Archive for April, 2016

Just Add Words – Video Description Contest

28 April 2016

There is no entry fee and there are cash prizes

($2,000/$1,000/$500) for first, second, and third place. 

This is the third year we have done this contest,

which is called Just Add Words

It is not a traditional writing contest,

as the entries are video description

(also known as audio description)

for a short film we have picked.

The contest runs the entire month of May 2016!

and is open to U.S. residents 18 or older.

Here is the website: http://videodescriptioncontest.com/

 

Last Call for Submissions: Poetry Super Highway Holocaust Remembrance Day

28 April 2016

The mission of Poetry Super Highway is to expose as many
people to as many other people’s poetry as possible.

Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) is next Thursday, May 5th, 2016. We’re looking for submissions of poetry written in response to the Holocaust for our 18th annual Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) issue.

  • Submission deadline is this Friday, April 29th (6:00 pm pacific) to be considered for this special issue.
  • Send no more than 3 poems in the body of an email (No Attachments)
  • Include a short bio which includes what city you live in.
  • Poems submitted to or published in previous PSH Holocaust Remembrance Day issues (regardless of whether we publishd them) are not eligible for re-submission.
  • The subject of your email should be “Holocaust Poetry Submission
  • E-mail your submission to potw@poetrysuperhighway.com (please note you will receive an automatic response indicating your work has been received for “weekly Poet of the Week consideration”…as long as you specify in the email subject that this is for the special Holocaust Remembrance Day issue, we will understand to consider it for this special issue.)
  • Please note, because of the extremely tight turnaround for this annual issue, and the huge amount of work that goes into putting it together, we cannot accept any submissions that deviate from these guidelines.

PoetrySuperHighway.com | Haikuniverse | Facebook | Twitter

Narrative Magazine is Seeking iStories and iPoems

25 April 2016

iStory Guidelines

OUR IPHONE APPLICATION places the magazine’s complete contents for free at the touch of a button on your iPhone, iPad, or Touch. Now you can take all of Narrative’s stories, poems, cartoons, and audio and video files with you anywhere.

Our App is FREE and contains a state-of-the-art eReader that’s easy and a pleasure to use. The App is currently available for download directly from Apple’s App Store.
To celebrate the launch of the App, we’ve created a new genre—the iStory—and we’re inviting submissions for publication both in the magazine and on the iPad, iPhone, and Touch.

THE GUIDELINES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

An iStory is a short, dramatic narrative, fiction or nonfiction, up to 150 words long. We are particularly interested in works that give readers a strong sense of having read a full and complete story in a brief space.

Payment: We will pay $100 for each iStory accepted for publication.

Submission Fee: There is a $22 fee for each submission. And with your submission, you’ll receive three months of complimentary access to Narrative Backstage.

Formatting Your Manuscript: Your manuscripts should be in 12-point type, with at least one-inch margins, and double-spaced. Your name, address, telephone number, and email address should be typed at the top of the first page. You may also include a brief biographical note with your submission.

Other Submission Categories: In addition to the iStory category, please review our other Submission Categories for areas that may be right for you work.
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iPoem Guidelines

OUR IPHONE APPLICATION places the magazine’s complete contents for free at the touch of a button on your iPhone and iPad. Now you can take all ofNarrative’s stories, poems, cartoons, and audio and video files with you anywhere.

Our App is FREE and contains a state-of-the-art eReader that’s easy and a pleasure to use. The App is available for download directly from Apple’sApp Store on your iPhone, iPad, or Touch.
With the launch of the App, we created a new poetic form—the iPoem—and we’re inviting submissions for publication both in the magazine and on the iPhone.

THE GUIDELINES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

An iPoem is a short poem that will fit within no more than two screens on the iPhone. An iPoem may be up to 150 words long. However, we favor iPoems that can be read in a single screen, which would be a poem of about forty words, allowing space for title and byline.
Just as the advent of the typewriter both limited and enhanced the form of poetry, the new media are making an impact on the form and how readers experience it. So, without establishing specific formal criteria for the iPoem, other than length, we are nonetheless interested in seeing works that indicate the poet’s awareness of how the new media affect, for instance, the line in poetry. We favor works that demonstrate an awareness of and interest in prosody.
Payment: We will pay $50 for each iPoem accepted for publication.
Submission Fee: There is a $20 fee for each submission. A submission may include up to four iPoems. With your submission, you’ll receive three months of complimentary access to Narrative Backstage.
Formatting Your Manuscript: Your manuscripts should be in 12-point type, with at least one-inch margins, and double-spaced. Your name, address, telephone number, and email address should be typed at the top of the first page. You may also include a brief biographical note with your submission.
Other Submission Categories: In addition to the iPoem category, please review our other Submission Categories for areas that may be right for you work.
Visit the website: http://www.narrativemagazine.com/

The Norman Mailer Center and the National Council of Teachers of English are pleased to offer writing awards for both students and teachers.

25 April 2016

Award Submissions

Guidelines:The writing you upload must include a title, your name, and page numbers within your file. Use a plain, common, and easily readable font, such as Times New Roman, 11- or 12-point. Accepted file types: .pdf, .doc, .docx, and .txt (maximum file size: 8 megabytes).

You must follow the page number requirements for the category you enter.

Submissions not falling within the specified category guidelines will not be considered.

Late entries can not be accepted.

Only one entry per student.

Authors retain copyright of their work.

