Welcome to The Writing Pool’s Weekly Writing PostTM! We provide you with a free weekly newsletter filled with notices about contests, events, conferences, and other information that might be useful or of great interest to writers of all leanings. Meanwhile, calls for submission to literary publications as well as information about publishers can be found at The Writing PoolTM, your bottomless pool for great writing resources.
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Follow The Writing PoolTM blog at https://thewritingpool.com/. Share a link, an article, a poem, or something else literary. Send your submission to cindy@thewritingpool.com
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Writing fiction is the act of weaving a series of lies to arrive at a greater truth.
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If you want to include a notice or announcement in the Weekly, please email your submission to weekly@thewritingpool.com
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One of the things many of my short story writing students seem to find most difficult is writing fiction based on fact. They try to fit a real story into a short story plot without changing a thing, but want to use the true story as the basis of their short stories anyway, because they want to explore why it happened, help others understand the situation, or just share it because it was interesting to them. The hardest thing to explain is that they do not need to stick to the truth when they are writing fiction. In fact, many times, the truth might seem stranger than fiction. Many things don’t make sense, especially when the writer learns about the story from several different sources. Probably the hardest thing to teach aspiring writers is how to sift through all the details they think they should include to find the greater universality—the truth they want to really write about. Quite often, writers might start out without even knowing what truth they are writing about and go about it in a roundabout way. In fact, we are surrounded by stories, a great deal of them worthy of writing. However, we might not always have enough information to write the story. Thankfully, there is such a thing nowadays as microfiction. If we can’t write that novel, we can find publishing platforms for stories under 1,000 words. All you need to start with is a single event. As a writer, it’s your job to fill in the details that led to that event and the details that ensue from that event. If you were a journalist or a researcher, you would be looking for all the people involved, uncovering motives, personalities, histories. You would look at what happened to the people involved, how each of them felt after the incident, what they did, what they thought, what it did to their lives. Because you’re writing fiction, however, instead of looking for the facts before and after your story event, you weave the stories, inventing lives for each of the characters, giving them motives, personalities, histories so your readers know your characters intimately. You create an ending after the event, allowing your characters to somehow triumph over their situations even if it did not happen that way in real life. You devise some form of closure so your readers will have closure, because readers need that—even if their closure happens several books after the first. When that happens, you can celebrate your success in producing a series.
What moves you most when you read a story? Share it in The Writing Pool™ with people who love the written word. You can also read about various aspects of writing at Creativity Unlimited .
Happy writing!
~cpl
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NEWS
Call for Nominations: PEN Canada/Ken Filkow Prize
PEN Canada calls for nominations for the PEN Canada/Ken Filkow Prize, which recognizes champions of freedom of expression in Canada. The particular focus of the PEN Canada/Ken Filkow prize is freeing “information and ideas” from restraint or interference.
The prize, named in memory of Kenneth A. Filkow, Q.C., a distinguished Winnipeg lawyer, former chair of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, and an active member of PEN Canada’s Canadian Issues Committee, is given annually to an individual or institution in Canada who has demonstrated courage and integrity in the interest of freedom of expression. The prize is worth $1,000.
The PEN Canada/Ken Filkow Prize will be awarded to an individual or group in Canada whose work has advanced freedom of speech in Canada or more broadly.
For more details, please visit https://pencanada.ca/news/2016-call-for-nominations-pen-canadaken-filkow-prize/
Deadline: July 15, 2016
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PEI LOCAL/ATLANTIC
PARC is Seeking Interim Program Coordinator for 9-month term
June 09, 2016
For immediate release: New Position at PARC
Seeking interim Program Coordinator for 9-month term.
PARC (Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre) is seeking an interim Program Coordinator. A dynamic organization that fosters the creation and development of Atlantic Canadian plays, PARC provides services and opportunities to both established and emerging playwrights in the Atlantic region.
The successful candidate will have an excellent track record for writing successful grant proposals, funding applications and reports to government and foundations; is an expert event organizer; available to work 30 hours per week September 2016 through May 2017; able to work in Sackville, NB a few days each month as required and for the month of May; and will work in close partnership with the General Manager, Artistic Director, and Board of Directors. Remuneration is $3,000 per month.
For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/24YbrqL
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Elizabeth Murray at the Confederation Centre Public Library
Elizabeth Murray will be visiting Confederation Centre Public Library, Tuesday, July 5, 6:30
p.m. to talk about her new book, Holding on to Mamie. Murray’s book is a daughter’s memoir
about her mother’s battle with dementia and the devastating impact the illness had on their once-close relationship. During her cognitive decline, Mamie wrote a multitude of notes to help her understand what was happening to and around her. The notes evidence the anger and paranoia that are often symptomatic of dementia and document her sudden mistrust of her daughter. Some of the notes form a parallel narrative to Elizabeth’s story, offering a fresh perspective on this debilitating disease. “Holding on to Mamie” provides unique insight into the inner turmoil of a woman living with dementia as well as the fears and frustrations of her daughter, who was also her primary caregiver.
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Writing Workshop with Isabel Huggan
The PEI Writers’ Guild is pleased to sponsor a day-long writing workshop hosted by the renowned author and writing instructor, Isabel Huggan. The workshop is tailored to writers of prose—fiction or non-fiction—but can it also be useful for poets. It is open to everyone who likes to write and who wants to be refreshed or challenged in new ways.
All that is required is to bring a pen and paper (even if you ordinarily use a laptop, please work in the old-fashioned way for this one day), and ONE SMALL OBJECT (which should fit in your hand) that has sentimental meaning for you, and ONE FAMILY PHOTOGRAPH, if available, from any point in your life (you need not be in the photo).
Come to the workshop ready to have fun as well as to work hard, and be prepared to share the joy of writing with others.
