Writing Contest News for October 31, 2011

Hello:

I’ve written about this before, but it’s worth thinking about again, perhaps on a regular basis.  Have you ever thought about what you want your writing to do, or to accomplish?

For example, do you write to make people think, to laugh, to take action?  Do you write to help your readers escape from otherwise ordinary lives?  Do your write to spread awareness, to teach, to inspire? Do you write in order to help others get their stories out to the world?

Or perhaps your reasons for writing are more personal, more you-focused.  Maybe you write in order to learn something new about yourself or your world.  You might be one of the many who write just to survive or, at the other end of that spectrum, you write with the goal of becoming wealthy.  You may feel some sort of calling to write, or feel as though writing is the only thing you’re good at, or see writing as your path to fame or freedom.

One of my virtual colleagues, Sheri McConnell, has often said that smart women know their “why”; she has even recently released a book by that title.   I think the same holds true for smart writers.  Knowing your writing “why” can have the single greatest impact on shaking you out of a writing slump, helping you create a writing strategy and/or making it easier to stick to a writing schedule or regimen.  I know that nine times out of ten, when I think of my own “whys” for writing, the words flow that much more smoothly and meeting writing deadlines becomes that much more doable.

So I urge you to take time to reflect on your reason(s) for  writing, for being a writer.  I believe that doing so will enable you to snap your next writing step into focus.

Below is this week’s list of writing contests.  Here’s to your writing success.

Mary Anne

Writing Contests with Multiple Categories

California Writers Club Spring 2012 Writing Contest

Authors may submit poetry of no more than 50 words, non-fiction of up to 2,500 words or fiction of up to 2,500 words.

Prizes: 4 prizes of $250.

Deadline: January 31, 2012

Fees: Prose: $10; Poetry: $5.

http://www.centralcoastwriters.org/images/2012_CCW_CONTEST_RULES_Final.pdf

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Fiction Writing Contests

Wow! Women On Writing Quarterly Flash Fiction Contest

Submissions should contain between 250 and 750 words.

Prizes: 1st – $350, 2nd – $250, 3rd – $150. Places 1-10 receive $25 Amazon gift card, publication, and more. 10 honorable mentions receive $20 Amazon gift card.

Deadline: November 30, 2011 or first 300 entrants.

Fee: $10

http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php

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Commonwealth Short Story Prize

Entries must be 2,000 words minimum, 5,000 words maximum.

Prizes: The overall winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize will receive £5,000 and the remaining four regional winners £1,000.

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: None

http://www.commonwealthwriters.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/CWP_SSP_RULES.pdf

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Writer’s Digest Horror Competition

Authors may submit their horror stories online or via regular mail.

Prizes: 1st: $1,000; 2nd: $500; Winners and honorable mentions receive promotion in Writer’s Digest and the 2012 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market.

Deadline: November 1, 2011

Fees: $20

http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/wd-horror-competition

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Writer’s Digest Crime Competition

Authors may submit their crime stories online or via regular mail.

Prizes: 1st: $1,000; 2nd: $500; Winners and honorable mentions receive promotion in Writer’s Digest and the 2012 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market.

Deadline: November 1, 2011

Fees: $20

http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/wd-crime-competition

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Writer’s Digest Romance Competition

Authors may submit their romance stories online or via regular mail.

Prizes: 1st: $1,000; 2nd: $500; Winners and honorable mentions receive promotion in Writer’s Digest and the 2012 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market.

Deadline: November 1, 2011

Fees: $20

http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/wd-romance-competition

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Writer’s Digest Young Adult Fiction Competition

Authors may submit their young adult fiction entries online or via regular mail.

Prizes: 1st: $1,000; 2nd: $500; Winners and honorable mentions receive promotion in Writer’s Digest and the 2012 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market.

Deadline: November 1, 2011

Fees: $20

http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/wd-young-adult-fiction-competition

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Writer’s Digest Science Fiction/Fantasy Competition

Submissions should be 4,000 words or less.

Prizes: 1st: $1,000; 2nd: $500; Winners and honorable mentions receive promotion in Writer’s Digest and the 2012 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market.

Deadline: November 1, 2011

Fees: $20

http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/wd-science-fictionfantasy-competition

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Canada Writes’ Short Story Contest

Short stories must be between 1,200 and 1,500 words. Entrants must be Canadian.

