Last call! Letter Review Prize for Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Poetry

Deadline: February 28, 2023

The Letter Review Prize is open and accepting fiction, flash fiction, and poem entries!

The Prize is awarded in multiple categories, with a total Prize pool of $2400 USD and publication for our winners.

The Letter Review Prize for Short Stories

Letter Review is offering $1000 USD total Prize pool in a competition for short stories between 1000 – 3000 words. No genre or theme restrictions: all stories are welcome. Open to writers who live anywhere in the world. First Place receives $600 USD and publication, Second Place receives $250 USD and publication, and Third Place receives $150 USD and publication. Twenty writers will be longlisted. All entries are considered for publication, submission to the Pushcart Prize, and further anthologies. The Prize is judged blind to ensure fairness. See our Previous Winners Page here, and our Comments / Testimonials Page here. Enter via Submittable using the button below.

Learn More

The Letter Review Prize for Poetry

Letter Review is offering an $800 USD total Prize pool in a competition for poems of not more than 70 lines. No subject or style restrictions: all poems are welcome. Open to writers who live anywhere in the world. First Prize is $400 USD, Second Prize is $250 USD, and Third Prize is $150 USD. All winning entries are published at Letter Review. Twenty poets will be Longlisted. All entries are considered for publication, submission to the Pushcart Prize, and further anthologies. The Prize is judged blind to ensure fairness. See our Previous Winners Page here, and our Comments / Testimonials Page here. Enter via Submittable using the button below.

Learn More

The Letter Review Prize for Flash Fiction

Letter Review is offering $600 USD total Prize pool in a competition for short stories up to 1000 words in length. No genre or theme restrictions: all stories are welcome. The Prize is open to writers who live anywhere in the world. First Prize is $300 USD and publication, Second Prize is $200 USD and publication, and Third Prize is $100 USD and publication. Twenty writers will be Longlisted. All entries are considered for publication, submission to the Pushcart Prize, and for further anthologies. The Prize is judged blind to ensure fairness. See our Previous Winners Page here, and our Comments / Testimonials Page here. Enter via Submittable using the button below.

Learn More

Visit the website: https://letterreview.com/

MSLEXIA SHORT STORY CONTEST

Deadline September 20, 2021.

£12 ENTRY FEE.

Our short story competition is now open for completed short fiction of up to 3,000 words. The first prize is £3,000 plus mentoring by a specialist literary agent. Three additional finalists each receive £100, and all four winning entries are published in Mslexia. Winning entries plus eight more shortlisted entries will be published in Mslexia’s inaugural ebook anthology Best Women’s Short Fiction 2021. 

Visit the website: https://mslexia.co.uk/competitions/short-story/

Bethlehem Writers Roundtable 2015 Short Story Award

We are now accepting submissions of
short fiction or memoir
(2000 words or fewer)
once again on the theme
“Food Stories”
for our
2015 Short Story Award
Contest runs from 10/1/14 – 1/31/15

The First Place winner story will receive a $200 cash award and publication of the winning story either in the Bethlehem Writers Group’s upcoming anthology of food stories, A Readable Feast: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for Every Taste, or as a featured story in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable.
Our first anthology, A Christmas Sampler: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales (2009), won two Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Best Anthology and Best Short Fiction. Our second anthology, Once Around the Sun: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales for All Seasons came out on November 5, 2013, and was a Finalist for Best Anthology in the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.
Second and Third Place winners will receive a cash award ($100 and $50 respectively) and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable.
Entry Requirements:
• Stories must be submitted using the form below
• Entries must be no more than 2000 words
• All entries must be previously unpublished, and adhere to our Terms and Conditions. (visit website)
• Submissions open at 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2014 and must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST, January 31, 2015.
• Payments are requested within 24 hours of submissions. All payments must be received through PayPal no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on February 2, 2015.

Entry Fee:
• $10 per story.