Please see Isabel Huggan’s short bio at http://www.peiwritersguild.com/2016/you-can-start-anywhere-a-workshop-with-isabel-huggan/ for information on her distinguished writing, publishing and teaching career.
The workshop will take place on Saturday, August 20, 2016 from 9 am to 5 pm at the Haviland Club in Charlottetown (corner of Water and Haviland Streets).
The cost of this all-day workshop is $75 to members of the PEI Writers’ Guild and $85 to non-members.
For more information, please visit http://www.peiwritersguild.com/2016/you-can-start-anywhere-a-workshop-with-isabel-huggan
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Indie Publishing in Atlantic Canada
Join us at the Forum’s Maritime Hall on August 20th from 9 am to 4 am to celebrate Atlantic Canadian indie authors! The first annual Indie Authors’ Extravaganza will bring together indie authors, indie publishing professional and readers to network and talk about the ins and outs of self-publishing.
Indie authors and publishing professions (editors, designers, illustrators) can reserve a table for $15 for our book fair. This will give authors a chance to get their books in front of readers and connect with others in the industry. Those who work in the industry will be able to meet with potential clients and also inform the general public about the behind the scenes aspect of self-publishing.
There will also be opportunities for authors to read from their works and in the afternoon there will be panels and talks about independent publishing in today’s industry.
Our main goal is to give self-published authors a chance to meet each other and develop relationships while building a stronger local indie publishing community. We also want to give local readers a chance to meet and chat with local indie authors.
This is going to be a super fun event and we are so excited to get the chance to spread some indie love!
To book a table or for more information please contact Natalie at 902.240.4502 or email Colleen at colleen@savvyfox.ca.
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Cargo Lit Submissions Open for Issue 6
Hey all you lovers of travel and passion and adventure, Cargo’s reading period is open for Issue 6, due out next month. Whether it’s a photo you took, an experience you want to share, or a piece of art you created inspired by your place in a new world, we at Cargo Lit want to hear about it.
Don’t forget we are always looking for portrait shots for our covers – your photo or art could make the next cover of Cargo.
To drop your submission in our box, follow the links here through Submittable: http://cargoliterary.com/submit/
We are waiting for you!
the cargo team
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Open Invitation
The poetry engine awaits you at www.poetrypei.com!
New poets are always welcome to submit a poem to this site, especially if they have never have done so before. The submission form —with complete guidelines and formatting tips—is at www.poetrypei.com/submit.
Poets already on the site: remember that you are welcome to replace your existing poem with a new one at any time, provided at least three months have passed since your last update.
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CONTESTS AND CALLS
See more at www.thewritingpool.com
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Field of Words Writing Competitions
The 2016 Flash Fiction and Short Story competitions (round One) are now open. Send us your best work!
Field of Words is dedicated to helping emerging writers grow. To this end, we now run international writing competitions in the categories of short fiction and flash fiction three times per year. All entrants must be aged 18 and over. Both categories offer cash prizes for the winner and runner-up.
The names and works of competition winners and runners up will be published on our Home page. The names and works of all monthly finalists will be regularly published on either our Short Story Competition Finalists page, or our Flash Fiction Competition Finalists page. The announcement of finalists is dependent upon the quality of work submitted. If stories do not meet the high standard expected of a competition finalist, then no finalists will be chosen for that month.
For more details and guidelines, please visit http://fieldofwords.com.au/writing-competition/
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Tethered By Letters
Tethered by Letters has launched a new Twitter micro fiction contest, #Blink! Stories must be 140 characters or less. A winner will be selected every two weeks. For more details, follow @TethrdbyLettrs and @FrictionSeries on Twitter.
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Glimmer Train 2015 SUBMISSION CALENDAR AND CATEGORIES
We have five submission categories from which to choose, including our standard category (no reading fees and payment for accepted pieces is $700), and four contests (reading fees allow for 1st place prizes from $1,500 to $2,500). Contests vs. standards. Click on the names of the categories for details.
NOTE: There is always a one-week grace period after the deadline (last day of the month).
Very Short Fiction (1st place – $1,500): Welcome in January, April, July, and October.
Short Story Award for New Writers (1st place – $1,500): Welcome in February, May, August, November.
Fiction Open (1st place – $2,500): Welcome in June and December.
Family Matters (1st place – $1,500): Welcome in March and September.
Standard Category ($700): Welcome in January, May, September.
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The Monthly Writing Contest
Here at Writing Maps we believe good writing should be encouraged, cherished, shared, and most importantly, published.
We hold a monthly Writing Maps Writing Contest to coincide with the launch each month of a new Writing Map product. We challenge you to write and share a 150-word piece in response to our Prompt of the Month.
Each month’s two winning entries will be published in The A3 Review, the new Writing Maps Journal, a fold-out literary magazine to be published every six months. The first issue appeared in September 2014. Winning entries will also receive free Writing Maps and contributor copies of The A3 Review.
To make sure you don’t miss future contests, you can sign up to our newsletter by clicking on this link. Follow us on Twitter for conversation, updates and inspiration.
The Rules:
- Entry is $5 (approx £3). Multiple entries accepted.
- Enter online through Submittable. Click here to enter.
- The contest closes at midnight (GMT) on the fourth Saturday of the month.
- Any entries submitted after the deadline will not be eligible.
- The Writing Maps Writing Contest is open to all writers over 16.
- There is no restriction on theme or style. We encourage prose, poems, prose poems, graphic stories and hybrid forms.
- Maximum number of words is 150.
For more details, please visit http://www.writingmaps.com/pages/contest
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Flash Fiction Competition
Now in its sixth year, this quarterly open-themed competition for fiction up to 500 words has closing dates of 31st March, 30th June, 30th September and 31st December.