Prizes: 1st: $6,000; 2nd – 5th: $1,000. Winners receive publication.

Deadline: November 1, 2011

Fees: $25

http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/literaryprizes/shortstory/

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FlashStories Competition

Each entry must be no longer than 500 words, excluding title and author’s name.

Prizes: 1st: £500; 2nd: £250; 3rd: £100.

Deadline: October 31, 2011

Fees: £5 for one story, £7 for two stories, £5 for nine stories.

http://www.flashstories.net/competition-rules.php

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Poetry Contests

The Kenneth and Geraldine Gell Poetry Prize

Submit a book-length manuscript of poems (no illustrations), 50 to 100 pages in length.

Prizes: $1,000, publication, and a one-week fellowship at the Gell Center of the Finger Lakes.

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: $25

http://www.wab.org/gellpoetryguidelines.shtml

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2011 New American Poetry Prize

Poets are asked to send manuscripts between 48 and 100 pages in length.

Prizes: Publication contract, including 25 complimentary copies and $1000.

Deadline: December 31, 2011

Fees: $20

http://newamericanpress.com/contests/current.php

Writing Contest News for October 25, 2011

Hello!

I’m having a blast, reviving my blog at Unearth Your Passion.  I’ve even gotten a handful of comments on my comeback post, plus I have a growing list of ideas for future entries.  I love these creative bursts, the manic side of writing.

Moreover, I have a feeling that this energetic rush I’m getting from UYP will spill into other long-shelved projects of mine as well.  I have begun to solicit and collect fresh resources and guest articles for WriteSuccess, am looking to resuscitate the International Association of Professional Ghost Writers early next year (if you want to get on the free email notification list for that, head on over to http://iapgw.org and enter your email address in the subscription box), and–no, wait, I think I’ll save this last one for later.  It’s an idea I’ve nibbled on for years, one that could possibly open up a whole new market for some of you.  Stay tuned.

So, it’s happy dance time for me right now, and I aim to enjoy it until I hit my next inevitable wall (I’m a realist, after all).  My hope is that, by sharing this, you too might feel the spark and embark on your next writing adventure.

As always, I’d love to hear about and share any reader success stories, so feel free to send them my way.

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

Mary Anne

Writing Contests with Multiple Categories

The 2012 Third Coast Fiction & Poetry Contests

Submit one previously unpublished story of up to 9,000 words or three (3) previously unpublished poems.

Prizes: $1,000 and publication per category.

Deadline: January 15, 2012

Fees: $16

http://www.thirdcoastmagazine.com/contests/

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Narrative Magazine Fall 2011 Story Contest

Authors may send short shorts, short stories, essays, memoirs, all forms of literary nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of both fiction and nonfiction. Entries must be previously unpublished and no longer than 15,000 word.

Prizes: Narrative Prize: $5,000; 1st: $3,250; 2nd: $1,500; 3rd: $750; 10 Finalists: $100 each. All entries will be considered for publication.

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: $20

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

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Fiction Writing Contests

Light Reading Competition 2011

Stories must be no more than 3,000 words. There is no minimum word limit.

Prizes: 1st: £500; 2nd: £250; 3rd: £125; Flash Fiction: £50.

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: None

http://www.light-reading.org/LightReading/TermsAndConditions.html

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WritersWeekly.com’s 24-Hour Short Story Contest

Start time is January 21st, 2012. Entrants will be mailed a topic on that date.

Prizes: 1st: $300; 2nd: $250; 3rd: $200. Winners receive publication and a Freelance Income Kit. In addition, there will be 20 Honorable Mentions and 60 door prizes.

Deadline: First 500 entrants.

Fees: $5

http://www.writersweekly.com/misc/contest.php

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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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Social Justice and Equity Award in Creative Non-Fiction

Manuscript must be 144 to 450 pages.

Prizes: $1,000, publication, 10% royalties, and 20 copies.

Deadline: November 11, 2011

Fees: $15

http://benupress.submishmash.com/submit/1510/account

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Poetry Contests

Magma Poetry Prizes

The two sets of prizes allow for poetry of up to 80 lines or poetry consisting of up to 10 lines.

Prizes: Judge’s Prize – 1st: £500; 2nd: £200; 3rd: £100; Editors’ Prize – 1st: £500; 2nd: £200; 3rd-12th: £10 each.

