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A Love Poem Contest

Write a love poem. Your love poem can be fictional or non-fictional.
Cash prize for the winner of this poetry contest.
FanStory.com Information: http://www.fanstory.com
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Flash Fiction Contest

Write a flash fiction story using only 800 words on the topic provided.
The topic is “the white picket fence”. Cash prize to the winner.
Info On FanStory.com: http://www.fanstory.com

Full Contests Listing: http://www.fanstory.com/contests.jsp

The Empire State Building Short Story Competition

The Empire State Building is an iconic landmark that has been featured in pictures, movies, plays, and novels. Built during the Great Depression it was at one time the tallest building in the world. The building was named one of the seven wonders of the world by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

You can learn more about the building and its stories history here.

For this contest, write a short story in the past, present, or future that includes the Empire State Building in it. The story can be of any genre. Judging will be based on how well the writer integrates the building into a creative, original, and entertaining story.

Deadline: 11:59 PM ET on December 21, 2012

Prize: $150.00

Receive feedback on every pitch you submit.

Meet other authors, get motivated, and get noticed.

Learn more about the Empire State Building Short Story Contest

Official Rules: http://www.thenextbigwriter.com/competition/empire-state-building-writing-contest.html

Read current entries

The New Writer Magazine: Prose & Poetry Prizes 2012

Prose and Poetry Prizes

This is the 13th year of the Prose & Poetry Prizes sponsored by The New Writer magazine, although it is the 16th consecutive year of the Poetry Prizes – previous winners include Judi Moore, Sharon Black, Wes Lee, Alexandra Fox, Cathy Whitfield, Mo McAuley, Alesha Racine, David Grubb, Katy Darby and Graham Clifford, whose award winning entries appeared in our anthologies – find details on this website. Prizes are awarded in the following categories:

The next closing date for the annual prose and poetry prizes is 30th November 2012/

FACT

Essays, Articles, Interviews – covering any writing-related or literary theme in its widest sense up to 2,000 words. 1st prize £150, 2nd £100, 3rd £50.

FICTION

Short Stories, Micro Fiction – short stories 500 to 5,000 words, micro fiction up to 500 words; on any subject or theme, in any genre (not children’s). Previously published work is not eligible. Short Stories: 1st prize £300, 2nd £200, 3rd £100. Micro Fiction: 1st prize £150, 2nd £100, 3rd £50.

POETRY

Single Poems and Collections – Single Poems up to 40 lines; Collections of between 6 – 10 poems – no restriction on length of poems in the Collection category. Single poem entries must be previously unpublished; previously published poems can be included as part of a Collection. Collection: 1st prize £300, 2nd £200, 3rd £100. Single: 1st prize £100, 2nd £75, 3rd £50.

Total Prize Fund £2,500

How to Enter the Prose & Poetry Prizes

If sending poetry by email please send as an attachment – either Microsoft Word (.doc) or plain text (.txt) formats. However, we would prefer to receive longer MSS of poetry collections, short stories and features in the post to The New Writer at the address at the foot of this page along with a covering sheet with your name, address, tel/fax/email, and the title(s) of your work. For payment details see the Rules of entry and Entry Form page.

These are annual prizes – for more information contact The New Writer tel 01580 212626 or email <editor@thenewwriter.com>

Click Here For Rules of Entry and online entry form

Click Here for previous winners

call for submissions: Ekphrastia Gone Wild

This is an open call for submissions for “Ekphrastia Gone Wild” an anthology of poetry inspired by other works of art to be produced and released in 2013 by Ain’t Got No Press. The book will be compiled, designed and edited by Poetry Super Highway‘s Rick Lupert.

We welcome submissions to this anthology of poems inspired by other works of art. We are especially looking for work that is inspired by the experience of encountering another work of art (as opposed to an ‘interpretation’ of the artwork…though we’re open to that too.) We’re wide open to (but not limited to) your interpretation of what ekphrastic poetry is, to humor (take a cue from the anthology title) and are especially susceptible to modern, accessible work that might be appealing to those who might not identify themselves as readers of poetry. Take a sharp turn, surprise us, make us experience what you experienced when you encountered the artwork…and please, when submitting, follow these guidelines:

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Submission Guidelines:

• Send no more than 3 pieces of any style or length.
• For each poem you submit, please indicate the artwork that inspired it. Please include the artist’s name, title of the piece (or ‘untitled’) and the year it was created. (ie: if you’re ekphrastic poem was inspired by the Mona Lisa, you would include with your poem: “Mona Lisa, Leonardo Davinci, 1503″)
• The artwork you are writing about must be by a different artist than yourself.
• Previously published poems are okay. If previously published, please indicate where and when so we can properly credit if accepted.
• Simultaneous submissions are okay but please let us know immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
• Please include a maximum 100 word bio written in the third person.
• Please submit via email only to egw@poetrysuperhighway.com (.doc, rtf or text pasted into an email).
• Please include your contact info in the body of the email, including your full name, email address, phone number and mailing address.
• The deadline to submit work for Ekphrastia Gone Wild is December 31, 2012. (You will be notified whether or not your work has been accepted by February 28, 2012)
• If your work is accepted, you will receive one copy of the published book and a 50% author’s discount on any copies you wish to purchase.
• Please do not send images with your submission. Although this is an anthology of ekphrastic poetry, it is not an anthology of the artwork that inspired it.