Entry fee: £5 for one story, £8 for two stories
Prizes: £300 plus publication in Words with JAM, £200 and £100
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Charlotte Mew Chapbook Contest
Headmistress Press, publisher of poetry books by lesbians, Lesbian Poet Trading Cards, and Lavender Review, is proud to announce our second annual Charlotte Mew Chapbook Contest.
Our first-prize winner will be selected by Ellen Bass and will receive a $250 honorarium plus 20 copies of the winning book. Headmistress Press will also announce finalists, and may choose to publish other books from among the submitted manuscripts.
Headmistress authors receive ten copies of their book and discounts on all further purchases. At your request, the mistresses of Headmistress Press will provide feedback on your manuscript.
We will be accepting submissions from May 4 to July 4, 2016 and will announce a winner in the fall. Although we do charge a reading fee, we have always had a sliding scale, and no one will be turned away for lack of entrance fee.
For more details, please visit http://headmistresspress.blogspot.ca/p/submissions_5396.html
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Ledbury Poetry Festival Poetry Competition 2016
Imtiaz Dharker, this year’s poetry competition judge, is a poet, artist and documentary film – maker. Awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2014, recipient of the Cholmondeley Award and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, her most recent collection is Over the Moon (Bloodaxe). With Poetry Live! she reads to over 25,000 students a year.
Adult Prizes
First Prize: £1000 cash and a course at Ty Newydd, The National Writers’ Centre for Wales. www.tynewydd.org
Second Prize: £500
Third Prize: £250
Young Person’s prizes
First Prize: £100 cash
Second Prize: £50
Third Prize: £25
Children’s Prizes
First Prize: £25 book token
Second Prize: £15 book token
Third Prize: £10 book token
All winners get to read at the Ledbury Poetry Festival 2017 – if abroad there is the possibility of Skyping at the winners’ event.
For more details, please visit http://www.poetry-festival.co.uk/ledbury-poetry-competition/
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“Royal Nonesuch” Humor Writing Contest
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. Further guidelines and the submission portal will be released on February 1st.
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.
For more details, please visit https://twainhouse.submittable.com/submit
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Robert and Adele Schiff Awards in Poetry and Prose
The Cincinnati Review invites submissions for the annual Robert and Adele Schiff Awards in Poetry and Prose. One poem and one prose piece (fiction or creative nonfiction) will be chosen for publication in our 2017 prize issue, and winning authors will receive $1,000 each. All entries will be considered for publication in The Cincinnati Review.
Deadline: July 15, 2016
For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/1MChJVa
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Giant Sequins 5TH ANNUAL FLASH FICTION & POETRY CONTESTS
May 15th-July 15th : ENTER HERE
PRIZES
$100
Publication in GS 8.1
Factory Hollow Press gifts
For more details, please visit http://www.giganticsequins.com/contests.html
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2016 Fairy Tale Review Awards in Poetry and Prose
The editors of Fairy Tale Review are pleased to offer more information about this year’s contest, our third annual, in both poetry and prose. Each winner will receive $1,000 and publication in The Translucent Issue of Fairy Tale Review, forthcoming in 2017, and all non-winning submissions will be considered for publication. The contest will be open for submissions between April 1, 2016 and July 15, 2016, and the reading fee is $10.
Kelly Link will serve as this year’s prose judge, and Traci Brimhall will judge for poetry.
Full guidelines can be found here: http://fairytalereview.com/submit/contests/.
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The Fringe
Deadline: July 15th, 2016
Entry Requirements
- Open to writers unpublished in book format and who have not previously read at The Fringe
- Prose: Maximum 2500 words, double-spaced
- Poetry: Three to five poems, maximum five pages, single-spaced.
Entry Fee:
- $10 reading fee per entry.
- Please no cash, make cheques payable to “Eden Mills Writers’ Festival”
For more details, please visit https://emwritersfestival.wordpress.com/contests/
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The 2016 Wasafiri New Writing Prize is now open!
Submissions are welcome in three categories: Poetry, Fiction and Life Writing. Ensure that you submit your entry/entries by the deadline: 5pm BST on 15 July 2016.
Winners will receive £300 and their entries will be published in Wasafiri.
For important Terms and Conditions, fees and entry details download the entry form online or email wasafiriprize@open.ac.uk for further information (entries will only be accepted if accompanied by an entry form).
For more details, please visit http://www.wasafiri.org/wasafiri-new-writing-prize.asp
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Master’s Review Short Story Award for New Writers
The Short Story Award for New Writers will be open from May 15 – July 15, 2016 and will award $2000 to the winner of the best piece of fiction by an emerging writer. Second and third place prizes will be $200 and $100, respectively, and all three stories will earn publication on the site and agency review by Amy Williams of The Williams Agency, Victoria Marini by GELFMAN SCHNEIDER / ICM PARTNERS and Laura Biagi from Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, Inc. in New York.
OPEN: May 15 – July 15
PRIZE: $2000 and publication to the winner. $200, $100 and publication to second and third place stories, respectively. Considered by Victoria Marini of GELFMAN SCHNEIDER / ICM PARTNERS and Laura Biagi from Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, Inc. in New York for representation.
For more details, please visit https://mastersreview.com/short-story-award-for-new-writers/
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The Central Coast Writers Contest
Call For Entries: Entries accepted beginning April 15, 2016.
Contestant Eligibility: All writers from any locale are welcome to submit entries.
Theme: The theme of the 2016 Central Coast Writers Contest is THE FINAL WORD. All entries must depict this theme, originally interpreted.
Prizes:
Prizes will be awarded as follows:
Short Fiction, Screenwriting and Poetry:
First Place $1,000
Second Place $500
Third Place $100
Flash Fiction:
First Place $500
Second Place $100
Third Place $50
Entry Fees:
Short Fiction $20.00
Poetry $20.00
Screenwriting $20.00
Flash Fiction $15.00
Deadline: The contest deadline is July 15, 2016. All entries must be received by midnight on this date to be eligible. All entries must be paid in full by this date to be eligible.