Prizes:
• First prize: $200 and consideration for inclusion in the upcoming BWG anthology, A Readable Feast: . If it is not accepted for publication in the print anthology, it will be featured in an upcoming edition of the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable. (There is no guarantee of print publication, but all previous contest winners have been accepted to be published in print.)
• Second prize: $100 and publication in the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable.
• Third prize: $50 and publication in the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable.
• Honorable Mentions: Stories may be selected for Honorable Mention and offered publication in the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable.
Judging:
• Initial blind judging will be performed by members of the Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC. Finalists will be notified by March 30, 2015.
• Final selection of winners will be done by author Curtis Smith. Prize winners will be notified by April 30, 2015.
• Contest winners will be announced on the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable website and on the Bethlehem Writers Group website (www.bethlehemwritersgroup.com) by May 1, 2015.

Visit the website for Terms and Conditions:  http://www.bwgwritersroundtable.com/

PRISM international writing contests

All contests: Each entry includes a one-year subscription or subscription extension for PRISM international, beginning with the contest issue (Spring 2015 for Non-Fiction and Summer 2015 for Fiction/Poetry).

All 1st prize winners will be published in PRISM, and runners-up will be published at the discretion of the editors. All other entries will be considered for publication as regular submissions (for the possibility of publication in other issues of PRISM).

Please see below for details on each contest. Before you submit your entry, make sure you read the contest rules (found on the paper entry form and on the online submission system).

Creative Non-Fiction Contest

Contest Deadline: November 21st, 2014.

Prize: $1,500 grand prize, $300 runner-up, $200 2nd runner-up
Entry fee: $35 Canadian entries; $40 US entries; $45 Int’l entries (includes a one-year subscription or extension)

Additional entry: $5 each piece
Max. word count: 6,000

Short Fiction Contest

Contest Deadline: January 23rd, 2015.

Prize: $2,000 grand prize, $300 runner-up, $200 2nd runner-up
Entry fee: $35 Canadian entries; $40 US entries; $45 Int’l entries (includes a one-year subscription or extension)

Additional entry: $5 each piece
Max. word count: 6,000

Poetry Contest

Contest Deadline: January 23rd, 2015.

Prize: $1,000 grand prize, $300 runner-up, $200 2nd runner-up

Entry fee: $35 Canadian entries; $40 US entries; $45 Int’l entries (up to three poems may be submitted with each entry, each entry includes a one-year subscription or extension)
Additional entry: $5 each poem

PRISM MAGAZINE IS NOW ACCEPTING ONLINE SUBMISSIONS USING SUBMITTABLE at http://prisminternational.submittable.com/submit

MAIL CONTEST ENTRIES TO EXECUTIVE EDITOR, PROMOTIONS:
CLARA KUMAGAI
PRISM international
Creative Writing Program, UBC
Buch. E462 – 1866 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1
Canada

Visit the website:  http://prismmagazine.ca/contests/

If you have any questions, please contact:   promotions@prismmagazine.ca.

The Suptopian Magazine – 2113: An Oral History of the Future (Fiction Contest)

About

As a genre, Dystopian fiction has a remarkable track record – 1984, Brave New World, Farenheit 451, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Phillip K. Dick, Neuromancer by William Gibson, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells…the list could go on and on. These are visions of our darkest possible future as a species, but they are the vision of a single individual. Our collective fate will be decided by many, not just one, and that is why The Subtopian is innovating a collective, collaborative project to tell the story of our possible downfall as a civilization.

Competition

Authors will create short, first person narratives that tell a personal story for a particular character. These stories must paint a picture of what it was like when civilization fell, what it is like trying to survive in the aftermath, causes of the apocalypse, or how people are trying to rebuild. It is important to keep in mind that these are the stories of the survivors, told and retold so that history, in the absence of other media, will not be lost.

The stories selected will be presented in a theatrical reading in the style of an oral history. Characters in the future will tell an audience their story, their memory, or their perspective about how and why the world as we know it came to an end. Imagine a ruined city, the homeless survivors gathered around a fire, sharing with one another where they were, or where their families were, when it all happened. The different stories will be read and evaluated for quality, original thought, and for thematic elements as they will all be part of a larger narrative and must not contradict. No vision of how these events transpired will be prepared ahead of time, it is up to the writer to decide and the editors to select pieces that create one vision.