JudgingLate entries can not be considered.Submissions will be read by national panels of teachers and writers. They will be judged by how well they achieve several qualities, including the artful treatment of subject matter; originality; quality of insight, image, voice, and style; artful arrangement of elements and materials; and overall aesthetic, emotional or intellectual effect.

FOR STUDENTS

High School Creative Non-Fiction Writing Award Competition is open to students currently enrolled in a high school accredited by the US. Students may submit one or more pieces of writing as one file, maximum 10 single-spaced pages, endorsed by a teacher and released by a parent or guardian. One winner will receive a cash award of $2,500 at a special award ceremony. Submission accepted online only through May 2, 2016, Noon CST.

Community College Creative Non-Fiction Writing Award Competition is open to full-time students enrolled in two-year colleges, junior colleges, and technical colleges. Maximum 15 single-spaced pages. One winner will receive a cash award of $2,500 at a special award ceremony. Submissions accepted online only through May 2, 2016, Noon CST.

Four-year College Creative Non-Fiction Writing Award Competition is open to current full-time undergraduate students. Maximum 15 single-spaced pages. One winner will receive a cash award of $5,000 at a special award ceremony. Submissions accepted online only through May 2, 2016, Noon CST.

College Poetry Writing Award is open to full time students enrolled in four-year colleges, two-year colleges, junior colleges, and technical colleges. Students may submit one or more poems, to a maximum of 10 pages. One winner will receive a cash award of $2,500 at a special award ceremony.Submissions accepted online only through May 2, 2016, Noon CST.

FOR TEACHERS

Middle and High School Teacher Creative Non-Fiction Writing Award Competition is open to full- and part-time middle and high school teachers. Teachers may submit one piece of writing with a maximum of 20 single-spaced pages. One winner will receive a cash award of $5,000 at a special award ceremony. Submissions accepted online only through July 15, 2016, Noon CST.

Visit the website: http://www.ncte.org/awards/nmwa

Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction Winner: $60,000; Finalists: $5,000

25 April 2016

Prize Guidelines

A prize of $60,000 will be awarded to a literary nonfiction book published between September 18, 2015 and September 30, 2016 that, in the opinion of the jury, is the year’s best book of nonfiction. Literary nonfiction includes, among other forms, works of personal or journalistic essays, memoirs, commentary, criticism both social and political, history, and biography. Finalist works will demonstrate a distinctive voice, as well as a persuasive and compelling command of tone, narrative, style, and technique. The overall effect of such writing should provide the general reader with an informed, unique perspective on the issue at hand. The jurors will shortlist between three and five titles. Prizes of $5,000 will be awarded to each of the finalists.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Titles must be published in Canada between September 18, 2015 and September 30, 2016. Books that are not yet in final published form by the final deadline of July 27 may be submitted as bound galleys.
  • Books must be English-language, first-edition trade books published by a Canadian press, written by Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. Previous publication in another country does not disqualify a book.
  • Translations from other languages into English are eligible and will be considered in the year in which the English translation is published. In the event of a translation winning the prize, the prize money will be divided as follows: $45,000 to the author, $15,000 to the translator.
  • To be eligible publishing houses must have a professional editorial process independent from the authors whose books are submitted for consideration. They must not charge authors for publishing their works.
  • All books must have an ISBN number and be available in Canadian bookstores.
  • Titles may be single-authored or co-authored. Multi-authored collections, anthologies, and conference proceedings are not eligible.
  • Self-published books are not eligible.
  • Ghostwritten books are not eligible.
  • No more than 20% of the manuscript can have previously been published in book form.
  • Books whose author was deceased at the time of publication are not eligible.
  • Publishers should note that the prize is for literary excellence; they should only submit books deemed outstanding in this regard.

Nomination Process

The schedule for submissions is tied to publication dates as follows:

Deadline 1: Wednesday, March 23, 2016 
For books published between September 18, 2015 and March 22, 2016

Deadline 2: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 
For books published between March 23, 2016 and May 24, 2016

*Deadline 3: Wednesday, July 27, 2016 
For books published between May 25, 2016 and September 30, 2016

Publishers are strongly encouraged to submit books prior to the deadlines. Submissions upon release of titles are appreciated. If a publisher, for any reason whatsoever, feels they cannot submit titles in accordance with the above schedule it is requested that they contact the Program Manager to discuss the possibility of an extension.

Number of Submissions

All Canadian-based publishers of original manuscripts may enter two books; companies publishing more than ten eligible nonfiction titles may add one book for every additional ten eligible books (or fraction thereof) on their nonfiction list, up to a maximum of five. See the chart below for reference.

Books Published:  Eligible to Submit:
10 or fewer 2
11 – 20 3
21 – 30 4
31 or more 5

 

Required Materials

The following must be submitted by the final deadline on July 27, 2016:

  • Five copies of each eligible title in book form; or three bound galleys, with at least two copies of the finished book to be received by the Writers’ Trust upon publication
  • A Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction submission form listing all submitted titles and planned submissions sent with the first shipment of books (do not send multiple copies unless you make changes to your submission plans)
  • Publishers submitting more than two titles must provide a list of all titles published during the calendar year on which that publisher’s eligibility is based. This list should include authors, titles, and dates of publication.
  • Electronic images of the author and book cover suitable for reproduction in print materials – please name each file as follows: “Nonfiction_AuthorLastName_FirstName” and “Nonfiction_AuthorLastName_BookTitle”. Contact the Program Manager for instructions on sending large images.