For more details, please visit http://centralcoastwriterscontest.blogspot.ca/p/basic-rules.html
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Big Break Screenwriting Contest Now Open!
- Enter your screenplay or TV script by July 15, 2016 and launch your career
- 11 Feature Genre and TV Format Winners share over $80,000 in cash and prizes, including The Final Draft/New York Film Academy Fellowship in Writing for Film & Television
- Two Grand Prize Award Winners are flown to Hollywood for a series of meetings and networking with industry professionals
- Join past winners who scored representation with A-list executives and have seen their scripts optioned, sold, and produced
For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/20M9xY3
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Eighth Annual Poetry Contest
Narrative’s eighth annual poetry contest runs from May 18 until July 20. In a continuing effort to encourage and support talented poets, we’re offering prizes and widespread publicity to all winners and finalists. Narrative is always looking for new voices, so all entries will be considered for publication in the magazine.
The contest is open to all poets. Entries must be unpublished and must not have been previously chosen as winners, finalists, or honorable mentions in other contests. Each entry may contain up to five poems. The poems should all be contained in a single file. You may enter as many times as you wish, but we encourage you to be selective and to send your best work.
Click here to submit your work.
Awards: First Prize is $1,500, Second Prize is $750, Third Prize is $300, and up to ten finalists will receive $75 each. All entries will be considered for publication.
Submission Fee: There is a $24 fee for each entry. With your entry, you’ll receive three months of complimentary access to Narrative Backstage.
All contest entries are eligible for the $4,000 Narrative Prize and for acceptance as a Poem of the Week.
Timing: The contest entry deadline is July 20, 2016, at midnight, Pacific daylight time.
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The Flash Fiction Challenge
The Flash Fiction Challenge is a competition that challenges writers around the world to create short stories (1,000 words max.) based on genre, location, and object assignments. Each writer will participate in at least 2 writing challenges and as many as 4 depending on how well they place in each challenge. When the competition begins, writers are placed in groups where they will be judged against other writers within their same group. Each group receives its own unique genre, location, and object assignments (see past examples here). After 2 challenges, the top 5 writers that score the highest advance to the next challenge. In Challenge #3, writers are placed in new groups and given a new genre, location, and object assignment. The top 4 writers from each of the groups in Challenge #3 advance to the fourth and final challenge of the competition where they are given the final genre, location, and object assignment and compete for thousands in cash and prizes. Sound like fun? Join the competition below or click here for a more detailed description of how the competition works. Good luck!
It’s easy to register. First, download the Official Rules and Participation Agreement. Once you have read the rules, you are ready to register by clicking here. The entry fee is US$45* by the Early Entry Deadline of June 16th and US$55* until the Final Entry Deadline of July 21st.
For more details, please visit http://www.nycmidnight.com/Competitions/FFC/Challenge.htm
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Rachel Wetzsteon Chapbook Award
Map Literary is pleased to announce that the second Rachel Wetzsteon Chapbook Award is now open for submissions. Named after our late colleague, this award honors beautiful, original writing through publication as a high-quality chapbook.
This year the award will focus on prose. Using our Submittable portal, submit a manuscript of fiction, nonfiction, creative nonfiction, or prose poetry of about 7,000-12,000 words. The manuscript may be a collection of mixed pieces–short stories, flash fictions, prose poems, essays, or a stand-along excerpt from a longer work–but should be unified by a common theme. We seek new, original work, though individual pieces that have been previously published elsewhere may be included.
The deadline for entries is July 30th, 2016. There is no entry fee.
The winner will receive a $250.00 honorarium and 25 copies of the winning chapbook, which will be printed and sold on Amazon.com.
For more details, please visit http://www.mapliterary.org/rachel-wetzsteon-chapbook-award.html
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New Millenium Writings Awards
July 31, 2016 ♥ Final deadline!
- Contest 42 is underway with a final deadline of July 31, 2016
- $1,000 Award plus publication for each category – $4,000 total awards
- Poetry, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Nonfiction
- Blind Judging Process
- Payment is $20 per submission and includes your free copy of the high-quality print anthology!
- Previously published works are only allowed if within certain criteria (see “Additional Guidelines”)
For more details, please visit https://www.newmillenniumwritings.org/
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The 2017 Press 53 Award for Poetry
Award includes:
Publication by Press 53 of the winning poetry collection as a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection
$1,000 cash advance
1/4-page color ad in Poets & Writers magazine
The Press 53 Award for Poetry is awarded annually to an outstanding, unpublished collection of poems. This contest is open to any writer, regardless of his or her publication history, provided the manuscript is written in English and the author lives in the United States.
Dates for submission: April 1, 2016—July 31, 2016. Submissions will close at midnight Eastern Standard Time on July 31. (Note: Deadline can be extended at the discretion of Press 53.)
For more details, please visit http://www.press53.com/Award_for_Poetry.html
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Winchester Poetry Prize 2016
~celebrating the best in new writing~
First Prize: £1,000
2nd Prize: £500
3rd Prize: £250
Judge: Mimi Khalvati
Entry fee: £5 for first poem, £4 for subsequent poems
Closing Date: 31 July 2016
Like the festival from which it springs Winchester Poetry Prize aims to surprise and delight.
In addition to receiving cash prizes winners will be invited to read at a special prize-giving event at Winchester Poetry Festival on Sunday 9 October 2016. Winning and commended poems will also be published in a competition anthology to be launched at Winchester Poetry Festival.
To find out more visit this page.
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2016 Travel Writing Contest — Submissions are Open!
It’s that time of year again: time to type up those travel articles, travel anecdotes and travel reflections. If it’s about travel, we want to read it. We want to read about that place that changed you.We want to read about the experiences you can’t wait to share with other travelers. Whether your work is humorous, informative, quirky or profound–we want to read it.