Selected stories will be performed live by Serendipity Players, a theater troupe in the Portland area, and will be filmed for those that are unable to attend. The stories will also be published in a creative anthology by The Subtopian Press and will be made available both online and at the theater event.

Awards

Twenty stories will be selected from the submissions. All of the winners will be given a copy of the printed anthology and a copy of the performance as a hard disc or digital download. The winning story will be the focal point of the show and will receive $100 as compensation. The shortlisted stories will be published on Subtopian.com.

Submission Guidelines

• Above all, variety is key, we don’t want the performance to feel like many people talking in one voice. We want various ethnicities, ages, etc.
• 500-1000 words, excluding the title, but closer to 500 words is best. Exceeding the word limit will result in disqualification, however, the winning story may be offered the opportunity for expansion, provided the author is interested.
• The Deadline is May 30th, 2014.
• Any style, voice, or genre is accepted provided it suits the topic of a Dystopian future. In other words, it can be romantic, humorous, dramatic, or action-packed, but it must weave itself into the overall narrative in a way that makes sense.
• There is a submission fee of $10 to cover production expenses.
• Stories can only be in English.
• There is no limit to how many stories an author may submit.
• Stories must be submitted in Times New Roman, 12-point font, in .doc or PDF format.
• Submissions are accepted via Submittable or at submissions@subtopian.com
• Publishing rights of the winning and the shortlisted stories remain with the author. Subtopian publishes First North American Serial Rights. You can use your story anywhere you like, but you have to let other publishers know that it was published with us first.
• Please note that our editors may require small changes to be implemented in stories, in order to maintain the consistency throughout the project. We will always ask for authors’ approval in such cases.
• Follow us on Facebook for competition tips and updates about shortlisted stories.

VISIT THE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO ENTER:  https://subtopian.submittable.com/submit/28831

NELLIGAN PRIZE FOR SHORT FICTION

NELLIGAN PRIZE FOR SHORT FICTION

https://nelliganprize.submittable.com/submit —

$17 ENTRY FEE.

$2,000 will be awarded for the best short story,

which will be published in the fall/winter 2014 issue of Colorado Review.

Deadline March 15, 2014.

There are no theme restrictions,

but stories must be under 50 pages.

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

Enter Sentinel Annual Poetry & Short Story Competitions 2013

SENTINEL ANNUAL POETRY COMPETITION 2013
CLOSING DATE: 30 NOVEMBER 2013
Now in its 4th year, this competition is for original, previously unpublished poems in English Language, on any subject, in any style, up to 60 lines long. Poets of all nationalities, age or gender, living in any part of the world are eligible to enter.
Judge: ROGER ELKIN – author of Marking Time
Prizes: £500 (First), £250 (Second), £125 (Third), £25 x 5 (High Commendation)
Fees: £5 per poem (1st 2 poems), £3.50 per poem thereafter (£5/1, £10/2, £13.50/3, £17/4, £20.50/5, £24/6, £27.50/7, £31/8, £34.5/9, £38/10 poems.)

Send Cheques/Postal Orders payable to: SENTINEL POETRY MOVEMENT to:
Sentinel Poetry Movement
Unit 136
113-115 George Lane
South Woodford
London
E18 1AB
United Kingdom

Enter the POETRY CONTEST online or print off Entry Form (for postal entries) at:
http://www.sentinelpoetry.org.uk/sawc/poetry.html

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SENTINEL ANNUAL SHORT STORYCOMPETITION 2013
CLOSING DATE: 30 NOVEMBER 2013
Now in its 2nd year, this competition is for original, previously unpublished short stories in English Language, on any subject, in any style, up to 2000 words long. Authors of all nationalities, age or gender, living in any part of the world are eligible to enter.
Judge: DAVID CADDY – Editor of Tears in the Fence
Prizes: £500 (First), £250 (Second), £125 (Third), £25 x 5 (High Commendation)
Fees: £5 per story (1st 2 stories), £3.50 per story thereafter (£5/1, £10/2, £13.50/3, £17/4, £20.50/5, £24/6, £27.50/7, £31/8, £34.5/9, £38/10 stories.)