Visit The Poetry Super Highway, Ain’t Got No Press website: http://poetrysuperhighway.com/agnp/

$2,500 Awaits Winners of Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition

Writers of short fiction are encouraged to enter the 2013 Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition. The competition has a thirty-one year history of literary excellence, and its organizers are dedicated to enthusiastically supporting the efforts and talent of emerging writers of short fiction whose voices have yet to be heard. Lorian Hemingway, granddaughter of Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway, is the author of three critically acclaimed books: Walking into the River, Walk on Water, and A World Turned Over. Ms. Hemingway is the competition’s final judge.

Prizes and Publication:

The first-place winner will receive $1,500 and publication of his or her winning story in Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts. The second – and third-place winners will receive $500 each. Honorable mentions will also be awarded to entrants whose work demonstrates promise. Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts was founded by editor-in-chief Pamela Uschuk, winner of the 2010 American Book Award for her book Crazy Love: New Poems, and by poet William Pitt Root, Guggenheim Fellow and NEA recipient. The journal contains some of the finest contemporary fiction and poetry in print, and the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition is both proud and grateful to be associated with such a reputable publication.

Eligibility requirements for our 2013 competition are as follows:

What to submit:

• Stories must be original unpublished fiction, typed and double-spaced, and may not exceed 3,500 words in length. We have extended our word limit for the first time in thirty years to 3,500 words rather than 3,000. There are no theme or genre restrictions. Copyright remains property of the author.

Who may submit:

• The literary competition is open to all U.S. and international writers whose fiction has not appeared in a nationally distributed publication with a circulation of 5,000 or more. Writers who have been published by an online magazine or who have self-published will be considered on an individual basis.

Submission requirements:

• Submissions may be sent via regular mail or submitted online. Please visit our online submissions page for complete instructions regarding online submissions. Writers may submit multiple entries, but each must be accompanied by an entry fee and separate cover sheet. We do accept simultaneous submissions; however, the writer must notify us if a story is accepted for publication or wins an award prior to our July announcements. No entry confirmation will be given unless requested. No SASE is required. • The author’s name should not appear on the story. Our entrants are judged anonymously. Each story must be accompanied by a separate cover sheet with the writer’s name, complete mailing address, e-mail address, phone number, the title of the piece, and the word count. Manuscripts will not be returned. These requirements apply for online submissions as well.

Deadlines and Entry Fees:

• The entry fee is $15 for each story postmarked by May 1, 2013. The late entry fee is $20 for each story postmarked by May 15, 2012. We encourage you to enter by May 1 if at all possible, but please know that your story will still be accepted if you meet the later deadline. Entries postmarked after May 15, 2013 will not be accepted. Entries submitted online after May 15, 2013 will not be accepted. Writers may submit for the 2014 competition beginning May 16, 2013.

How to pay your entry fee:

• Entry fees submitted by mail with their accompanying stories may be paid — in U.S. funds — via a personal check, cashier’s check, or money order. Please make checks payable to LHSSC or The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition. Entry fees for online submissions may be paid with PayPal.

Announcement of Winners and Honorable Mentions:

Winners of our 2013 competition will be announced at the end of July 2013 in Key West, Florida, and posted on our website soon afterward. Only the first-place entrant will be notified personally. All entrants will receive a letter from Lorian Hemingway and a list of winners, either via regular mail or e-mail, by October 1, 2013. All manuscripts and their accompanying entry fees should be sent to The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition, P.O. Box 993, Key West, FL 33041 or submitted online. For more information, please explore this website or e-mail: shortstorykw@gmail.com

Visit the website for guidelines:  http://www.shortstorycompetition.com/Guidelines.php

Weathervane Playhouse’s third annual festival of 10-minute plays — eight plays, 10 minutes each

Weathervane Playhouse (Akron, OH)  is excited to announce that the 3rd Annual 8×10 TheatreFest will be held on August 16-18, 2013.   

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Playwrights from around the country are invited to submit 10 minute plays which will be read by a committee of volunteers, who will choose eight finalist plays.    Over TheatreFest weekend, each finalist play will be given three performances.  Guest judges will choose First and Second Place winners and the audiences will vote for their favorite.   Following Sunday’s matinee performance, winners will be announced and cash prizes awarded!   