 

Jury Composition

The finalists of the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction are chosen by a three-person jury. Each juror may request an unlimited number of additional titles from a publisher’s list. Such titles are on equal footing with all other submissions, provided that their publishers agree to abide by the conditions laid out in this document. The jury acts independently of the Writers’ Trust and is charged with interpreting the mandate and eligibility criteria of the prize, as well as determining which of the submissions best reflect the prize mandate. In evaluating the writing, literary merit is the sole criteria. The judgment of the jury in selecting the winners, determining eligibility, and interpreting these rules is final.

Announcement of Nominees & Winners

The list of finalist authors will be announced in September 2016 and the award will be presented in November 2016 at an event in Toronto.

Publisher Obligations

If an author is a finalist the publisher will agree to:

  • Supply the Writers’ Trust with 18 additional copies of the shortlisted book for publicity.
  • Affix stickers provided by the Writers’ Trust to all outgoing copies of the current edition of the finalist and winning books and include prize sticker artwork on any subsequent editions.
  • Participate in promotion and publicity efforts undertaken by the Writers’ Trust and stress the importance of this with their authors.

Send submissions to:

Amanda Hopkins, Program Manager
Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction
Writers’ Trust of Canada
600 – 460 Richmond Street West
Toronto, ON  M5V 1Y1

Visit the website:  http://www.writerstrust.com/Awards/Hilary-Weston-Writers-Trust-Prize/Prize-Guidelines.aspx

The MacGuffin’s 21st National Poet Hunt Contest

25 April 2016

The MacGuffin‘s 21st National Poet Hunt Contest

Postmark deadline: June 3, 2016

The MacGuffin is once again on the hunt for a winning poem for our 21st National Poet Hunt Contest! One first place winner will receive $500 and publication in a future issue. Every entrant will receive a complimentary issue that features the winning poem(s). This year, we’ve brought in Li-Young Lee to act as our guest judge. Please submit no more than 3 poems, an index card with your name, poem titles, and contact info, and a $15 check/cash entry fee (make checks payable to Schoolcraft College).

Mail your entry to:

The MacGuffin
Attn: Poet Hunt Contest
Schoolcraft College
18600 Haggerty Road
Livonia, MI 48152-2696

For full rules, see the Contest Rules page over at:

http://www.schoolcraft.edu/a-z-index/the-macguffin/contest-rules#.Vx6HtjArLIU.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us at macguffin@schoolcraft.edu. Good luck!

New Letters Literary Awards

25 April 2016

Deadline: May 18, 2016.

New Letters invites you to submit fiction, essays, or poetry to the New Letters Literary Awards. Winners receive $1,500 for best essay, $1,500 for best poetry, and $1,500 for best fiction, and publication inNew Letters.

All entries are considered for publication and must be unpublished. Winners will be announced mid-September 2016. Essay and fiction entries may not exceed 8,000 words; poetry entries may contain one to six poems. $20 (postal mail)/ $25 (online) for first entry; $15 (postal mail)/ $20 (online) for each entry after. $20/$25 entry fee includes a one-year subscription to New Letters.

Previous judges have included Philip Levine, Joyce Carol Oates, Rishi Reddi, Mary Jo Salter, Carole Maso, Cornelius Eady, Margot Livsey, Benjamin Percy, Robin Hemley, and Kim Addonizio. For complete guidelines, visit http://www.newletters.org/writers-wanted/writing-contests, or send an S.A.S.E. to Ashley Wann, Contest Coordinator, New Letters, 5101 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110.

The Strongest Start Book Competition 2016

25 April 2016

Submit the first three chapters of your novel. Grand prize award of:

  • A critique of the three chapters by star editor Anita Mumm.
  • A guaranteed read of the winning manuscript by Lisa Gus, the managing partner of Curiosity Quills Press.
  • The opportunity of having Chandler, a Hall of Fame Amazon reviewer, read and leave a review of your book when it is published. Chandler is also a contest judge.
  • $200 cash.
  • Free extra year of membership on TheNextBigWriter, valued at $69.95.
  • The ability to use the Strongest Start logo on your book (when it is published).

  Two runner-ups will receive:

  • $100 in cash.
  • Free extra three months of Premium Membership on TheNextBigWriter valued at $21.95.
  • The ability to use the Strongest Start logo on your book (when it is published).

Everyone who enters receives feedback, motivation, and advice.

Keep Us Reading

We know that writing a compelling start isn’t easy. So, for the eighth year we’ve put together a motivational competition to help you hone your first three chapters to perfection (if you haven’t already). We’re looking for opening chapters that will create a burning need to find out what happens, how the characters turn out, how the novel resolves itself. The kind of start that gets an agent to call back, a publisher to show interest, and a reader to plunk down their hard earned money. Above all, give us three opening chapters that will keep us reading.

Submission deadline: June 3, 2016

Visit the website for details on how to enter: https://www.thenextbigwriter.com/guide/how-to-enter-contest

Publishers/Agents

24 April 2016

JOLLY FISH PRESS
http://www.jollyfishpress.com/about-us.html
We are Jolly Fish Press, a publishing house based in Provo, Utah, which publishes trade fiction and select non-fiction books in the national and international market. We excel in exceptional cover design, worldwide online and brick-and-mortar distribution, expansive publicity and marketing campaigns, subsidiary rights representation, and most of all, our drive and ability to find exceptional, yet undiscovered authors, jumpstarting their careers with maximum exposure, sales, mentoring, and higher than industry average royalty rates.