Send Cheques/Postal Orders payable to: SENTINEL POETRY MOVEMENT to:
Sentinel Poetry Movement
Unit 136
113-115 George Lane
South Woodford
London
E18 1AB
United Kingdom

Enter the SHORT STORY CONTEST online or print off Entry Form (for postal entries) at:
http://www.sentinelpoetry.org.uk/sawc/short-story.html

Last Call! The Writers’ Workshop of Asheville Literary Fiction Contest: Deadline: October 30, 2013

Literary Fiction Contest  (deadline: Oct. 30, 2013)

The Writers’ Workshop of Asheville is sponsoring a Literary Fiction Contest, open to any writer regardless of residence. The awards are:

 

                 1^ST Place:  Your choice of a 3 night stay at The Mountain Muse B&B in Asheville; or 3 free online workshops; or 100 pages line-edited and revised by our editorial staff

 

2nd Place: 2 night stay at the B&B; or 2 free workshops; or 50 pages line-edited

 

3rd Place:  One free workshop, or 25 pages line-edited

 

10 Honorable Mentions

 

 Guidelines:

 

     Submit a short story or chapter of a novel of 5,000 words or less.  Multiple entries are accepted.  All work must be unpublished.

 

     Pages should be paper clipped, with your name, address, phone and title of work on a cover sheet. Double-space, and use 12 point font.

 

     The entry fee is $25 per story.  Enclose self-addressed stamped envelope for critique and list of winners. Make check or money order payable to The Writers’ Workshop, and mail to: Fiction Contest, 387 Beaucatcher Road, Asheville, NC  28805.

 

     Emailed submissions may be sent to writersw@gmail.com, with “Fiction Contest” in the subject.  No cover sheet or SASE is necessary. The entry fee is payable online at www.twwoa.org. 

Visit the website: http://www.twwoa.org/

BWG Short Story Award 2014

Announcing the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award 2014. 

Submissions open October 1, 2013 and the deadline is January 15th, 2014.

It is a short fiction or memoir contest, 2000 words or less on the theme “Food Stories”. 

First prize: $200, plus possible publication in BWG anthology.

Second prize: $100 plus publication in the Roundtable. 

Third prize: $50 plus publication in the Roundtable. 

Honorable Mentions may also be selected and published in the Roundtable. 

Entry fee: $10 per story

Go to: www.bwgwritersroundtable.com for more information.

Mystery Short Story Competition 2013

Mystery Times 2013

Last year, we received over 100 submissions from new and established authors alike. Never before published, they were gathered together in our Second Annual Mystery Times collection. Each story was read and rated on the same set of parameters; each judge brought his or her own unique talents and tastes to the task at hand.

The quality of the stories was outstanding and the 2012 book rode the #1 and 2 spot on the Amazon Hot New Mystery Release List for FOUR weeks!

So, yep, we’re doing it again!

Our 2013 Showcase Mystery Times 2013 seeks new mystery short stories.

Submission Guidelines:

Theme: Mystery–It can be it murder, cozy, paranormal, soft-boiled, hard-boiled, police procedural, suspense, thriller, or amateur detective.

What is a mystery? In a mystery, the main character must track down the truth about an event, often a murder. If the protagonist is in any danger, it usually becomes a problem only as the detective/protagonist approaches the truth. That’s your base, how it plays out is up to you!

No gratuitous sex or violence.

The competition is open to all writers in English except current employees of Buddhapuss Ink LLC.

Submissions will be accepted from April 1, 2013 to July 15, 2013.

You must be 18 or older to enter.

No previously published work(s)

Simultaneous submissions are not permitted.

Entries should be between 3000-7000 words in length.

Send your submissions via email with the subject line “Submission for MYSTERY TIMES TEN” from <your name> with your story as an attached file in .doc or .docx (Word) format PLEASE INCLUDE in the body of the email:

Your name and contact information

A brief author bio (2-5 sentences)

Entry should be single-spaced in at least a 12 pt. readable font. We suggest Times New Roman, Courier, or Arial.