$350 – First Place

$250 – Second Place

$150 – Audience Favorite

$50 each  – Five Runners Up

Deadline for submission is 5pm on Friday, May 31, 2013.  

There is a $10 administrative fee per playwright. Playwrights may submit a maximum of two entries for this fee.
• Please CLICK HERE to read why we charge a fee.

For guidelines, rules and how to enter, go to  www.weathervaneplayhouse.com. (Click on Shows & Events, Special Events.) 

For questions please contact Eileen Moushey, Coordinator, email:  10minuteplay@weathervaneplayhouse.com

Guidelines: http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com/8×10-theatrefest-playwright-info

The Sophie King Prize: an exciting new competition for romantic fiction writers

The Sophie King Prize.

This romantic fiction short story competition aims to discover a great new romance short story.

The winning story will be chosen by best-selling novelist and short story writer Sophie King.

This free-to-enter competition is open to both published and unpublished writers resident in the UK.

The winning story will be recorded by a professional actor,

and broadcast from a dedicated online audio player at www.sophieking.info

and www.greatstorieswithheart.com.

The winner will also receive a beautiful silver-plated jug and £50 gift voucher

courtesy of The Handpicked Collection. Entrants must submit a short story

of between 2,000 to 2,500 words with a romantic theme.

The submissions deadline is January 10th 2013

and the winner will be announced in March 2013.

More at www.sophieking.info

Last Call for Entries! BlueCat Screenwriting Competition: Deadline is Nov 15th, 2012

Discovering and Developing Writers Since 1998
Founded by a writer, the BlueCat Screenplay Competition’s passionate commitment to develop and discover the unknown screenwriter continues to define our work today.We provide each writer who enters BlueCat two written analyses, ensuring each entry is reviewed by two readers, while supporting screenwriters of all levels and stages of development with the constructive feedback all writers require.

Our Winners and Finalists have been signed by major talent agencies like UTA, CAA and WME, sold their work to studios like Warner Bros., Paramount and Universal, and won major awards at the Sundance, Berlin and Tribeca Film Festivals, all after being discovered by and winning BlueCat.

Rules & Guidelines

Awards:

The Winner of the 2013 Competition will receive $10,000. Four Finalists will receive $2000 each.

The Cordelia Prize will be awarded to the best screenplay written by a screenwriter residing in the UK and will receive $1000.

The Joplin Award will be awarded to the best screenplay written by a screenwriter residing outside the USA, Canada or the UK and will receive $1000.

All screenplays entered by August 1st, 2012 will be automatically entered in our Title Contest. Three winners will be determined by the votes of current 2013 BlueCat entrants and awarded $250 each.

Screenplay Analysis Schedule:

Screenplays submitted early will receive their analysis as follows:

Scripts submitted on June 15th, 2012 will receive their written analysis by June 25th, 2012.

Scripts submitted by July 1st, 2012 will receive their written analysis by July 15th 2012.

Scripts submitted by August 1st, 2012 will receive their analysis by September 1, 2012.

Scripts submitted by September 16th 2012 will receive their analysis by October 1st, 2012. ($60 entry fee)

Scripts submitted by October 15th, 2012 will receive their written analysis by November 9th, 2012. ($65 entry fee)

All analyses will be returned by March 1, 2013.

Deadlines and Fees:

The early bird entry fees are $55 and $60 per screenplay. The regular entry fee is $65 per screenplay.  Submissions are accepted via electronic submission. There is no limit to the number of screenplays you may submit. Final entry fee is $70 per screenplay. Resubmission fee of entry submitted early in competition is $40.

Each regular entry will receive two sets of analysis.

Early Deadline: Entries must be postmarked or received electronically on or before June 15th, 2012 and July 1st, 2012.

Regular Deadline: Entries must be postmarked or received electronically on or before October 15th, 2012.

Final Deadline: Entries must be postmarked or received electronically on or before November 15th, 2012.

Each applicant will receive an e-mail notifying them of the writing competition results.

Quarter-Finalists will be announced February 1, 2013. Semi-Finalists will be announced March 1, 2013. Five Finalists will be announced April 1st, 2013. The Winner will be announced April 10th, 2013.

About us: Since our formation in 1998 by award winning screenwriter Gordy Hoffman, our winners and finalists have launched careers in the industry. Recent BlueCat winner THE MAN IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR, by Andy Pagana and Justin Thomas, sold for low-mid six figures, and BlueCat Finalist Aaron Guzikowski’s CONTRABAND, starring Mark Wahlberg, was released by Universal. We have had a distinct track record of identifying undiscovered writing talent, paving the way for these writers to be signed by UTA, CAA and WME and sell their work to Warner Bros., Paramount and Universal. We are more than a competition; we are a community that serves to support each other and the development of the unknown screenwriter.