- No entry fee. Yes, that’s right. You have nothing to lose.
- Open to anyone worldwide, but you need (access to) a PayPal account
- Deadline for submissions: July 31, 2016
For more details, please visit http://www.imustbeoff.com/p/blog-page.html
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Orlando Prize
Braced and strung up by the present moment she was also strangely afraid, as if every time the gulf of time gaped and let a second through some unknown danger might come with it. The tension was too relentless and too rigorous to be endured long without discomfort.
—Virginia Woolf, Orlando
Biannual Deadlines: January and July 31
Poetry (36 lines)
Flash Fiction (500 words)
Short Fiction & Creative Nonfiction (1500 words)
*Or download application form to submit and pay via post.
For more details, visit http://aroomofherownfoundation.org/awards/orlando/
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Fourth Annual I Must Be Off! Travel Writing Competition!
It’s that time of year again: time to type up those travel articles, travel anecdotes and travel reflections. If it’s about travel, we want to read it. We want to read about that place that changed you. We want to read about the experiences you can’t wait to share with other travelers. Whether your work is humorous, informative, quirky or profound–we want to read it. We’re looking forward to your best writing.
- The Top essays will be published at I Must Be Off! (Authors retain copyright.)
- Second place prize: $50
- First place prize: $200
- Readers’ Choice Award ($50) based on unique hits and comments tallied on September 30.
Deadline for submissions: July 31, 2016
Send entries with a 50-word third-person bio to christopher@imustbeoff.com with the heading TRAVEL WRITING CONTEST.
For more details, please visit http://www.imustbeoff.com/2016/03/announcing-fourth-annual-i-must-be-off.html
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Third Annual StoryQuarterly Nonfiction Prize
The winner will receive $1000, and the winner, first runner-up and second runner-up will be published in StoryQuarterly 50. Limit: up to 6250 words.
For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/296SoV5
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Prairie Schooner’s Creative Nonfiction Contest
The deadline for our Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest is August 1st. The winner will receive a prize of $250 and publication in our Spring 2017 issue. For more details, please visit https://prairieschooner.submittable.com/submit/12826
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2016 Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize
Deadline: August 1
The Malahat Review, Canada’s premier literary magazine, invites entries from Canadian, American, and overseas authors for its Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize. One award of $1,000 CAD is given.
The Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize is awarded to the best work submitted to the magazine’s annual contest for a genre that embraces, but is not limited to, the personal essay, memoir, narrative nonfiction, social commentary, travel writing, historical accounts, and biography, all enhanced by such elements as description, dramatic scenes, dialogue, and characterization.
Entries may be sent by regular mail or email.
Pay only $15 for each additional entry after the first.
For more details, please visit http://www.malahatreview.ca/contests/creative_non-fiction_prize/info.html
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Can’t Lit Without It CanLit Short Story Contest
HOW IT WORKS
1) Generate a CanLit premise at canlitgenerator.com.
2) Use the premise as the basis for a story. 500 words or less, any genre.
3) Enter to win literary fame and fortune. Deadline: August 1, 2016.
PRIZES
First Prize: $500
Second Prize: $250
Third Prize: $150
All winning entries will be published in Geist and on geist.com
ENTRY FEE: $20
For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/25fgKHD
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Palooka Press Chapbook Contest
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
For more details, please visit https://palookamag.submittable.com/submit/14464
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2016 1/2K Prize
Submissions to the 2016 1/2K Prize is now OPEN until August 15th! Winner receives $1,000 and publication in Indiana Review. All entries are considered for publication. The reading fee for one entry is $20 and includes a year subscription to the journal.
For more details, please visit https://indianareview.org/contests/
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The New Guard CONTESTS IN FICTION & POETRY
TNG Vol VI Contests in Fiction & Poetry are open. Deadline is August 15 at midnight.
TNG Volume VI contests in fiction & poetry are in full swing. The New Guard Vol VI Knightville Poetry Contest Judge is the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Stephen Dunn, and TNG‘s Vol VI Machigonne Fiction Contest Judge is the author Sarah Braunstein. Contest rules and guidelines are below for your information.
KNIGHTVILLE POETRY CONTEST: $1,500 and publication for an exceptional poem in any form. Up to three poems per entry. Up to 150 lines per poem. Please submit all three poems in a single document. TNG Vol VI Judge: STEPHEN DUNN. $20 entry fee.
MACHIGONNE FICTION CONTEST: $1,500 and publication for an exceptional work of fiction in any genre. Submit up to 5,000 words: anything from flash to the long story. Novel
excerpts are welcome if the excerpt functions as a stand-alone story. TNG Vol VI Judge: SARAH BRAUNSTEIN. $20 entry fee.
For more details, please visit http://www.newguardreview.com/tng-contests/
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The St. Lawrence Book Award
Each year Black Lawrence Press will award The St. Lawrence Book Award for an unpublished first collection of poems or short stories. The St. Lawrence Book Award is open to any writer who has not yet published a full-length collection of short stories or poems. The winner of this contest will receive book publication, a $1,000 cash award, and ten copies of the book. Prizes are awarded on publication.
Regular Entry Period: July 1 – August 31
For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/1F8Weqr
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The Barthelme Prize for Short Prose
Accepting Entries Until August 31st (8/31) at 11:59 CST
The Barthelme Prize for Short Prose is open to pieces of prose poetry, flash fiction, and micro-essays of 500 words or fewer. Established in 2008, the contest awards its winner $1,000 and publication in the journal. Two honorable mentions will receive $250, and all entries will be considered for paid publication on our website as Online Exclusives.