Send emails to: Submissions@Buddhapussink.com

NOTE: You will receive an email acknowledging our receipt of your entry within 24 hours. If you do not receive this email: (check your junk/bulk/spam folder first!) please re-submit your entry and change the subject line to: “RESUBMISSION for MYSTERY TIMES TEN”.

Submissions that do not follow these guidelines will not be considered.

Notifications will be sent to finalists via email August, 2013.

There is no limit on the number of entries you may submit. There is no fee to enter.

Buddhapuss Ink LLC reserves the right to close or extend the competition if not enough suitable entries are received.

Winning Selections:

The Winning entries will be published in the 2013 Showcase titled Mystery Times 2013  to be published by Buddhapuss Ink LLC.

FIRST and SECOND PLACE winners will receive a new Kindle, featured placement in the book, and Buddhapuss Ink swag.

THIRD PLACE winner will receive a $25 Gift Card, featured placement in the book, and Buddhapuss Ink swag.

ALL WINNERS will receive: two (2) copies of the finished book and the opportunity to “fast track” their next manuscript with our Editorial staff. “Fast track” does not mean you will receive a publishing contract, but we will guarantee that your manuscript is given a priority reading.

Some winning entries will also be featured on our website, blog, and/or Facebook page.

JUDGING
Buddhapuss Ink is all about our readers and all entries will be read by an independent panel of readers and rated on the same scale and parameters. The top 20 entries-based on the aggregate scores-will go on to the final round where they will be read and scored by our Editorial Review Panel made up of publishing professionals. The decisions of the judges will be final

No manuscripts will be returned.

Winners will be notified & announced in August 2013.

Publication is scheduled for October/November 2013.

Send your best words our way! We publish newcomers and established writers alike.

Key dates: Contest ends: July 15, 2013
Winners announced: August 2013
Publication: October/November 2013

Send entries to: Submissions@buddhapussink.com

Visit the website: http://www.buddhapussink.com/index.html

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Paper Darts Short Fiction Award

Deadline: May 15, 2013

Write Words. Make Money.

Paper Darts Short Fiction Award

$800 for 800 words. Plus, the winning story will appear fully illustrated, all beautified and sexy on its very own custom website.

JUDGE: Elliott Holt

Holt’s short fiction has appeared in The Pushcart Prize XXXV (2011 anthology) among other places. Her debut novel You Are One of Them will be published by The Penguin Press on May 30, 2013.

Submission process:

• All short fiction entries must be unpublished and 800 words or less.
• The entry fee is $6.
• Enter as many times as you please. Each entry requires an entry fee of $6. If you include more than one story in your uploaded file without paying an entry fee for each, your submission will not be considered.
• Entrant’s name should not appear anywhere in the uploaded material. Do not submit a cover letter—the readings are blind, so you won’t need to butter us up.
• Previously published stories and stories forthcoming in other publications (print or online) will not be considered.
• Simultaneous submissions are allowed, but the entry fee will not be refunded if the story is accepted elsewhere.
• Notify us immediately to withdraw a story that is accepted elsewhere.
• Winner will be announced on the Paper Darts website by June 1, 2013.
• All submissions are eligible for publication by Paper Darts in print or online.

• Deadline: 5-15-2013 (subject to extend as we see fit as we are the boss ladies).

Visit the website for details on how to enter:

http://paperdarts.org/short-fiction-award

Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competiton 2013

$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-three 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, 2013. 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 our website or e-mail: shortstorykw <at> gmail <dot> com

Visit the website for details on how to enter:

http://www.shortstorycompetition.com/Guidelines.php

E.M. Koeppel Short Fiction Contest

Postmark Deadline: April 30

First Place $1,100; Editors’ Choices, $100. Seeks unpublished stories, 3,000 words maximum. Any style, any theme. $15 fee for one story, $10 each additional story, payable to Koeppel Contest. (If sent from outside the USA, send money order in US funds—no cash or foreign funds.) Send one title page with author’s name, address, phone, email address, and short bio. Send second title page with title only. No other kinds of identification may appear on this title page or on the manuscript which will be used in judging. Read the complete guidelines. Read past winners.