For Details Visit the Website: www.bluecatscreenplay.com 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BlueCatScreenplayCompetition

2013 Bristol Short Story Prize

2013 Bristol Short Story Prize is open to all writers, UK and non-UK based, over 16 years of age.
Stories can be on any theme or subject and
entry can be made online via the website or by
postal mail. Entries must be previously unpublished
with a maximum length of 4,000 words (There is no minimum).

The entry fee is £8 (about $12.83) per story.

The closing date for entries is April 30th 2013.

Prizes:
1st £1000 (about $1603) plus £150 Waterstone’s gift card
2nd £700 (about $1122) plus £100 Waterstone’s gift card
3rd £400 (about $641) plus £100 Waterstone’s gift card
17 further prizes of £100 (about $160) will be presented to the writers
whose stories appear on the shortlist. All 20 shortlisted
writers will have their stories published in the Bristol Short
Story Prize Anthology Volume 6. The winning story will, also, be published
in Bristol Review of Books magazine.

The 20 shortlisted writers will be invited to an awards ceremony
in Bristol in October 2013 when the winners will be announced and the anthology launched.
Any shortlisted writers unable to attend the awards ceremony will be sent their prizes.
The awards ceremony will be part of the 2013 Bristol Festival of Literature.

Judging panel: Ali Reynolds (literary consultant, former Random House editor)
Bidisha (writer, broadcaster, critic) Anna Britten (author and  journalist)
Chris Wakling (novelist, Creative Writing tutor)

Full details and rules at: www.bristolprize.co.uk

Litttle Gold Pencil: Creative Poetry Contest

Little Gold Pencil’s first concrete or picture poetry

competition is underway with £30 prize money.

 

The rules are:

1) The words of the poem must form a picture.

2) The poem must be the competition entrant’s own work.

3) Entries must be emailed by midnight on 26 November 2012.

 

The entry fee is £2, payable through the PayPal for at:

http://littlegoldpencil.com/?page_id=265 . Once you’ve paid your

entry fee, please email your poem to:

littlegoldenpencil@hotmail.co.uk

Include your name and the poem title that corresponds with your entry

payment within your email.

Please send your poem as either a JPG, PIC, PDF or Word Document,

remembering to fix your words into the appropriate picture. See

http://littlegoldpencil.com/?page_id=265 , for example.

The competition will close on 26 November 2012 and the winner will

be contacted on November 30, 2012. The winning entry and the runner

up entries will be published on the Little Gold Pencil website:

http://littlegoldpencil.com/?page_id=265

AURORA ONE ACTS FESTIVAL – Aurora Community Theatre’s One-Act Playwriting Competition

AURORA  ONE ACTS FESTIVAL

Aurora Community Theatre’s One-Act Playwriting Competition

The Aurora Community Theatre is pleased to announce a one-act playwriting competition as a fundraiser for its 2012-2013 season.  We invite all aspiring playwrights to submit their one act plays (of no more 10 pages or 10 minutes in length when performed) for consideration.

ACT will select the top entries which will be performed for two weekends August 16-17, 2013 and August 23-24, 2013 (Friday and Saturday evenings) as a fundraiser for ACT.

Entries must be received by February 27, 2013

Festival performance dates August 16-17 and 23-24, 2013

 

AWARDS

Judges’ Choice – $200 prize

Audience Choice  – $200 prize

 

ENTRY FEE

Each author may submit up to two scripts for an entry fee of $10. Fees will be used to cover the cash prizes, advertising and performance production costs.

 

COMPETITION RULES

1.      The competition is open to all playwrights age 18 or older.

2.      Scripts are to be original, unpublished, and not previously performed within the greater Cleveland area. Staged readings or workshop productions will not disqualify a script. Musicals, monologues, children’s plays, adaptations, film scripts, and television scripts are ineligible.

3.      Scripts can be no longer than 10 pages or 10 minutes in running time when performed.

4.      Scripts can have no more than 6 characters.

5.      Scripts selected will be performed in a black box setting with minimal set pieces, e.g., furniture

6.      All scripts are to be typewritten with the name of the play listed at the top of each page, with a page number and the authors name.

7.      Scripts submitted by mail cannot be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient postage. For confirmation of receipt, include a self-addressed stamped postcard.  Scripts submitted via email will receive an email confirmation

8.      No written or verbal critiques will be tendered for any script.

9.      By submitting a play, the entrant acknowledges that he or she is the sole creator of the play and entitled to grant performance rights.  ACT reserves the right to produce any of the winning plays royalty-free during our 2012-2013 season, to withhold production, and to modify cash awards as deemed necessary by the judges or ACT.

10.  ACT will select the directors and cast for each one act play.

11.  Finalists will be posted on ACT’s website.

ACT does not assume any responsibility for the loss, damage, or return of scripts.

Send scripts and entry fee of $10, check made payable to Aurora Community Theatre, to:

Aurora Community Theatre

One-Act Playwriting Competition

P.O. Box 9

Aurora, Ohio  44202

Please place your name on the cover page of the script, and include an email address and phone number where you can be reached.