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SEVENTH STREET BOOKS
http://www.seventhstreetbooks.com/submissions.html
Seventh Street Books publishes only mystery and thriller fiction. We are not currently looking for short story collections, anthologies, novellas, or nonfiction.

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CAROLYN JENKS
http://www.carolynjenksagency.com/
Carolyn Jenks brings a professional background in publishing, theatre and film to her work as an agent. She combines those disciplines and her love of literature with the art of agenting. The home office is in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the agency continues to introduce new writers of all genres.

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RIPPLE GROVE PRESS
http://www.ripplegrovepress.com/submissions/
We are looking for picture driven stories for children ages 2-6. Please do not send early readers, middle grade, or YA manuscripts. No religious or holiday themed stories. Please do not submit your story with page breaks or illustration notes. Do not submit a story with doodles or personal photographs. Do not send your idea for a story, send your story in manuscript form. We are not looking for: Lullaby stories or stories about how much I love you. Or my younger brother annoys me. Or there’s a new baby in the house. Or there’s a monster under my bed. Or I want to turn my sister into a monster. Or you’re the star in my heaven. We want something fresh and original.

Writing Job Opportunities

24 April 2016

ONE COUNTRY STAFF WRITER
https://acumenholdings.recruiterbox.com/jobs/fk06uzr
Location Fayetteville, Arkansas
One Country Media is searching for an entry level staff writer who is excited to help grow our reader base by writing informative and fun articles that will engage our followers and make them come back for more. You will be responsible for creating content for organic and paid programs for a world-class media destination site that inspires, celebrates and influences country lifestyle.

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ACQUIRING EDITOR
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/jobzone/details/index.html?record=1733
Location Portland, OR
Basic Function: To acquire 15 to 18 new books a year and to follow each book through development and delivery, and then assist the team in editing, design, production, marketing and publicity, and sales. To seek out the best books in Timber’s categories (gardening, nature, and regional), as well as to find books that help Timber broaden its commercial appeal in a variety of categories.

Freelance Writing Markets

24 April 2016

RANGE MAGAZINE
http://www.rangemagazine.com/guidelines/index.htm
RANGE magazine is an award-winning quarterly devoted to the issues that threaten the West, its people, lands, and wildlife. RANGE needs (1) stories about working family ranches successfully tending land and livestock, (2) solid profiles of working cowboys and sheepherders, and (3) interviews with government employees and environmentalists who have made a positive difference for people on the land. Regular features, tightly written, run 1,200-2,000 words; mini-features 600-1,200 words. Columns and “Confessions of Red Meat Survivors” (great nostalgia about people over 80) run 500-650 words. Payments are from $50 to $400 per article. RANGE buys First North American serial rights.

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MOTORCYCLE MOJO
http://www.motorcyclemojo.com/editorial-guidelines/
We are proudly Canadian and  one of less than a handful of Canadian motorcycle magazines on the newsstands in a sea of American titles. We are a family-oriented motorcycle magazine that focuses on all types of road-going motorcycles, touring, history and destination articles. Destinations, meaning somewhere you can ride to for a weekend (or longer) and take in an event or a festival of some nature. A travel story may be a weekend trip just to ride the roads of a certain area, it could be a two-hour ride or a two-week ride, or longer. We are especially interested in travel within Canada or south of the border – some place Canadians can actually ride to. Small stories can be 600-800 words while travel features might run into 2,000 words.

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McSWEENEY’S
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/tendency
We publish fiction and nonfiction. There are no rules. The best way to get a sense of what we’re interested in publishing is to read the Quarterly. Read articles online and note the quirky sense of humor required in the stories accepted.

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ASIMOV’S
http://www.asimovs.com/contact-us/writers-guidelines/
Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine is an established market for science fiction stories. Asimov’s pays 8-10 cents per word for short stories up to 7,500 words, and 8 cents for each word over 7,500. We seldom buy stories shorter than 1,000 words or longer than 20,000 words, and we don’t serialize novels. We pay $1 a line for poetry, which should not exceed 40 lines. We buy First English Language serial rights plus certain non-exclusive rights explained in our contract. We do not publish reprints, and we do not accept simultaneous submissions.

Grants, Fellowships, Writing Residencies, and such…

24 April 2016

CHULITNA LODGE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
http://chulitnalodge.com/artists
Chulitna Lodge Artist-In-Residence Program seeks to provide the time, space, clarity, and facilities for all forms of creative professionals to make and meditate. Full scholarships include Room & Board plus flight from anywhere in the continental U.S. and commuter flight from Anchorage to Port Alsworth and require a minimum of six weeks commitment between June 1 and Sept 30. Partial scholarships include Room & Board, but not transportation. Work study options are also available. All scholarship and work study artists are expected to participate in meal preparation, and clean up, and/or gardening.

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SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA ARTS COUNCIL
http://semac.org/grant-categories.php
SEMAC will provide Individual Artist Grants to encourage the development of entirely original work by both Emerging Artists and Established Artists from the region.  Such works could include original literary or dramatic scripts, musical compositions, choreographies, visual arts creations, and interdisciplinary works. The original work must be earmarked for a public showcasing, via publication, performance, or exhibition, in conjunction with a non-profit arts organization. Individual Artist Grants of no less than $300 and no more than $2,500 will be considered for funding in the Emerging Artist category, and no more than $5,000 in the Established Artist category.