Postmark Deadline, April 30, 2013

Attention Students: $500 P.L. Titus Scholarship
The P.L. Titus Scholarship is an annual award given to a student if the student wins our E.M. Koeppel Short Fiction Contest. The winner, if a student, will receive the $500 P.L. Titus Scholarship plus the full $1,100 prize money. If the student is an editor’s choice recipient, he or she will receive a $50 scholarship plus the editors’ choice prize money. Proof of college, university, or school enrollment at the time the student submitted the story is required for the student to be eligible for this award.

Writecorner Press judges all submissions anonymously. Winning poems and stories will be published on our literary site, www.writecorner.com. After publication, writers retain all rights. No email entries, please. Fees are used to pay awards and site expenses. Read the contest guidelines, then mail your submissions to Koeppel Contest, P.O. Box 140310, Gainesville, FL 32614.

For complete guidelines, visit the website:

http://www.writecorner.com/award_guidelines.asp

NORTHERN COLORADO WRITERS SHORT FICTION CONTEST

NCW Short Fiction Competition

Stories can be in any style or genre, though they should have a broad appeal.

Max 5,000 words.

Prizes are 1st: $1,000; 2nd: $250; 3rd: $100.

$20 ENTRY FEE

Winners and honorable mentions will be published in and receive a free copy of the winners’ anthology,

Pooled Ink: Celebrating the 2013 NCW Contest Winners, due out in December.

The final judge for this category is Ms. Alyson Hagy.

See the website for full submission guidelines.

http://www.northerncoloradowriters.com/upcoming-events-mainmenu-133/writing-contests/307-2012-writing-contests.html

Deadline March 31, 2013.

Sleighing With the Devil: A Very Special Christmas Fairy Tale Contest

Enchanted Conversation normally now has monthly, non-themed fairy-tale-inspired fiction and poetry contests. We will resume the monthly contests in January of 2013.

But for December, there is no monthly contest. Instead, there will be a very, very EC fairy tale contest:

That’s right, instead of a regular December fairy tale contest — which will not actually be held, EC is celebrating the spirit of Krampus instead. The basics of content, etc., are the same as under the regular submission guidelines, so PLEASE check those.

But stories for the Krampus contest must feature Krampus somehow. They must be stories OR poems. No non-fiction will be accepted. Stories must be between 1,000 and 3,000 words long. Only one submission per person. The stories should reflect an understanding of Krampus lore, but he needn’t be the focal point of the story. As ever, the stories should NOT be for very young audiences, but rather well-read teens on up in age.

Five winners will be chosen and each will receive a $25 give certificate from Amazon (in US dollars only). The submission deadline is DECEMBER 13, 2012 at 11:59 p.m., EST. The winning entries will be published in December.

PLEASE FOLLOW ALL OTHER NORMAL RULES FOR SUBMITTING FOR WRITING CONTESTS LISTED UNDER SUBMISSION GUIDELINES. The rules for submitting here are pretty specific, if you aren’t a big fan of rules, this may not be the contest for you.

As always, there is NO FEE for entering this contest.

Who or What is Krampus?

Krampus has been around a very long time in countries like Austria and Germany. I guess you could say he’s a scary, devilish-looking figure who hangs with St. Nicholas and punishes bad children for the jolly old gift giver. But that’s a pretty meager description. For an in-depth look at Krampus, check out the awesome site, Krampus.com. There, you kind find absolutely everything you could want to know about Krampus and see some outstanding and disturbing old Krampus images.

For a less pro-Krampus take on St. Nicholas’s evil helper, check out The St. Nicholas Center, a far more benign destination. One thing seems pretty sure: Krampus serves Santa, meting out punishment to naughty children.

In the US, Krampus never got real traction, as we even dropped the “lump of coal” tradition for bad kids on Christmas morning. Yet, in recent years, Krampus has begun to become popular, as more Americans look for a different way to have holiday fun.

More on Krampus as the need arises, but here are some more images to inspire you. But before I go, one thing needs to be said: This Krampus contest is not about religion–for it or against it. It’s still about fairy tales.