Scripts may also be submitted via email to: actoneacts@gmail.com

(be sure to put one-act playwriting competition in the subject line)

email submissions must be accompanied by an electronic fee payment through the following website. (Cut and paste this into your internet browswer) https://www.ticketturtle.com/index.php?retail=auct

Questions? Please contact Brenda at (216) 288-1738

Sanguine Theatre Company’s 3rd Annual Playwrighting Competition

Sanguine Theatre Company announces our 3rd annual playwriting competition.
Project Playwright is a result of Sanguine’s love for playwrights and new
works. Once all submissions have been read a panel will select a number of
scripts from which Sanguine Theatre Company will produce a staged reading in
New York City of excerpts from the plays that will be determined by Sanguine
Theatre Company in collaboration with the playwrights. From there, a grand
prize winner will be chosen and have his or her play fully produced in a New
York City theatre along with opportunities to workshop their script.

*No submissions will be accepted after December 3, 2012 at 5pm EST

*A $5 non-refundable administrative fee is due at the time of submission. It can be paid through PayPal

*We are a contemporary theatre group looking for pieces that deal with contemporary issues,

and our target audience is generally in their 20’s to 30’s.

Please check out our website (http://www.sanguinenyc.com) to get a sense of who we are.

For details please visit:

http://sanguinenyc.com/blog/

Valhalla Press is pleased to announce all the winners of the first Valhalla Press Literary Fiction and Creative Nonfiction Writing Contest

Washington, DC October 17, 2012 – Valhalla Press is pleased to announce all the winners of the first Valhalla Press Literary Fiction and Creative Nonfiction Contest. The contest sought out the best in original short literary fiction and nonfiction work written in English.

We previously announced that the First Prize winner in the Valhalla Press Literary Fiction and Creative Nonfiction Writing Contest is Jan English Leary for her story, Mother’s Helper, a classic short story reminiscent of John Updike. Jan received $500 and her e-reader of choice, the Nook ST with Glolight.

We also previously announced that Mary Beth Ellis won second prize for her creative nonfiction piece, People Who Choose to Run, written in the New Journalism tradition of Tom Wolfe. Mary selected a Nook Color for her prize, which will be sent as soon as the new version is available.

We are now pleased to announce our list of Honorable Mention winners. Each of these pieces will appear in the inaugural issue of Ragnarok, Valhalla Press’ e-lit journal, which will be published on November 1, 2012. The Honorable Mention winners also received payment of $25 for their work. The winners are:

Loss by Jamie Derkenne

Hip, Hip Harrumph! by Mark Levine

The Atrocities of War by Jennifer Peckinpaugh

Canadian Geese in Phoenix by Davey Jones

The Leaving of Things by Jaidev Antani

The judges will provide individual feedback to each contest entrant over the next few weeks. We apologize for the brief delay in feedback – we are hard at work. Valhalla Press would like to thank all entrants for their help in making our inaugural writing contest a success.

For more information, go to www.valhallapress.com/contest.php

About Valhalla Press

Valhalla Press is a publisher of an eclectic list of ebooks and soon the e-lit journal, Ragnarok. Our authors include seasoned published writers as well as newly discovered writers.

10 iPhone Apps That Can Keep the Kids Occupied While You’re Stuck Standing in Line”

When you’re stuck in a long line with kids in tow, the chances of a meltdown as a result of sheer boredom are high enough to cause even the most optimistic parent a moment of panic. Thanks to Apple and their almost ubiquitous iPhone, not to mention the staggering number of apps in their App Store aimed specifically at keeping kids entertained, the likelihood of those tantrums is significantly lowered. These 10 apps are all great weapons to have in your boredom-fighting arsenal, turning a potentially messy situation into one that’s easily handled.

Visit the blog: http://www.fulltimenanny.com/blog/10-iphone-apps-that-can-keep-the-kids-occupied-while-youre-stuck-standing-in-line/

November 3 & 4 in Camarillo Speakers include media experts, publishers, literary agents, and published authors

Top SoCal Publishing Professionals to Speak at Ventura County Writers’ Weekend,

(Ventura, CA -) Thirty publishing industry figures are booked in Camarillo on Saturday and Sunday, November 3 & 4 to speak at the second annual Ventura County Writers’ Weekend. Saturday’s schedule presents the Business of Writing; Sunday the Craft of Writing. Sessions speakers include:

– Memoirists Diana Raab, and Reyna Grande whose new book The Distance Between Us was hailed by the Los Angeles Times as the Angela’s Ashes of the modern Mexican immigrant experience. This panel discussion will be lead by literary agent Toni Lopopolo, who when she served as executive editor in New York publishing, houses, signed and published many memoirs.