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NATIONAL STORYTELLING BRIMSTONE AWARD
http://www.storynet.org/grants/brimstone.html
Grants of $5,000 will be awarded in support of model storytelling projects that are service-oriented, based in a community or organization, and replicable, to some extent, in other places and situations. Projects should have impact beyond their own communities, organizations, or clients; inspire excellence in applied storytelling work; and communicate to new audiences the humanitarian possibilities of storytelling. Deadline April 28, 2016.

ANTARACTIC ARTISTS AND WRITERS PROGRAM (NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION)
http://tinyurl.com/hum9o3k

Deadline June 1, 2016.

Furnishes U.S. Antarctic Program operational support and round-trip economy air tickets between the United States and the Southern Hemisphere, to artists and writers whose work requires them to be in the Antarctic to complete their proposed project. The Program does not provide any funding to participants. The program does not support short-term projects that are essentially journalistic in nature.

ROYAL NONESUCH HUMOR WRITING CONTEST

24 April 2016

“Against the assault of Laughter nothing can stand.” 

                                                                                          — Mark Twain

Welcome to the THIRD annual Mark Twain House & Museum’s “Royal Nonesuch” Humor Writing Contest for writers of all ages from all corners of the globe!

Recognizing that Samuel Clemens (aka: Mark Twain) began writing at an early age and to encourage other young authors, we welcome submissions for two categories:

  • Adult (age 18 and over at time of submission) at $23 per submission, and
  • Young Author (age 17 and under at time of submission) at $13 per submission.
  • Submissions fees go towards the preservation of The Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, CT. This contest is a whole new way for “Twainiacs” to support Mark Twain’s legacy. We thank you sincerely!

Celebrity Judges will be announced soon.

Your deadline is Sunday, July 10, 2016. Word limit is 7,000 words. 

Submit your original humorous essays and stories for a chance at a cash prize, and best of all – bragging rights! Last year’s winners took home $3,500+ in prizes.

“If Mark Twain were alive, he’d be happy about this contest, because he’d win it.” – Andy Borowitz

Entry fee: $23.00 USD, $13.00 USD

Deadline: July 10, 2016

  •  Submit 7,000 words (or fewer) of any original work of humor writing. (Entries longer than 7,000 words will be disqualified.)

•  Previously published work is acceptable; please do not submit work that has won other humor prizes.

•  Submissions must be in English.

•  Submissions are not required to be in the style of Mark Twain or about Mark Twain. We want to hear your voice. And we want you to make us laugh!

•  Submissions will be judged by our Mark Twain House staff and scholars, Trinity College faculty, and celebrity judges (to be announced).

•  Submissions are due by July 10, 2016.

•  Winners may be asked to provide age verification regarding submission category.

•  You may submit more than one entry; a separate fee is required for each entry.

•  Winners will be notified by September 12, 2016.

•  Winners will retain ownership of their work. The Mark Twain House & Museum reserves the right to publish winning pieces in a public forum with credit to the author.

PRIZES (winners in both categories):

•      1st Prize: $1,000 (Adult), $1,000 (Young Author)

•      2nd Prize: $500 (Adult), $500 (Young Author)

•      3rd Prize: $250 (Adult), $250 (Young Author)

•      Three Honorable Mention Prizes: $100 Gift Certificate for the Mark Twain Museum Store (Adult & Young Author).

•  Staff and immediate family members of the Mark Twain House are not eligible.

The mission of The Mark Twain House & Museum is to foster an appreciation of the legacy of Mark Twain as one of our nation’s defining cultural figures, and to demonstrate the continuing relevance of his work, life and times. The Mark Twain House & Museum operates as a non-profit 501(c)(3) foundation. Mark Twain built the house in 1874 and lived here with his wife and children until 1891. This is where he wrote such masterpieces as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and is located at 351 Farmington Avenue in Hartford, CT. We appreciate your participation in this inaugural writing contest as it supports our preservation efforts.

Visit the website to enter:  https://twainhouse.submittable.com/submit

PALOOKA PRESS CHAPBOOK PRIZE

24 April 2016

 

About Palooka Press

The press was founded in 2012 to offer a publishing opportunity for writers seeking a home for shorter manuscripts.

How It Works

As always, we take great pride in reading every word and giving each manuscript its due attention and thorough consideration. We consider manuscripts of all types, styles, and genres and aren’t looking for a particular aesthetic; we’re wiling to give anything a fair chance. Please send your best fiction, poetry, nonfiction, graphic narrative, or hybrid. Manuscripts should be roughly 35-50 pages, but we’re flexible with this in either direction. There is a $10 entry fee that comes with an electronic issue of Palooka. All pieces within entries are also considered for publication in the magazine.

The Winner Receives…

       *Publication by Palooka Press (a professionally made perfect-bound book with a glossy color cover)
*20 free copies of the book
*$200 honorarium
*A bio and photo featured on our website
*Chapbook will be sent out for review and promotion

Deadline: 8/1/2016

Judging

All submissions will be read “blind” to ensure pure contest ethics. Palooka also prohibits submissions from any friends or family of the judge. The judge for the contest is Jonathan Starke, the founding editor of Palooka. Jonathan has published essays, stories, plays, and poetry in The Sun, Missouri Review, Threepenny Review, North American Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Greensboro Review, Shenandoah, Gulf Coast, Brevity, River Teeth, Fourth Genre, Post Road, Passages North, and Third Coast, among others.