Deadline; November 30, 2011

Fees: £5 per poem or £15 for four poems.

http://magmapoetry.com/competition/

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The Kenneth and Geraldine Gell Poetry Prize

Authors should submit a book-length manuscript of poems (no illustrations), 50 to 100 pages in length.

Prizes: $1000, publication of the collection, and a one-week fellowship at the Gell Center of the Finger Lakes.

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: $25

http://www.wab.org/gellpoetryguidelines.shtml

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The Seventeenth Annual White Pine Press Poetry Prize Competition

Submitted manuscripts must be between 60 and 80 pages in length.

Prizes: $1,000 and publication.

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: $20

http://www.whitepine.org/poetry_prize.php

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Bright Hill’s Annual Full-Length Poetry Book Competition

Poets are asked to submit a collection of original poetry, 48-64 pages in length, one poem per page.

Prizes: $1,000, publication, and 30 copies.

Deadline: November 30, 2012

Fees: $25

http://www.brighthillpress.org/brighthillbooks/brighthillpoetrybookchapbooksubmissionguidelines.html

Writing Contest News for October 18, 2011

Hello:

If you’re at all like me, you have tons of half-started writing projects taking up space on your hard drive, your USB drive, in Google doc folders and/or stuffed in offline file cabinets.  It’s not unusual for us to write in a series of fits and starts, leaving unfinished paragraphs and projects in our wake.

Sometimes, we even go back to some of them and try to pick up where we left off.  Or attempt to breathe new life into them.

That’s what I did recently with a neglected blog I’d abandoned at Unearth Your Passion several months ago, after only a handful of posts.  Although I had thought about that blog from time to time since I’d last posted to it, I really didn’t know if I had the desire or courage to go back to it.  Regarding the desire, I have a long history of forsaking projects once my infatuation with them has diminished, so losing interest in this blog was by no means anything new.  As for courage, this particular topic was one I’d originally meant to explore through unabashedly honest writing; I’d planned to expose myself to myself, as well as to anyone else who came upon the blog, in a way I had seldom done before, not even in my personal journals.

Then I got the writer’s version of cold feet.  Like confronting a budding relationship that seemed to be moving too quickly, I squirmed uncomfortably at the idea of committing to something so intimate.  So I backed away.  I allowed the blog to languish.

However, some projects, like determined suitors, don’t let go of you so easily.  So it’s been with this blog and me.  Every once in a while I would drive by its house, so to speak, wondering if maybe I should give it a second chance.  I mean, how would I ever know what might be possible if I don’t at least give it an opportunity to grow?  What might I be missing out  on?  What, I wondered, was I afraid to discover?

So I went back to it.   I’m still not sure how long I’ll stay this time, but I’m willing to give  it a try.  And to be honest with you, it’s kind of exciting to be doing that sort of writing again.  Who knows what will come from this particular writing journey?

Do you have an old project that maybe you’re ready to dust off and work on again?  Maybe it’s time.  If so, I’d love to hear about it.

Here’s to your writing success.

Mary Anne

Writing Contests with Multiple Categories

Bacopa Literary Review 2012

Fiction and Nonfiction/Creative Nonfiction is limited to 1,000-3,300 words. Short fiction is limited to 1,000 words. Poetry entries should contain no more than 30 lines per poem.

Prizes: 1st: $200; 2nd: $100. Prizes per genre.

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: $11

http://www.writersalliance.org/bacopacontest.html

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Pixelhouse Fiction and Non-Fiction Writing Contest

Entries should not exceed 5,000 words.

Prizes: 1st: $300; 2nd: $150; 3rd: $50.

Deadline: December 7, 2011

Fees: None

http://pixelhose.com/fiction-and-nonfictio-writing-contest/

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H.O.W. Journal

Fiction or nonfiction consisting of up to 12,000 words may be submitted as well as 10-50 line poems, maximum of 10 poems.

Prizes: Fiction and Nonfiction: 1st: $500; 2nd: $200; 3rd: $100. Poetry: $500. Winners receive publication.

Deadline: November 1, 2011

Fees: Nonfiction and fiction: $20. Poetry: $5 per poem.

http://www.howjournal.com/submit-contests.html

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A River & Sound Review

Prose submissions are limited to one story/essay per entry. Poetry submissions are limited to three poems per entry.

