, 2011

Fees: $25

http://www.citylitproject.org/index.cfm?page=news&newsid=24

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ISPS Poetry Contest for 2011

Maximum length is one standard page.

Prizes: 1st: $50; 2nd: $30; 3rd: $10.

Deadline: November 10, 2011

Fees: Non-members, $6 for up to 3 poems, $1 each additional poem. ISPS members, $3 up to 5 poems, $ each additional poem.

http://www.illinoispoets.org/contest.htm

Writing Contest News for September 20, 2011

Hello:

Television frequently gets a bad rap–has done so for years as a matter of fact.  I remember hearing it called “the idiot box” as a child.  In retrospect, considering some of the shows my siblings and I watched during those years, the label actually fit.  And considering the plethora of “reality TV” shows today, I can see where it still might apply.

But as a writer, I have always appreciated the well-written scripts, great dialogue and character development that I see in most of my favorite programs.  Yes, the actors and actresses contribute a great deal to why these shows work so well, as do directors, producers, camera people and the host of other folks who contribute to each episode, but without the script, the dialogue, or the story lines…well, there simply would be no television shows, right?  OK, except for “reality” shows, maybe.

So I have my writing time, and my television time.  I think each affects and enhances the other.  At least, I’m not willing to give either of them up.

Here are this week’s writing contests…and here’s to your writing success!

Mary Anne

Writing Contests with Multiple Categories

Dana Awards

Authors may submit poetry (5 poem max), novels (first 40 pages), short fiction (maximum of 10,000 words), or essays (maximum of 10,000 words).

Prizes: $1,000 per category.

Deadline: October 31, 2011

Fees: $15 per short story, essay or 5 poems. $25 per novel entry.

http://www.danaawards.com/

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Georgetown Review Magazine Contest

You may submit a short story, essay or poem on any theme or subject. All genres welcome.

Prizes: $1000 and publication

Deadline: October 15, 2011

Fees: $10 for the first entry. $5 for each entry thereafter.

http://wordpress.georgetowncollege.edu/georgetownreview/submissions/magazine-contest/

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Narrative Magazine’s Fall 2011 Story Contest

Short stories, essays, memoirs, graphic stories, literary nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction will be accepted. Entries must be previously unpublished, no longer than 15,000 words.

Prizes: 1st: $3,250; 2nd: $1,500; 3rd: $750; 10 finalists will receive $100 each.

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: $20

http://www.narrativemagazine.com/node/149075

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Fiction Writing Contests

Third Annual Saints and Sinners Short Fiction Contest

SAS Fest is seeking original, unpublished short stories between 5,000 and 7,000 words with GLBT content on the broad theme of “Saints and Sinners.”

Prizes: 1st: $250; 2nd and 3rd: $50. Possible publication.

Deadline: December 1, 2011

Fees: $15

http://sasfest.org/third-annual-short-fiction-contest

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The 2012 Adventure Writers’ Competition

The length of the manuscript shall not exceed 130K words or less than 50,000 words.

Prizes: $1,000

Deadline: January 1, 2012 or first 25 submissions.

Fees: None

http://www.cusslersociety.com/writers_competition.html

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Family Matters Writing Competition

Stories should be about family. Submissions to this category typically run 3,000 to 6,000 words, but can go up to 12,000 words.

Prizes: 1st: $1,200, publication, 20 copies; 2nd: $500; 3rd: $300.

Deadline: October 31, 2011

Fees: $15

http://www.glimmertrain.com/familymatters.html

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The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award 2012

All entries must be under 6,000 words and entirely original.

Prizes: 1st: £30,000; 5 runners-up: £1,000.

Deadline: October 28, 2011

Fees: None

http://www.booktrust.org.uk/show/feature/Home/Sunday-Times-EFG-2012

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2011 Mary C. Mohr Editors’ Award

Entries consist of short story, novella, or stand-alone novel excerpts under 40 typed pages.

Prizes: $1,500

Deadline: October 1, 2011

Fees: $20

http://www.usi.edu/sir/mohr.aspx

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Fifteenth 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 and publication; 2nd: $500; 3rd: $250.

Deadline: October 3, 2011

Fees: $15

http://www.all-story.com/contests.cgi

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Raspberry & Vine Short Story Competition

Word count limit is 4,000.

Prizes: $300

Deadline: October 28, 2011

Fees: $10. $8 for students.

http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~raspberryandvine/Competitions.php

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The Creative Competitor 300 Word Challenge

Flash fiction submissions should not exceed 300 words.

