I want to start his post by saying that I have NOT entered any of these contests. Not yet, anyway. But since I was doing some research, I decided that it would be nice of me to share it with all of you.
Having said that, I would like to offer a caveat from sfwa.org on writing contests (worth your read): Writer Beware Contests.
I make no promises that any of these contests are legit. I HOPE they are, but you can never be too careful, so I encourage you to really take a look at the rules of the thing before you send them anything! Okay? Good.
So here we go in order of submission Deadline:
October
Boston Review Short Story Contest
Deadline: 10/12/2009
The winning author will receive $1,500 and have his or her work published in Boston Review, the summer of 2010. Stories should not exceed 4,000 words and must be previously unpublished. Manuscripts should be submitted with a cover note listing the author’s name, address, and phone number; names should not appear on the stories themselves. Note that simultaneous submissions are not eligible.
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New Rivers Press MVP Competition
Deadline: 10/15/2009
The Many Voices Project is the distinguished annual competition (since 1981) to find new and emerging writers. (An emerging writer has not published more than two books of creative writing with a commercial, university, or national small press.)
Our 2009 submission period is September 15 – October 15 (postmark), 2009. This year, there is a $20 entry fee to enter this book-length competition. Both the Prose Prize and the Poetry Prize this year are national prizes. The two winning manuscripts will be published in Fall 2011; each author receives a $1,000 honorarium and a standard book contract. All of our books are distributed nationally by Consortium Book Sales & Distribution.
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The Bellwether Prize for Fiction
Deadline: 10/2/2009
In order to be eligible to win the Bellwether Prize, you must be a United States citizen, and you must not have previously published a book that sold more than 10,000 copies. Your submission must be an original, previously unpublished novel, written by one person, in English, at least 80,000 words in length. You must have some record of previously published short fiction or nonfiction.
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Dogwood Poetry and Fiction Prizes
Deadline: 10/15/2009
Prize of $1,000 and publication. All entrants will be considered for publication.
Submit fiction up to 25 pages or three poems (max ten pages). (You have to PAY them to read it though – $15)
Previously published work is not eligible.
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Inkwell Short Fiction Competition
Deadline: 10/30/2009
$1500 prize and publication in Inkwell. Submit up to three short stories for up to 5,000 words to INKWELL, Manhattanville College, 2900 Purchase Street, Purchase, NY 10577. $15.00 reading fee.
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November
Writer’s Digest Pop Fiction Awards
Deadline: 11/2/2009
Writer’s Digest is now accepting entries in the Pop Fiction Awards. Submit your entry (or entries!) now for your chance to win $2,500 cash, $100 worth of Writer’s Digest Books and the 2010 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market.
Compete and Win in 5 Categories!
- Romance
- Mystery/Crime Fiction
- Science Fiction/Fantasy
- Thriller/Suspense
- Horror
Click here for additional information or to enter online!
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Writer’s Journal SciFi & Fantasy Contest
Deadline: 11/30/09
Length must not exceed 2,000 words. Manuscripts must be typed, double-spaced on 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper. Only one copy of each entry required. Only original, previously unpublished stories accepted. Copyrights to manuscripts remain with author. WRITERS’ Journal requires only one-time rights to winning entries.
Prizes: First: $250.00, Second: $100.00, Third: $50.00, Plus Honorable Mentions
First, Second, Third, and selected Honorable Mention winning stories will be published in future issues of the WRITERS’ Journal.
All contests from Writer’s Journal are listed here: Writer’s Journal Calender of Contests
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December
Writer’s Digest 10th Annual Short Short Story Writing Competition
Deadline: 12/1/2009
We’re looking for fiction that’s bold, brilliant…but brief.
Send us your best in 1,500 words or fewer. Enter the 10th Annual Short Short Story Competition for your chance to win BIG $$$$ – including the $3000 First Prize!
Click here to enter or for additional information.
Writer’s Digest 9th Annual Short Short Story Writing Competition
Look for the winners of the 9th Annual Short Short Story Competition in the May/June 2009 issue of Writer’s Digest.
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THE W. Y. BOYD LITERARY AWARD
“For Excellence in Military Fiction”
Deadline: 12/1/2009
An annual award consisting of $5,000 and a 24k gold-framed citation of achievement honoring the best fiction set in a period when the United States was at war. It recognizes the service of American veterans and military personnel and encourages the writing and publishing of outstanding war-related fiction for young adults or adults.
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Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards Competition
Deadline: 12/15/2009
Enter the 5th Annual Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards Competition – the only Writer’s Digest competition exclusively for poets! Regardless of style – rhyming, free verse, haiku and more – if your poems are 32 lines or fewer, we want them all.
Click for more details or to enter online!
Winners will be notified in March 2010 and will be announced in the August 2010 issue of Writer’s Digest.
PLUS, it is not too late to order the new 2008 Competition Collection. The 1st- through 50th-place poems are printed in this special competition collection, published by Lulu.com.
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Crazyhorse Fiction Prize
Deadline: 12/15/2009
Each year Crazyhorse offers the Crazyhorse Fiction Prize for a single short story and the Lynda Hull Memorial Poetry Prize for a single poem. The competition is open, the prize awards are currently $2000 for each genre, and the winning poem and piece of prose are published in Crazyhorse.
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Birmingham-Southern College Hackney Short Story Award
Deadline: 12/31/2009
The Hackney Literary Awards, open to writers nationwide, are presented each year by Birmingham-Southern College. Sponsored since 1969 by the Cecil Hackney family of Birmingham, the competition awards $5,000 in annual prizes for poetry and short fiction ($2,500 national and $2,500 state level distributed as follows: 1st place, $600; 2nd place, $400; and 3rd place, $250), plus a $5,000 prize sponsored by Morris Hackney for an unpublished novel.
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Writers of the Future – L. Ron Hubbard’s Contest
An international search for new and amateur writers of new short stories or novelettes of science fiction or fantasy. No entry fee is required. Entrants retain all publication rights.
Deadline is December 31, March 31, June 30 & September 30.
~P