– Media experts on two different panels will discuss the basics that authors must master to promote their books to today’s book buyers. The panelists include Penny Sansevieri, CEO of Author Marketing Experts, considered the originator of the Virtual Book Tour, one of the many new ways to use social media and the Internet. Other media speakers include Laurie Hurley, the social media navigator who handles media for clients, Patricia Fry, author of numerous books for writers on promotion and marketing, and Kate Sexton, publicist and creator of the Author Promote Thyself workshops.

– Publishers from small presses who are gaining success with new publicity and distribution media including Caitland Alexander, author of over 100 children’s books who now publishes directly to eBook; Stan Corwin, former CEO of Pinnacle Books and now a small-press publisher, and Christopher Meeks of White Whiskers Publishing, a Southern California independent press.

– Three area editors who work with writers to develop publishable manuscripts, include Cheri Rae of Santa Barbara, Greg Elliot of Agoura, and Flo Selfman of Words a la Mode in Los Angeles. These speakers will discuss the most common errors writers make and how to prepare a well-edited manuscript.

Seating is limited to 40 people per panel. The event takes place at the Pleasant Valley Community Park in the Senior Center and runs from 9 to 5 on Saturday and 10 to 4 on Sunday.

Registration and full details for each class is at: www.VCWritersWeekend.com, or phone 805-633-1506.

Call for entries – Kupferberg Short Story Prize

With Guest Judge Jim Shepard

The winning submission, selected by Jim Shepard, will be read as part of the Selected Shorts performance at Symphony Space on June 12, 2013. The story will be recorded for possible later broadcast as part of the public radio series. The winner will also receive $1000 and a 10-week class from Gotham Writers’ Workshop.

Story requirements

• Submit a single short story that fits the theme “Complicated Families.”
• Your story must have a title.
• Your story must be no more than 750 words (Times New Roman, 12pt font).
• Your story must be unpublished.

The Prize
The winner will receive: $1000; two tickets to the June 12, 2013 Selected Shorts at Symphony Space, when the prize winning story will be read and recorded for possible broadcast; 10-week creative writing class with Gotham Writers’ Workshop offered in NYC or online. (Prize does not include transportation to or from NYC or the event.)

Entry Fee
Every submission must include a $25 entry fee (payable by credit card, check or money order). To enter, click on “Enter the Contest” below. Instructions for submitting your entry via postal service are provided in the Official Rules.

ENTER THE CONTEST

Deadline:
All submissions must be received by 5pm, March 15, 2013, Eastern Standard Time. To be specific, online submissions must be submitted by 5pm Eastern Standard Time. Mailed submissions must arrive with the day’s mail. (Entries postmarked on March 15 will NOT be accepted.)

About this year’s guest judge
Jim Shepard is the author of six novels and four story collections. His stories are published regularly in such magazines as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Zoetrope: All-Story, Playboy, and Vice. His most recent story collection is the multiple award-winning You Think That’s Bad.

Note
Contestants who submit online or provide their email address will be added to Gotham Writers’ Workshop’s and Selected Shorts’ email lists – please let us know if you do not wish to receive email about upcoming programs.

Frequently Asked Question – Official Rules

The Fiddlehead’s 22nd annual literary contest!

Deadline: Postmarked by December 1^st 2012

Website: http://www.thefiddlehead.ca/FHcontest.html

Two contest categories: poetry and short fiction.

Prizes in each category: $2000 for winner +

publication payment and $250 for 2 honourable mentions + publication payment.

Winning entries will be published in the spring 2013 issue of The Fiddlehead (no. 255) and on the website.

One short-fiction entry is one story (6,000 words maximum).

One poetry entry is up to 3 poems; no more than 100 lines per poem.

No simultaneous submissions and no previously published works.

Do not put name on the work(s) submitted; send cover page that includes contact information,

the entry’s title(s) and contest category. All entries must be submitted by mail.

Entry Fee: $30 for an entry from Canada and $36 for an international entry.

The entry fee includes a one-year subscription to The Fiddlehead.

For full contest details go to The Fiddlehead’s website

http://www.thefiddlehead.ca/FHcontest.html

or contact us at fiddlehd@unb.ca.

Cinnamon Press Writing Awards – Poetry, Short Stories, Novel/Novella

Cinnamon Press Writing  Awards

Cinnamon Press competitions have been offering new and established writers excellent publication opportunities for the last seven years. Several authors who have won the competition have gone on to win other prestigious prizes or been short listed for major awards. From autumn 2012 we are re-launching the writing awards to make them even more accessible to a greater number of writers. The competitions in three genres will continue to run twice a year, but with a new pricing structure and new prize structure. We hope that writers will continue to enjoy the competitions and take advantage of the opportunities they provide.

 

Poetry Collection Award £150

The aim of this award is to provide a platform for new voices in poetry.

 

Short Story Award: £150

The competition is open to new and published authors.

 

Novel / Novella Award £400

The aim of this award is to encourage new novelists, encouraging debut novel and novella writers to achieve a publication in this genre.