Deadline: August 31st, 2016
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WOW 2016 FLASH FICTION CONTEST
WOW! hosts a (quarterly) writing contest every three months. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, communication, and well-rewarded recognition to contestants. The contest is open globally; age is of no matter; and entries must be in English. We are open to all styles and genres of writing, although we do encourage you to take a close look at our guest judge for the season (upper right hand corner) if you are serious about winning. We love creativity, originality and light-hearted reads. That’s not to say that our guest judge will feel the same… so go wild! Express yourself, and most of all, let’s have some fun!
WORD COUNT:
Maximum: 750
Minimum: 250
SUMMER: June – August 31st, 11:59 PM (Pacific Time) – NOW OPEN!
ENTRY FEE: $10.00
For more details, please visit http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php
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Poetry & Politics Competition
By Holland Park Press:
We invite you to write a political poem
The theme of this poetry competition is poetry and politics, so in order to enter your poem it must be about any aspect of politics. Your poem can be about international politics or instead be about something political much closer to home.
The author of the winning poem will receive £200.
The winning poem and runners-up will be published in our online magazine.
You can send in your entries from 1 March and the competition closes on 31 August 2016 at midnight GMT.
For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/1Wn95yB
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The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award
Deadline: August 31, 2016
Now in its 10th year, the Award is an internationally renowned literary prize presented by Aesthetica Magazine. It is a fantastic opportunity for established and aspiring writers and poets to showcase their work to an international audience. Previous entrants have achieved further publication and wider recognition in the literary world.
- £500 prize money for the Poetry winner
- £500 prize money for the Short Fiction winner
- Publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Anthology
- A selection of books from Vintage and Bloodaxe Books
- One year print subscription to Granta
- Full Membership to The Poetry Society (Poetry Winner)
- Consultation with Redhammer Management (Short Fiction Winner)
- A complimentary copy of the Anthology
For more details, please visit http://www.aestheticamagazine.com/creative-writing-award/
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2016 Book & Chapbook Contest
Contest Judge: Matt Bell
Prize: $1000, publication, ten author copies, and a copy of the judge’s latest book
The Conium Press Book & Chapbook Contest is an annual prize for a fiction manuscript. The winning manuscript will be published by Conium Press as a standalone title. The winning author receives $1,000, ten author copies, and a copy of the judge’s latest book. Additional author copies may be purchased at a discounted wholesale rate.
Any length is eligible. However, chapbooks and short- to mid-sized books are ideal. You may submit a gigantic maximalist novel, but every single page better be awesome; filler is for calzones, not books.
Contest Deadlines
Submissions must be received between June 1st, 2016 and September 1st, 2016. All submissions must include a $25.00 entry fee. The winner will be announced in late 2016 or early 2017.
Contest Guidelines
For more details, please visit http://coniumreview.com/contests/book-chapbook-contest/
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2016 Contest Open: The Remember in November Contest for Creative Nonfiction has a $1,000 Grand Prize
Hippocampus Magazine is giving away more than $1,200 in cash and prizes this November in our sixth annual creative writing contest, the Remember in November Contest for Creative Nonfiction.
ENTER NOW | LAST YEAR’S WINNERS
Now let’s get to some of those details.
PRIZES:
- $1,000 grand prize (1) – plus complimentary registration to HippoCamp 2017
- $150 runner-up (1)
- $25 honorable mention (3)
CONTEST DEADLINE AND RULES
- Enter between May 1 and Sept. 23, 2016.
- Previously unpublished memoir excerpts and personal essays of up to 4,000 words are eligible.
- A$12 entry fee supports the prizes. Submittable, our submission tool, retains a portion of this fee to cover its processing costs, and we thank them kindly for their service!)
For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/1Tbc0gk
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Enter Shelf Unbound Magazine’s
Best Indie/Self-Published Book Competition
Each year, Shelf Unbound Magazine’s Best Indie/Self-Published Book Competition honors more than 100 indie/self-published books. In addition to $1,500 in cash prizes, we feature the winner, five finalists, and more than 100 “notable” books in the December/January issue of Shelf Unbound. You can read last year’s “winners” issue here: issuu.com/shelfunbound/docs/shelf_unbound_december-january_2016.
Any independently published book in any genre in any publication year is eligible for entry. Entry fee is $50 per book.
The competition also includes the Pete Delohery Award for Best Sports Book, open to fiction and non-fiction sports-related books.
The deadline for entry is midnight on October 1, 2016.
The official rules for the competition can be found at www.shelfmediagroup.com/pages/competition.html.
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The Raven Short Story Contest
We Pulp Literature editors collect stories like ravens in the woods, swooping down on what catches our eye and bringing the treasures — sometimes sparkling, sometimes grisly, but always fascinating — home to our nests. Want feedback on your story? Get a professional critique from one of the Pulp Literature editors for only $25 more. Show us your most scintillating treasures in the form of short fiction up to 5000 words in length and you could be the one bringing home $500 to line your nest!
Contest opens: 1 September 2016
Deadline: 15 October 2016
Winner notified: 15 November 2016
Winner published in: Issue 14, Spring 2017
Prize: $500
Entry fee: $25
Editorial critique: $25
Earlybird fee (before 15 September): $20
Entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature
This contest is for previously unpublished short fiction between 500 and 5000 words in length. Multiple entries welcome. Total entries limited to 200.
http://pulpliterature.com/contests/
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The Malahat Review 2017 Open Season Awards
Submissions for this contest will be accepted as of August 2016.
The Malahat Review, Canada’s premier literary magazine, invites entries from Canadian, American, and overseas authors for our annual Open Season Awards. An exciting spring showcase of literary excellence, Open Season bestows a prize of $1500 in each of three marquee categories: poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Entries may be sent by regular mail or email. When submitting by email, please ensure you include a cover letter with relevant contact details (more below under Enter by Email); do not simply put this information in the body of the email. We also ask that no personal or contact information is written anywhere on submission itself.
Pay only $15 for each additional entry after the first.