Guidelines

*Amount: Multiple submissions are permitted, but each submission must be accompanied by the proper entry fee and submitted to the proper Submittable category.
*Page count: 35-50 pages, roughly, but we’re open to more or less.
*Formatting: No author information anywhere on the manuscript. Please put author information only in the Cover Letter/Bio section when submitting. 12-point font, one-inch margins, double-spaced (for prose).
*Entry fee: $10 (comes with an electronic issue of Palooka)
*Cover Letter/Bio section should include: manuscript title, page count, author’s name, phone number, and e-mail address.
*Simultaneous submissions are encouraged as long as you withdraw your manuscript if accepted elsewhere. As always, we will offer you a sturdy e-handshake for your accomplishment.
*It is perfectly fine if some of the works have been published elsewhere as the proper permission from other magazines/journals will be requested and cited on an acknowledgements page.

Contact:

For questions, please e-mail the editor at palooka [at] protonmail.com

How to enter:  https://palookamag.submittable.com/submit

THE 2016 Lummox Press Poetry Prize

24 April 2016

A winner will be selected from entrants who pay the $15 reading fee to LUMMOX 5. Those entrants who do not win, will receive a copy of the Prize winner’s chapbook. If a copy of LUMMOX 5 is desired, it may be purchased for $18 + Shipping. Contact for questions.

ISM is the theme for LUMMOX 5 and the Poetry Contest. What’s an ISM? Visit the Wiki Page for answers (and here for examples).

THIS YEAR’ S CONTEST WILL BE JUDGED BY JUDITH SKILLMAN (see bio below).

The 2016 Lummox Press Poetry Prize will award publication of 40 copies of a chapbook of poetry (56 pages max), plus $200 to the winner, plus a mini-feature in LUMMOX 5 (L5); second and third place winners will also be published in the mini-feature in L5. All Contest entrants will receive a copy of the chapbook. Please read ALL of the guidelines below…

GUIDELINES —

There is a non-refundable online application fee of $15.

READING PERIOD: APRIL 1ST TO MAY 31ST.

SUBMIT via email no later than May 31, 2016 to Raindog

The author must hold all rights to the POETRY. No manuscript submission is necessary to win! Submit, via email, 3 poems and include your NAME, your PEN NAME (if different), your CONTACT INFO and a short bio (100 words or less).

The Winning poet will be asked to provide a manuscript of up to 56 pages in a single document and sent to Raindog. Payment can be made via the Pay Pal button below (preferred) or by check/cash via Lummox Press, PO Box 5301 San Pedro, CA 90733. The winning chapbook may include poems previously published in a periodical, anthology, or on the web but the manuscript as a whole may not have been published as substantially the same work. Please provide where and when the work was previously published.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

Each poem will contain no more than 70 lines (including spaces between title, stanza/verses and title).

Use Times New Roman 12 pt font, single spaced. DO NOT paginate or format in any way (we’ll take care of that). The text must be written in English and must be solely the author’s work.

Please, no Simultaneous submissions.

Skillman Bio:

Judith Skillman’s new book is House of Burnt Offerings from Pleasure Boat Studio. She is the author of Broken Lines—The Art & Craft of Poetry, Lummox Press 2013. Her work has appeared in Tampa Review, Prairie Schooner, FIELD, The Iowa Review, and other journals. She taught in the field of humanities for twenty-five years, and has collaboratively translated poems from Italian, Portuguese, and French. Currently she works on manuscript review. Visit http://www.judithskillman.com

For previous examples of poetry, please look at a copy of LUMMOX 2, the annual anthology published by Lummox Press. Lummox Press does not discriminate on the basis of gender, nationality, race or sexual orientation, but is very discriminating in choosing the work it publishes. This means that I want your best work.

The deadline is May 31, 2016. Remember the online application fee of $15 is non-refundable. Pay with the Donation button below. All entrants will receive a copy of the winning poet’s chapbook.

Email questions to poetraindog@gmail.com and write Lummox Prize in the subject line.

Please check the website, http://www.lummoxpress.com/lc/, for updates and further information. The winner and finalists will be announced via email.

Questions regarding PRINT submission can be sent via email address above or via mail to this address: Attn: Poetry Prize c/o PO Box 5301 San Pedro, CA 90733

How to enter:  http://www.lummoxpress.com/lc/the-2016-lummox-press-poetry-prize/

THE BACKWATERS PRESS PRIZE

24 April 2016

THE BACKWATERS PRESS PRIZE

$25 ENTRY FEE.

Deadline May 31, 2016.

Submit 60-85 pages of poetry.

The prize is a $2,000 plus publication of the book in trade paperback,

plus 30 copies of the book to the poet.  

Visit the website for details:  https://thebackwaterspress.submittable.com/submit

WIN THE COVER OF THE AUGUST ISSUE, $2,000 IN CASH AND MORE!!!‏

24 April 2016

HEAVY METAL PARTNERS WITH THREADLESS FOR AUGUST 2016 COVER DESIGN

Legendary Magazine Recruits Threadless Artist Community Via Newly Launched Design Challenge!