Visit the website for details: http://www.fairytalemagazine.com/2012/10/sleighing-with-devil-very-special.html

Call for Submissions: Short Stories and Poems that Lasts as Long as Your Cup of Coffee

Sips Card puts short fiction and poetry into local coffee shop venues around the country (and in Scotland). We are a publication run by artists, for artists. Each card contains a QR code, loaded with a short story, or set of poems, from a writer meant to last as long as a cup of coffee. The cards include the issue’s author, story title, and website/e-mail.

Submissions for our Winter Issue (January) will be open from Monday, October 29th through Friday, December 7th. You will be notified by Friday, December 14th. Every submission will receive notification of their acceptance status by this date.

The Winter Issue will contain two short story cards (each with one short story) and two poetry cards (each with one poem).

Compensation: It is important that we give our authors and poets a little something in return for allowing us to use their work.

• Authors of accepted short stories will receive $50.
• Poets of accepted poems will receive $30.
• Each accepted writer will also receive copies of their issue.

Submission Fees: Submission fees help us to pay our writers while continuing to publish a quality publication. Sips Card consists of artists, working to help other artists, and while we know submission fees may be a hindrance toward submitting work, we also know that they help the operation of the publication as well as the quality of submissions.

• Authors may submit 2 stories of up to 3,000 words for $5.
• Poets  may submit up to 2 poems of up to 150 lines for $3.

How to Submit: Visit http://sipscard.com/submit/  . Work may be submitted to sipscard@gmail.com.  Once Sips Card has received your submission(s) and payment, you will receive a confirmation e-mail.

Guidelines: Submissions should be double-spaced, and in a standard font such as: Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana or Trebuchet MS. Please submit your work at sipscard@gmail.com using one of the following formats: .doc .docx .rtf.

Rights: As fellow artists, we want our authors and poets to maintain the rights to their work. We ask for a ninety (90) day non-compete agreement. This means that for ninety (90) days, you will allow only Sips Card to publish your story or poem. What we are trying to do with this non-compete agreement is track the ‘read’ traffic for each story/poem. We can supply these numbers to the authors and poets through their issue’s run dates, giving them an idea of how many people have read their work. We think this is a neat feature and want to do more for our writers than just publish their work.

What we look for: We want to stand apart from traditional literary publications that set their focus on various themes throughout the year. We want to challenge writers to write from their gut and send us what they believe is some of their best work. Keep in mind, our primary reader base is made up of coffee shop patrons with a variety of taste; therefore, we primarily interested in general fiction.  We look for stories that breathe with a life of their own.

Visit the submission page at: http://sipscard.com/submit/

Website: http://sipscard.com/

Emerging Writer’s Contest – 2013

Submit between February 1, 2013 at noon and April 2, 2013 at noon

Entry Fee: $24 for non-subscribers; free for subscribers

Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Ploughshares will be given annually for a poem or group of poems, a short story, and an essay. Writers who have not published a book or chapbook are eligible. Submit three to five poems or up to 5,000 words of prose with a $24 entry fee, which includes a subscription to Ploughshares, by April 2. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Website:

http://www.pshares.org/submit/emerging-writers-contest.cfm

E-mail address :pshares@emerson.edu

Ploughshares, Emerging Writer’s Contest, Emerson College, 120 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116.

—

Jordan Stillman & Ellen Duffer

Fall 2012 Interns

Ploughshares Literary Magazine

617-824-3757
To contact the Editorial Assistant, Abby Travis: pshares@pshares.org

Mailing Address:
Emerson College, 120 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116

Pshares.org
blog.pshares.org

@pshares

Facebook.com/Ploughshare

Visit the website for details: http://www.pshares.org/submit/emerging-writers-contest.cfm

Prizes total $1360 in Writers’ Village story contest

A first prize of $800 can be won in the winter round of the Writers’ Village contest

for short fiction up to 3000 words in any genre.

Second prize is $400, third is $160

and there are five runner-up prizes of a free entry in the next round.

Every story, win or lose, also gains a free critique –

a feature thought to be unique among low-fee writing contests.

Winning stories will be showcased at the site.

Fee is $19 per story.

Entries are welcomed worldwide.

Deadline is 31st December 2012.

Details at:

http://www.writers-village.org

Address: Writers’ Village, The Old School House, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 9DP, UK.