The deadline for the 2017 Open Season Awards is November 1, 2016.
For more details, please visit http://www.malahatreview.ca/contests/open_season/info.html
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Master’s Review Fall Fiction Contest
In the fall we pair with a guest judge to help select stories for our Fall Fiction Contest. The fall is literary submission season and we look forward to acknowledging three excellent stories.
PRIZES: First place wins $2000, publication on the site, and personal correspondence with our guest judge. Second and third place writers win $200 and $100 respectively, publication on the site, and letters from the judge on why your story was chosen.
DEADLINE: Nov 15
For more details, please visit https://mastersreview.com/calendar/
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Master’s Review Short Story Award for New Writers
Because our Short Story Award for New Writers is a favorite, the contest awards three stories in the winter as well. $2000 to the best short story written by an emerging writer. The Short Story Award not only offers cash prizes, but agency review from some of the country’s best agencies.
PRIZES: First place wins $2000, publication on the site, and agency review. Second and third place writers win $200 and $100 respectively, publication on the site, and agency review.
DEADLINE: Jan 15, 2017
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The Malahat Review 2017 Long Poem Prize
Submissions for the 2017 contest (deadline February 1) will be accepted starting November 2016.
The Malahat Review, Canada’s premier literary magazine, invites entries from Canadian, American, and overseas authors for the Long Poem Prize. Two awards of $1,000 CAD each are given. Poets contributing to The Malahat Review have also won or been nominated for National Magazine Awards for Poetry and the Pushcart Prize. The Long Poem Prize is offered every second year, alternating with the Novella Prize.
Entries may be sent by regular mail or email.
Pay only $15 for each additional entry after the first.
The deadline for the 2015 Long Poem Prize is February 1, 2017.
For more details, please visit http://www.malahatreview.ca/contests/long_poem_prize/info.html
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New England Poetry Club Contests
New England Poetry Club has always recognized the outstanding work of poets with its annual awards and contests. Some awards, such as The Golden Rose and the May Sarton Award, are given in recognition of career excellence, while others are run as contests. This page is a complete listing of annual awards and contests. If you choose to enter a contest, please be sure to read the guidelines before entering, as they may have changed from previous years. The link to submit entries online can be found in the guidelines tab.
Submissions accepted only in May and June each year.
For more details, please visit http://www.nepoetryclub.org/contests/
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Neil Postman Award for Metaphor
Rolling Deadline
(no fee)
Although primarily known as an educationist and a media critic, Neil Postman was, at his core, a “noticer”—and he particularly noticed what we do with metaphor and how metaphor shapes and creates our cognitive world. Postman maintained that words (and words, in truth, are metaphors) are as much the driver of reality as they are the vehicle. Consequently, metaphor was not a subject to be relegated and limited to high school poetry units wherein a teacher drones on about the difference between “like” and “as” and considers the job finished. For Postman, the study of metaphor was unending and metaphors were as crucial as they were omnipresent; they served to give form to and dictate experience.
In honor and remembrance of Neil Postman, who died on October 5, 2003, we have established the Neil Postman Award for Metaphor. The motivation for the award is simple and two-fold: To reward a given writer for his or her use of metaphor, and to celebrate (and hopefully propagate) Postman’s work and the typographical mind.
Each spring the editors will choose one poem from all of the submissions received by Rattle during the previous year. The author of the chosen poem will receive $500. There are no entry fees or special submission guidelines. Send up to 5 unpublished poems plus a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) to: Rattle, 12411 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91604. To browse previous winners, and for information on how to submit electronically, visit our website: http://www.rattle.com/poetry/extras/postman/
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Nonfiction Book Awards
Welcome to the NEW Nonfiction Book Awards! As an extension of the Nonfiction Authors Association, we are committed to honoring excellence in nonfiction books and welcome submissions by self-published and traditionally published authors alike, in both print and ebook formats. Publishers are also welcome to submit books for award consideration.
– See more at: http://nonfictionauthorsassociation.com/nonfiction-book-awards/#sthash.H0SVcAFl.dpuf
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The Thistle Dew Theatre & KTDT Dramady seeks plays for Stage and Radio
http://thistledewtheatre.blogspot.com/
Call for play submissions: monologues, short plays, one act or full-length plays for stage and radio.
Monthly themed monologues and short plays needed. On-going, no submission fee, no deadline. This is a competition with one winner per production: $25.00.
Continuing call: No fees… no deadlines….
Tales/Lies for THE LIAR’S LAIR
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Zone 3 Nonfiction Award
Zone 3 is accepting submissions for its nonfiction contest. For online submissions, click here to complete the submission manager form, choose “Zone 3 Nonfiction Award” for your genre, and upload your essay. You will be directed to another webpage for secure payment. For paper submissions, submit one essay with SASE and $10 entry fee to: Zone 3, APSU, P.O. Box 4565, Clarksville, TN 37044. No deadline. All entrants will receive a one-year subscription. The winner will be announced on our website. Prize: $250 and publication. For details, visit http://www.apsu.edu/zone3/contests
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Zone 3 Fiction Award
Zone 3 is now accepting submissions for its twelfth annual fiction award. For online submissions, click here to complete the submission manager form, choose “Zone 3 Fiction Award” for your genre, and upload your story. You will be directed to another webpage for secure payment. For paper submissions, submit one story with SASE and $10 entry fee to: Zone 3, APSU, P.O. Box 4565, Clarksville, TN 37044. No deadline. All entrants will receive a one-year subscription to Zone 3. The winner will be announced on our website. Prize: $250 and publication. For details, visit http://www.apsu.edu/zone3/contests
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Zone 3 Poetry Award
Zone 3 is now accepting submissions for its annual poetry award. Submit up to three poems via our online submissions manager. Click here to log in and upload your poems; choose “Zone 3 Poetry Award” for your genre. You will be directed to another webpage for secure payment. No deadline. All entrants will receive a one-year subscription to Zone 3. The winner will be announced on our website. Prize: $250 and publication. For details, visit http://www.apsu.edu/zone3/contests
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Wielding Power Essay Writing Contests
Prizes
Winner- The winner will have their answer published, receive ten free copies of the issue (pdfs), and $1000. There will be one winner.