CHICAGO (April 13, 2016)-Threadless, the global design community best known for their graphic apparel, and Heavy Metal Magazine, the world’s premier illustrated magazine for science fiction, horror, and fantasy, have partnered to host a design challenge. The two brands are asking artists from around the world to create original artwork for the cover of the August 2016 issue of Heavy Metal. Beginning April 13, 2016 artists will have three weeks to submit their designs to be voted on via Threadless.com. Once submissions close, there will be an additional ten days for scoring.
“Heavy Metal Magazine is such a visually iconic publication, and I believe our artist community will have so much to bring to the table,” said Jake Nickell, Threadless founder and CEO. “We’ve printed designs that are aesthetically in line with Heavy Metal’s look and feel, so I’m confident that this challenge will foster some incredible artwork.”
One design from the challenge will be selected to be featured as the August 2016 cover of Heavy Metal. The winning artist will receive $2,000, a $250 Threadless gift certificate, a 10-year subscription to Heavy Metal, and a full set of Lord of Light collection prints. Two runners up will receive $750 cash, a $250 Threadless gift certificate, and a three-year subscription to Heavy Metal.
In addition to scoring from the Threadless community of over 3.6 million users, the challenge will be guest-judged by Heavy Metal Magazine staff members Grant Morrison (Editor-in-Chief), Kevin Eastman (Publisher), Jeff Krelitz (Co-CEO), and Brian Witten (President).
Artists are encouraged to visit https://www.threadless.com/heavy-metal/ to learn more about the challenge and submit their designs.

The 12th Annual Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest

19 April 2016

Poets Wanted 

   Enter Now!         Enter Now!  

1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners selected in each contest category

  • Five (5) categories include: Things My Parents Taught Me,  The Best Gift I Ever Received,  It Happened One Night,  If I Were Rich And Famous,  and  You Can Count On Me.
  • Poets may submit a maximum of three (3) poems. Select three (3) of the contest categories and submit one poem from each.
  • Poems may be in rhyme, free verse, Haiku, or other accepted poetry forms and of any    length, up to a maximum of 60 lines.
  • Young Poets, 18-years of age or under, are encouraged to submit poems and will compete in a special “Young Poets” category.
  • Entry Forms and Contest Rules are available at the Front Desk at the Lincoln Public Library at Twelve Bridges and can be downloaded from the following website:
  • http://lincolnca.gov/Home/Components/News/News/36/2267?backlist=%2fcity-hall%2fdepartments-divisions%2flibrary
  • Contest Deadline: Poems must be received no later than Saturday, July 23, 2016.  Early submissions are appreciated.  Questions—contact Alan Lowe at slolowe@icloud.com

Feedback for Your Writing/Enter Fan Story Writing Contests

19 April 2016

At Fan Story You Will:


Learn from feedback
 written on everything you write. Share your poetry, stories and book chapters.

Enter fun writing contests.  All contests with cash prizes are free to enter with your upgraded membership. Upgraded membership is only $9.95 per month. Enter our Acrostic Poetry Contest, ourFaith Poetry Contest, the 5-7-5 Poety Contest and  the Character Writing Contest. That’s just a sample from over 50 writing contests every month.  View the full listing.

Be part of a community for writers of all skill levels. Make connections and friends. Enjoy sharing your writing.

Find out more:  http://www.fanstory.com/index1n.jsp

Worldwide Freelance – freelance writing markets and resources

19 April 2016
Would you like to be able to identify three times as many potential writing markets for your work? Then you’ll love Markets Plus, our premium database service with 2,500 writing markets.
For the next 72 hours, when you buy a One-Year Membership to Markets Plus, you’ll receive an additional 12 Months of Membership Free.
What is Markets Plus?

Markets Plus is our premium database of writing markets – it lists more than 2,500 writing markets and they are fully searchable by topic, location, and pay rates.

Although everybody can access the free section of our markets database (700 markets), the best opportunities are in our premium section for Markets Plus members.

Can you guess what happens when we uncover a new, high-paying market? We add it immediately into Markets Plus for our premium members.

With Markets Plus, you can save your valuable time looking for good writing markets, and have more time for what matters – your writing!
Interested? Here’s the link:

www.worldwidefreelance.com/1y-mp-plus-12mths/

Have a good day!

Gary McLaren
WorldwideFreelance.com

2016 Eden Mills Writers’ Festival Literary Contest – Deadline: June 30, 2016.

18 April 2016

Open internationally to aspiring or and modestly published writers, over the age of 16.

Contest categories:

Short story (2500 words max.)

Poetry collection (of 5 poems or less), or

Creative Non-Fiction (2500 words max.)

The best entry in each category will win a $250 prize. Winners will be invited to read a short selection of one to two minutes from their work at the Eden Mills Writers Festival on Sunday Sept. 18, 2016.

Entry Requirements:

Include four copies of each submission*

On a cover page, include title, with your name, address, phone number, and email. Name and contact info should not appear on the copies of your manuscript.

Email entries will not be accepted.

Manuscripts will not be returned.

Submission Fee:

$15.00 (CDN) per entry. Cheques to be made payable to Eden Mills Writers’ Festival.

*A combination of entries may be sent in one envelope with one payment for each entry (e.g. a short story and a poetry collection, and $30.00).

To submit, mail four copies to:

Laurel Marsolais

39 Bushmills Cres.

Guelph, ON N1K 1T6

 

Submission Deadline: June 30, 2016

For more information, please email lmlmarso@gmail.com.  