Prizes: 1st: £100; 2nd: £50;

Deadline: November 25, 2011

Fees: £2

http://tinyurl.com/6xre27j

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Nonfiction/Essay Writing Contests

Your Life… The Reader’s Digest Version

In 150 words or fewer, share a lesson, simple advice, funny moment or other story from your life.

Prizes: 1st: $25,000 and publication Reader’s Digest. 10 runners up and 1 popular vote: $2,500 each and possible publication.

Deadline: November 15, 2011

Fees: None

http://life.readersdigestfacebook.com/OfficialRules.html

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Our Green Tomorrow

All applicants must be in grades 6-12 and reside in the United States. Submissions must be no longer than 1,500 words in length.

Prizes: $500

Deadline: October 31, 2011

Fees: None

http://www.ourgreentomorrow.org/#!guidelines

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2011 DIAGRAM Essay Contest

Submissions can contain up to 10,000 words.

Prizes: $1,000 and publication.

Deadline: October 31, 2011

Fees: $15

http://www.thediagram.com/contest.html#2011essayguidelines

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Running Late Writing Competition

Write a story relating to the theme of “Running Late”, in less than 1,500 words.

Prizes: 1st: £200; 2nd: £150; 3rd: £100; 4th: £75; 5th: The Busy Writer Course; 6th: Premier1 Membership x 3 months

Deadline: December 1, 2011

Fees: £3.50

http://tinyurl.com/5szvm8r

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Poetry Contests

The Consequence Prize in Poetry

Poem(s) should address the consequence of war, or social injustice. Up to 3 poems may be submitted.

Prizes: $200. Winner and 3 finalists receive publication.

Deadline: October 1, 2011

Fees: None

http://www.consequencemagazine.org/poetrycontest.html

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Elixir Press Poetry Contest

Manuscripts must be at least 48 pages in length.

Prizes: Judge’s Prize: $2,000; Editors’ Prize: $1,000.

Deadline: October 31, 2011

Fees: $30

http://www.elixirpress.com/guidelines.html

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American Poetry Review Honickman First Book Prize

A clearly typed poetry manuscript of 48 pages or more must be submitted.

Prizes: $3,000 and distribution.

Deadline: October 31, 2011

Fees: $25

https://www.aprweb.org/aprhonickman-first-book-prize

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SRCA Open Poetry Chapbook Competition

Poets should submit 15 to 20 pages of poetry.

Prizes: $50 and 25 copies.

Deadline: September 30, 2011

Fees: $8

http://standingrock.net/LiterarySeries.htm

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The Tapestry of Bronze

The subject of the eighth contest is Artemis (also known as Diana), the Goddess of the Hunt. Poems must be no more than 30 lines.

Prizes: $50 per age group.

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: None

http://www.tapestryofbronze.com/OdeForm.html

Starting Today: Say “Yes!”

Hello:

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty tired of all the doom and gloom in the news lately.

Sure, many of us have been facing physical, mental, emotional and economic challenges–we can’t just ignore those realities.  But do do we have to surrender to them, let them pull us down and drain us of all energy and enthusiasm?

I say we don’t.

In fact, I say that it’s time to change the conversation and work on a new equation for dealing with what life, the economy and Mother Nature throws our way.

The time for being busy just for the sake of being busy is over. Starting now, let’s commit to saying “Yes!” and figuring out how to really live our best lives here and now…regardless of what else is going on around us. I want to help start a movement of positivity and ”can do-ness”–via my writing, via my business, and via the friends and colleagues in my network.

To kick this off, I want you to be among the first to know about Loral Langemeier’s upcoming new book “Yes! Energy:  The Equation to Do Less, Make More.” I am very familiar with Loral’s previous work, her mission and her philosophies, and am excited to join her as she continues to encourage us to rediscover the pioneer spirit, ingenuity and courage that she believes lies within each and every one of us.

To celebrate the launch, you’re invited to join a VIP group to get your copy along with thousands  of dollars in bonuses, and the chance  to win even more in contests and giveaways.

Even better, Loral and I aren’t the only ones committed to changing the conversation.

She brought together 44 of her highest level friends, colleagues and experts to share their motivation and inspiration with you.  You’ll hear their personal stories, how they’ve overcome their challenges, and what makes them who they are and do what they do every day.

They use the equation and you can too.

But you only get access by pre-ordering  the new book now.

Click here to get your copy  and take your seat for this groundbreaking
summit.

Here’s to your writing (and life) success,

Mary Anne

P.S.:  To learn who’s in the summit as well as all of the other bonuses you’ll receive, get the details by clicking here.

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