Finalists- The finalists will be published and receive ten free copies of the issue (pdfs). There will be two finalists.
Who May Submit
Submissions are open to all US and Canada residents (except Quebec) above the age of 18. Submission is free. You may submit up to 10 entries per question. Submissions cannot be the work of multiple authors.
How and What to Submit
IMPORTANT: failure to adhere to the following may result in disqualification. See Official Rules for complete details.
- All entries should be between 500 and 2000 words.
- To ease reading and ensure uniformity of entries- please format your answer in 12pt Times New Roman, double spaced.
- Please send your entries as a Microsoft Word or Google Document attachment to submit@wieldingpowerpublishing.com
For more information, visit http://www.wieldingpowerpublishing.com/submit/
Ongoing deadlines.
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The People’s Book Awards
Welcome to the people’s Book Awards where anyone can nominate or vote for titles available on the *Amazon sites worldwide, or support those important people who provide services to authors. Monthly winners.
The monthly and annual voting closes at 17:00 hours British Standard Time on the last day of each month and the votes of non-winning titles are carried forward, except in December. Monthly winning titles are taken out of the competition and will be returned in December if confirmed as a nomination for the Annual Awards by a direct message (DM) on Twitter or email to winner@thebookawards.com. Each year the voting closes on December 31st following the Annual Awards and all votes are returned to zero for the coming year.
To learn more, visit http://thebookawards.com/awards/
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Ekphrasis Prize for Poetry
Ekphrasis is a poetry journal looking for well-crafted poems, the main content of which addresses individual works from any artistic genre. Please identify the specific work that is the focus of your poem. Acceptable ekphrastic verse transcends mere description: it stands as transformative critical statement, an original gloss on the individual art piece it addresses.
All poems published in Ekphrasis within a given calendar year will be considered for the Ekphrasis Prize for Poetry.
The winning poem will be selected by the editors of Ekphrasis.
No entry fees are required and there is no self-nomination procedure for the prize.
For submission guidelines, visit http://www.ekphrasisjournal.com/home
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Diana Woods Memorial (DWM) Award
Creative nonfiction authors are invited to submit an essay of up to 5,000 words on the subject of their choice to be considered for the Diana Woods Memorial (DWM) Award in creative nonfiction. Winners will receive $250 and their work will be featured in the next issue of Lunch Ticket. Each award recipient must submit a 100-word biography, current photo, and send a brief note of thanks to the Woods’ family.
For more details and to submit, visit http://lunchticket.org/the-diana-woods-memorial-award/
The reading period for the award will be the month of February for the issue that publishes in June, and the month of August for the issue that publishes in December. Please note that previously published work will not be accepted.
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L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest
- ENTRANTS RETAIN ALL PUBLICATION RIGHTS
- NO ENTRY FEE IS REQUIRED
- ALL AWARDS ARE ADJUDICATED BY PROFESSIONAL WRITERS ONLY
- PRIZES EVERY THREE MONTHS: $1,000, $750, $500
- ANNUAL GRAND PRIZE: $5,000 ADDITIONAL!
- OPPORTUNITY FOR NEW AND AMATEUR WRITERS OF NEW SHORT STORIES OR NOVELETTES OF SF OR FANTASY
There shall be three cash prizes in each quarter: a First Prize of $1,000, a Second Prize of $750, and a Third Prize of $500, in US dollars. In addition, at the end of the year the winners will have their entries rejudged, and a Grand Prize winner shall be determined and receive an additional $5,000. All winners will also receive trophies.
The Contest has four quarters, beginning on October 1, January 1, April 1 and July 1. The year will end on September 30. To be eligible for judging in its quarter, an entry must be postmarked or received electronically no later than midnight on the last day of the quarter. (Deadlines: December 31, March 31, June 30, September 30). Late entries will be included in the following quarter and the Contest Administration will so notify the entrant.
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EVENTS & WORKSHOPS
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Banff Fall Literary Programs Registration Deadlines
June 29, 2016 Mountain and Wilderness Writing
Sept. 7, 2016 Emerging Writers Intensive
Ongoing Self-Directed Writing Residency
Click on each line to access the link or visit https://www.banffcentre.ca/programs/all/literary-arts
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Port Medway Readers’ Festival
The Port Medway Readers’ Festival is a literary festival that takes place in Port Medway, Nova Scotia, during July and August.
Founded in 2002 by Cynthia Wine and Philip Slayton, the Port Medway Readers’ Festival is an opportunity for readers to listen to and meet writers in an informal and friendly village setting. The Festival continues the tradition of the Tennysonian Reading Circle, started by the ladies of Port Medway in 1903.
This year’s readers include Elizabeth Hay (July 9), Joan Clark (July 23), and Calvin Trillin (August 20).
For more details, please visit http://portmedwayreadersfestival.com/
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ONTARIO WRITERS WORK-IN-PROGRESS GRANTS
http://www.arts.on.ca/Page118.aspx
Purpose to assist professional writers to complete book-length works of literary merit. Ontario-based professional writers may apply for support for the continuation of new work in poetry or prose. Graphic novels and other comic arts projects will be received at a separate deadline of December 1, 2016. Please see Writers’ Works in Progress – Comic Arts for the guidelines and application. Deadline Dates: June 15 and October 18, 2016.
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The Weekly Writing PostTM is brought to you by
The Writing PoolTM
http://www.thewritingpool.com
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The Writing Pool 