 

Guidelines for all Genres:

Entrants for the novel/novella and poetry categories should not previously have had a novel/novella or full poetry collection published (those with pamphlets and self published collections are eligible).
Short story writers may have previous publications of single stories or story collections or may be new writers, but the story submitted must be unpublished.
Entries should be submitted electronically – send as two email attachments – one with the work and the other with contact details – please ensure you have up to date virus protection and send as a .doc or .docx or .rtf file. (If you have problems preventing electronic submission please email for guidance)
Submit the first ten thousand words of your novel/novella or 10 poems up to 40 lines (unpublished) or story of 2,000-4,000 words (unpublished) in a clear type script, double spaced for prose.
Please mark your story/poetry/novel/la with a nom de plume and working title in the header (this is simply for reading purposes to guarantee that all pieces are read blind and judged fairly)
Do not put any other identification on the work, but enclose a separate attachment with name, address, email contact & nom de plume and titles of poems/working title of novel/story title.

Deadlines fall twice a year on 30th June & 30th November.

The next deadline is 30th November 2012.

Entry is £12 per entry for all categories. You can optionally add £4 to this to include a copy of the winners’ anthology for the poetry and short story categories, or a novel/la by a previous competition winner for the novel/la category (worth £8.99).
Payments can be made online at www.cinnamonpress.com using PayPal.
Work will not be returned, so please keep a copy.

 

Visit the website for detail and enter at: http://www.cinnamonpress.com/competitions/major-awards/

True False Theatre’s, “Polygraph Tests,” Playwrights Residency

Polygraph (n.) 1. a machine designed to detect and record changes in biological characteristics 2. an author who can write on a variety of different subjects
The Polygraph Tests is a residency program committed to enriching the process of theatre development by pairing selected playwrights with collaborators eager to guide and inspire the scripts’ evolution. We are looking for dangerous stories that expose and examine the ways in which desire and impulse define human relationships. Writers of all ages and from all experience levels are invited to submit plays that align with our mission statement:

True False Theatre is a group of artists dedicated to creating high-quality dramatic theatre that challenges the imagination and inspires a more conscious and compassionate community. Our goal is to probe modern value systems through entertaining productions of socially relevant plays, which uphold a commitment to exciting and empowering New York City.

This program features a three-week rehearsal period focused on giving writers the time and tools they need to experiment and develop strong character development, plot structure, and dialogue. Each playwright will work alongside a director and actors who are excited to inspire the author’s vision and provide him or her with feedback regarding the rewrites made during the residency. After a mid-process public reading allows each artist to experience their play with an audience, everyone returns to the rehearsal room for another week of collaborating with the writer. The residency ends with a second public reading celebrating the plays in whatever state they are in at the time.

Important Dates:

• Sept 14 – Nov 16: Application Period
• Nov 16 – Dec 7: Reading Period
• Dec 7: Finalist Playwrights Announced
• Dec 7 – Dec 13: Playwright Interviews
• Dec 14: Selected Playwrights Announced
• Dec 21: Invited Directors and Actors Announced
• Jan 20 – Feb 9: Rehearsal Period
• Feb 2: First Public Reading
• Feb 9: Final Public Reading

Submission Guidelines:

• We select playwrights based on two factors: (1) the quality and potential of the writing, and (2) a one-on-one interview during the first week of December 2012.
• We are looking for plays on all subject matters- story and structure that dare to be different.
• Scripts don’t need to be perfectly polished; we will happily accept unfinished work.
• We accept only unpublished plays (but un-produced and previously produced plays are both acceptable).
• You can send us one or several scripts- we prefer you send us two plays so we can understand your voice as much as possible.
• Scripts can be any length (plays less than 75 pages are preferred).

Please fill out the application form at www.truefalsetheatre.org and send your play(s) to submit@truefalsetheatre.org. Sending us your resume and/or artistic statement in addition to your work is acceptable. Submissions received after the November 16, 2012 deadline will not be reviewed.

Almond Press – 2012 Short Story Contest

Short Story Contest
1st Place – £100

Newly established Scottish publisher is currently looking for talented writers.
First prize is £100. All shortlisted entries will be collected and published in a collection.

Space permitting, authors may also be featured in a short Q&A next to their story.

Contest is not limited to UK. International entries are welcome.

Short Story
The theme for the story is “Fall” (in all meanings of the word).
We’re not looking for a particular kind of fiction either, it could be a romance, a thriller, a comedy or anything!

Story Length
All entries must be between 3000 and 5000 words in length.

Entry Fees
The competition is free to enter!

Previous Use
All entries must be original and previously unpublished in English
(in print, digitally, or on the web.)

Competition Closing Date
The final date for entries is the 30th of November 2012.

How to Submit Your Entry
Entries must be sent as either a Word doc file, or a plain txt file.