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

$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

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

Fish Short Story Prize 2012/13 (€3,000)

Enter Online

Philip O’Ceallaigh  is the judge.

We are honoured that he will select the best ten stories for publication in the 2013 Fish Anthology.

Philip is the acclaimed author of two collections of short stories, Notes From a Turkish Whorehouse, and The Pleasant Light of Day. He is described by Joseph O’Connor as an author who is “touched by greatness.”

Closing Date: 30 November 2012.

Word limit is 5,000. There is no restriction on theme or style, and the prize is open to writers from all countries who are writing in English.

Ten best stories published.

First Prize: €3,000, of which €1,000 is for travel to the launch of the Fish Anthology in July 2013 at the West Cork Literary Festival.

Second Prize: a week at the Anam Cara Writers Retreat in West Cork, plus €300.

Third prize: €300.

Entry fee is €20 (€10 subsequent entries). Online Entry. Once you register and enter online, you can login and check your entry(ies) at any time.

Results will be announced on 17 March on the Fish website, and sent out in the newsletter.

Stories must not have been published previously, and must be eligible for publication in the 2013 Fish Anthology.

Stories cannot be altered or changed after they have been entered. Judging at all stages is anonymous. Names or addresses must not appear on the stories, but on a separate sheet if entering by post, or in the appropriate place if entering online.

Postal entries: €22 (€12 subsequent entries)

Address: Fish Publishing, Durrus, Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland.

Roddy Doyle, Dermot Healy and Colum McCann are honorary patrons of the Fish Short Story Prize.

* Full Details *

Critique Speaking Writing Contest

The Critique Speaking Contest is not only your opportunity to share your experience, but get a short video made of that experience!

 

·         All submissions will be read.

·         In February 2013, 25 will be chosen to receive a reading live by the Avatar Repertory Theater on the virtual world, Second Life, produced by The Sanity Patrol Players.

·         Recordings of these readings will be posted on The Sanity Patrol website.

·         For the month of March, anyone and everyone will vote for their favorites.

·         The Sanity Patrol Players will produce videos of the top 3-5 pieces on Second Life. (see examples of the videos)

·         Videos will be posted on YouTube and The Sanity Patrol Press website in May 2013.

 

Submission Guidelines

1.    Submissions must be 500-1000 characters in length.

2.    Entries must be a monologue for Tikka or a dialogue between Tikka and Arthur (see character photos).

3.    The point of view must be that of Tikka.

4.    Submissions can be real, fictional, speculative, or anything in between.

5.    Do not include stage directions unless absolutely necessary.

6.    Submit entries in an email to: contest@thesanitypatrol.com

7.    Maximum of 5 entries per person

8.    Winning writers maintain copyright and license The Sanity Patrol for noncommercial use of the material

9.    DEADLINE: December 31, 2012

 

About Tikka. Tikka loves literature, plays, movies and games. She also loves authors – they possess a magic that transports her into alternative realities. From her own efforts at writing, she has learned that developing a new work requires she not only understand the rudimentary elements of story, but learn ways to best communicate with authors.

About Arthur. Arthur identifies himself as an author. Like most authors, one minute he’s articulate and profound, and the next he’s self indulgent and goofy. Sometimes he’s earnest and open to feedback, and others he’s smug and cynical. He recognizes he needs help and establishes a relationship with Tikka.

About Second Life. Second Life is a virtual world that anyone with a computer and online access can access for free. Participants select (or design) an avatar they can maneuver through the many environments built by other participants, attend live concerts and theater, shop for all kinds of dazzling fashion and role play under a wide range of circumstances.

About The Sanity Patrol Players. Since 1998, The Sanity Patrol Players have produced live theater, industrial theater, virtual theater and mixed reality theater.

About Avatary Repertory Theater (ART). Founded in 2008, ART is a troupe of actors, graphic artists, pro­gram­mers, musicians and sound eng­ineers from all over the globe to produce virtual theater on Second Life.

About Critique Speak. Critique Speak is an upcoming comprehensive graphic ebook on the language of constructive feedback. Tikka and Arthur serve as the main characters.

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