For information about the Festival, visit our website http://www.edenmillswritersfestival.ca/

Poetry Kit Competition 2016, Mentoring and Courses

15 April 2016

THE POETRY KIT SPRING COMPETITION 2016

Our competition is for poems on the theme of “nature” (this can be broadly
interpreted).
There are no style or length restrictions
but it should be stressed that a short poem is just as likely to be selected as a
longer one.
1st prize is £100.
The top ten poems will be published in a special edition of CITN

ENTER ONLINE
Entry is by email to comps@poetrykit.org after an appropriate fee is
paid by Pay Pal to the account of info@poetrykit.org
Deadline: All entries must be received before midnight 30th April 2016.
Entries received after this time will be discarded.
Entry fees are as follows;
1 poem £3.50
3 Poems £8.00
5 poems £10

Competition Judge; Jim Bennett
For more information see:  http://www.poetrykit.org/comp%20spring%2016.htm

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PK DISTANCE LEARNING POETRY COURSES

*All courses conducted using email and occasional online downloads.
*Students set their own work times.
*All required reading materials supplied or available online.
*Feedback and critique on all assignments.
*Courses available for every level of experience

Mentoring – Individual Online Mentoring and Development for Poets
Start at any time.

Duration – 10 units of Personal Mentoring. Ideas are discussed and foundations for poems developed with assistance and critique working through drafts to completed poems. This is a mentoring experience and will work with strengths and identify weaknesses in writing style; all content will be chosen to meet the needs of the student. People wishing to take this course do not require any previous qualifications; they do however need to be able to identify themselves as writers with an interest in writing poetry (however they define that term). Those who have previously taken the Poetry Kit Poetry 1 or 2 courses will find this a natural development but it is not necessary to have done either to get the most out of this course.

For a complete listing of courses and availability please see
http://www.poetrykit.org/pkcourses.htm
_________________________________________

Poetry Kit Online Poetry Courses

New courses starting the second and fourth Monday of each month.

We currently offer four online, email based, distance learning courses, suitable for the beginner, intermediate or more experienced writer. Although the details for the courses below indicate a general content and direction of each course, courses are flexible and may change in order to better meet the needs of each individual student Each unit may consist of a number of parts and some units take longer to complete than others.

For details of fees and enrolment please go to:
http://www.poetrykit.org/pkcourses.htm

Poetry Foundation
Poetry 1
Poetry 2

Mentoring and Masterclass – Immediate start

For a more complete listing of courses and availability please see:
http://www.poetrykit.org/pkcourses.htm

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award for Imaginative Fiction

14 April 2016

Rosebud​ magazine announces the sixth biennial Shelley Award competition for imaginative fiction. Original works of fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and horror are welcome, but the editor is also open to any pieces that reach beyond the boundaries of those genres, take literary and creative risks, and tell a good story. Pieces must be under 5000 words. First prize is $1,000, with four runner-up prizes of $100 each.

Entry deadline is June 15, 2016.

This year we are offering a special discount for users of this website. Just include the code PXCWC on the memo line of your check, and pay only a $10 entry fee. (That’s 1/3 off the regular fee of $15.)

Compete rules and entry instructions at: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award Announcement.

Grants & Fellowships

13 April 2016

TENNESSEE ARTS COMMISSION
http://tnartscommission.org/news/funding-2016-tn-arts-conference/

The deadline for this opportunity is  May 17, 2016, or when all funds are allocated—whichever comes first.
This special opportunities grant will provide up to $500 for individual applicants or $1000 for organizational applicants registering a minimum of two or more staff toward travel & registration fees to attend the Tennessee Arts Commission statewide conference. The conference will be held June 7-10, 2016 at Bradley Academy and Patterson Park Community Center in Murfreesboro, TN. Bringing together arts administrators, educators, and artists in a new way, this convening combines the former Create education institute with the biennial statewide arts conference.

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AUTHORS LEAGUE FUND
http://www.authorsleaguefund.org/
Since 1917, the Authors League Fund has been helping professional writers and dramatists who find themselves in financial need because of medical or health-related problems, temporary loss of income, or other misfortune. Most of those we help suffer severe health problems but have inadequate insurance; some face eviction; many are older writers whose income has ceased through no fault of their own. The Fund exists to help professional writers continue their careers, even their lives, with dignity by providing open-ended, interest-free, no-strings-attached loans to pay for pressing expenses. The Authors League Fund provides assistance to book authors, dramatists, and freelance writers, including journalists and poets.

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KENTUCKY WRITERS FELLOWSHIP
https://balticwritingresidency.submittable.com/submit

Deadline May 15, 2016.
The fellowship is open to any writer of English who is a native of Kentucky, or who has been living in Kentucky for at least six months, or who lived, at some point in the past, in Kentucky for one year or more, or whose selection is set in Kentucky, or whose selection is about Kentucky, or who is or has been a student in a graduate program in creative writing based in Kentucky. Pays $500.

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ARIZONA ARTS LEARNING COLLABORATIVE GRANTS
http://azarts.gov/grant/arts-learning-collaboration-grant/
Arts Learning Collaboration Grants enhance the work of arts educators, classroom teachers and school-based arts programs through collaborative projects taking place in-school (during regular school hours), after-school, or during summer/inter-session and in-services.

DEAD BISON EDITORS’ PRIZE IN FICTION, NONFICTION, POETRY

13 April 2016

DEAD BISON EDITORS’ PRIZE IN FICTION, NONFICTION, POETRY

Deadline: April 30, 2016

$15 ENTRY FEE.

Submit up to 25 pages of prose and up to ten pages of poetry. We’re interested in both individual pieces and combinations of shorter pieces. That said, we’ll be judging the submission as a whole; multiple short pieces must work together for the purpose of a singular effect, and won’t be judged on an individual basis. Interested in literary, not genre.

The winner in each category will receive $1,000 and publication in the fall issue of Arcadia. The runner-up in each category will also be published in the fall issue.

Visit the website:  https://arcadiajournal.submittable.com/submit