Prizes: $500

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: $10

http://www.riverandsoundreview.org/contests/contests.htm

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2012 Bat City Review Art & Writing Collaboration Prize

There are no writing limitations to this contest.

Prizes: $1,000 and publication.

Deadline: November 1, 2011

Fees: $8

http://www.batcityreview.la.utexas.edu/contest.php

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The Winter Anthology

Authors are asked to send up to 50 pages in any genre.

Prizes: $1,000

Deadline: None

Fees: $11

http://thewinteranthology.submishmash.com/submit

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Prairie Fire Magazine 2011 Writing Contest

One fiction entry consists of one story, maximum 10,000 words. One poetry entry consists of 1, 2, or 3 poems, maximum 150 lines. One creative non-fiction entry consists of one article, maximum 5,000 words.

Prizes: 1st: $1,250; 2nd: $500; 3rd: 250. Prizes per category.

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: $32

http://www.prairiefire.ca/contests.html

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Writers’ Journal Science Fiction/Fantasy Contest

The length of your entry may not exceed 2,000 words.

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

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: $7

http://www.writersjournal.com/ScienceFictionFantasyContest.htm

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Fiction Writing Contests

Creative Writing Institute

This contest is for beginners only. Submissions should be between 1,000 – 1,750 words.

Prizes: 1st: Up to $100 OR a free, tutored writing course at Creative Writing Institute; 2nd: Two free tutoring sessions.

Deadline: December 15, 2011

Fees: Donation of $2 or $5 requested.

http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com/

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2012 St. Martin’s Minotaur/ Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition

Murder or another serious crime should be at the heart of the story.

Prizes: Advance against future royalties of $10,000.

Deadline: November 15, 2011

Fees: None

http://www.mysterywriters.org/?q=Contests-Writers

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The Ronald Sukenick/American Book Review Innovative Fiction Contest

This writing contest is open to any U.S. writer in English who has not previously published with Fiction Collective Two. There are no length restrictions.

Prizes: $1000 and publication.

Deadline: November 1, 2011

Fees: $25

http://www.fc2.org/sukenick.aspx

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William Richey Short Fiction Contest

You may submit an unpublished story or novel excerpt of up to 10,000 words in length.

Prizes: 1st: $1,000; 2nd & 3rd: $100 each.

Deadline: November 15, 2011

Fees: $10

http://www.yemasseejournalonline.org/contests/fiction-contest/

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Nonfiction/Esaay Writing Contests

Fish Publishing International Short Memoir Contest

Authors may submit memoirs written in English, with a maximum of 4,000 words.

Prizes: 1st: €2,000 – (of which €1,000 is for travel expenses to the launch of the Anthology.) Top 10 winners receive publication.

Deadline: January 30, 2012

Fees: €15

http://www.fishpublishing.com/memoir-competition-contest.php

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Orphan Press Book Length Creative Nonfiction Contest

Writers should submit a manuscript of 100-300 pages.

Prizes: $1,000 and publication.

Deadline: December 15, 2011

Fees: $45

http://orphanpress.coffeecup.com/contest.html

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Poetry Contests

Vassar Miller Prize in Poetry

Submit 50 to 80 pages of poetry.

Prizes: $1,000 and publication.

Deadline: November 15, 2011

Fees: $25

http://untpress.unt.edu/node/3400

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Brick Road Poetry Book Contest

Authors should submit an original collection of 50 to 100 pages of poetry.

Prizes: $1,000, publication and publishing contract.

Deadline: November 1, 2011

Fees: $25

http://www.brickroadpoetrypress.com/poetry-book-contest.html

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Elizabeth R. Curry Poetry Contest

Entrants are asked to submit 3 unpublished poems.

Prizes: 1st: $500; 2nd: $300; 3rd: $150. Winners receive publication.

Deadline: November 30, 2011

Fees: $10

http://academics.sru.edu/SlabLitMag/guidelines.html

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Walt Whitman Award

Contestants must be living citizens of the United States who have neither published, nor committed to publish, a volume of poetry 40 pages or more in length. Submitted manuscripts must be between 50 and 100 pages.

Prizes: $5,000, and a one-month residency at the Vermont Studio Center.

Deadline: November 15, 2011

Fees: $25

http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/110

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