Make sure each entry includes the title of the piece in the file but not your name and details.

Please add your name and address to the email.

No more than two entries are allowed per person.

By submitting your story, you confirm that you accept the contest terms and conditions.

Send your story to: contest@almondpress.co.uk

Last Call for Submissions! Get Involved – Share your opinions, work and stories

 “RIOT – MELLAKKA” Submit your work to be featured on the HESA inprint blog with a chance to be published in our monthly magazine. We are looking for creative people with a vision and voice to share their opinions, work and stories not for a pay check but for the love of creating.

This months issue theme is “RIOT – MELLAKKA ” if you feel like your work could be put in to this category we would love for you to submit it to HESA inprint and be in with a chance to get in to the web magazine, blog and magazine publication.

Deadline is Midnight Finnish Time, October 30th 2012 

IMPORTANT! Remember to include your full name, email address, titles and mediums for all work and an overall title for your submission! We also recommend adding an introduction text on the works submitted and how you see them fitting with the current theme.

TO SUBMIT your works for our publication send it to submission@hesainprint.com in the subject box write: “submission – riot – Your Name – WORK TITLE”.

For submission guidelines visit: http://www.hesainprint.com/how-to-get-involved

HESA inprint is a Finnish-English web magazine, blog and art magazine publication. The theme for the issue is RIOT – MELLAKKA. The deadline is midnight (Finnish Time) October 30th 2012. Instructions on how to submit your work is available at http://www.hesainprint.com/how-to-get-involved

TheNewerYork! TSA Contest

The TSA Contest –

Submit an experimental-fiction piece about the TSA. 

Ideas:  When writing, think internal documents, from the mundane manuals and forms to blacked-out communiqués, signs, warnings, carbon copies.

Literary forms we have accepted in the past include: comics, users manuals, PSAs, iPhone screenshots, Classified Ads, Book reviews, personal letters, press releases, employment applications etc.

Deadline: November 5th 2012

Winner gets $175 towards a JetBlue flight and published on theNewerYork.com (and potentially the next print issue of the magazine).

Entry fee: $3.00 per story

Guidelines: More than 5 readable words, less than 8 pages long.

Get weird! We’re excited to see what you come up with!

Winner will be revealed November 10th. 

Small Print: Offer lasts until July 1st 2013. You choose the flight and give us your information. We buy the ticket and charge you for the difference. If the flight is less than $175 you do not receive the difference in cash or credit of any kind. The submissions will be read and evaluated by Chuck Young and JSR, editors at theNewerYork.

Visit the website: http://theneweryork.com/

How to enter: https://theneweryorkmag.submittable.com/submit/16563

Printerinks Short Story Competition

Are you a budding writer? Fancy putting your skills to the test in our short story competition?

By entering our competition you have the chance to get your book printed in hard copy.

This prize is perfect for any author who would like to get their work published.  

The winner will receive 10 copies so they can share their winning story with family and friends. 

The runner-up will receive £50 worth of Amazon vouchers.

The theme for the competition is ‘autumn’ and entrants are asked to write a maximum of 3000 words.

For a chance of winning this amazing prize, email your story in a Word document to competitions@printerinks.com

The competition is free to enter.

The competition closing date is for the 1^st of December 2012

http://www.printerinks.com/blog/2012/10/02/short-story-competition

New Gemini issue/Poetry Open Competition

GeminiMAGAZINE

The new issue of Gemini Magazine is now online

and our third annual Poetry Open competition is open.

This issue features debut fiction by IT engineer Jack King about a Yuppie junkie

on a downward spiral, as well as poetry, memoir and more fiction.

Grand prize for the Poetry Open is $1,000.

Second and third place receive $100/$50 and there will be three honorable mentions.

Deadline: January 2, 2013

All six finalists will be published online in the March 2013 issue of Gemini.

Also check out our new “News” page. Writers and artists who have been published in Gemini:

send us info about your new books, awards or other noteworthy events and we will try to spread the word.

Coming late October (possibly early November): results of our fourth annual Flash Fiction Contest.

Visit the website: http://gemini-magazine.com/poetryopen.html

Last Call: Scribophile’s Gothtober October 2012 Contest

Deadline: October 31, 2012

 Entry is free.

First prize: $50 cash via PayPal.

Second prize: $25 cash via PayPal.

Halloween is my favorite holiday, so I wanted to make this month’s contest interesting.

The theme is gothic literature, but with a twist. Traditionally,

gothic literature can be broken into two genders.

The male gothic heavily features the supernatural, often in a struggle with the main character.

The female gothic is more about misunderstood circumstance,

where the cause of mystery could be supernatural, but it’s more normal with misread situations.

The task is to reverse these genders. There’s more to it than man solves Scooby Doo-esque mystery,

woman fights ghosts though, so check out our contest page for more info:

http://www.scribophile.com/contests/gothtober-contest/