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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I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words, and brief sentences. That is the way to write English―it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don’t let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don’t mean utterly, but kill most of them―then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice.
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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 most difficult things about writing modern good prose is simplifying the language. Whereas most of our classical writers exulted in littering their prose with adjectives and adverbs to make sure there was no room left for the reader to interpret the written word in any way but what they had written, modern writers have moved away from denotation to connotation, preferring to leave more to the reader’s imagination. Gone are the days of flowery language that grew with the courtly traditions of the feudal ages and saw its heyday during the Romantic, Victorian, and Industrial periods of literature. It’s all back to business and straightforward writing, thanks to the influence of writers like Twain and Hemingway, who were lords of understatement. It’s true getting rid of an adjective habit is difficult. I have even experienced editing writing where the author seems to have felt an obligation to write in threes—as Mark Twain said, “a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit” that permeated her writing so much it created a rhythm that became soporific. How do you choose then what adjectives to quell? It’s not easy to say—there is no formula for it. It’s more a feel for the words, listening to the sound and flow, and providing what is necessary to create a precise image ofof which there can be no doubt. If you use too many words, the distance between your message and the reader’s mind telescopes and risks blurring the picture beyond recognition. You need to focus on the image you want to create, the message you want to deliver, and dispense with unnecessary descriptions. After all, the effect you have on your readers is only as powerful as your writing.
Do you have an adjective addiction? We can help wean you of it in The Writing Pool™! You can also read about various aspects of writing at Creativity Unlimited .
Happy writing!
~cpl
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NEWS
PEI LOCAL/ATLANTIC
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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Tuesdays with Morrie at the Library
Confederation Centre Public Library is pleased to present a staged reading of Mitch
Albom’s play Tuesdays with Morrie Saturday, August 27 at 2:00 p.m. The play, based on
a memoir by American writer Mitch Albom and later made into a TV movie, recounts the time Albom spent with his 78-year-old sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz, who is battling Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS). Join Corin McFadden and William McFadden for their interpretation of Tuesdays with Morrie.
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Cargo Lit Submissions
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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Geist Can’t Lit Without It CanLit Short Story Contest has been extended!
You now have until August 15, 2016, 11:59pm PST, to submit.
Here’s how the contest works:
- Generate a CanLit premise at canlitgenerator.com. See the examples above!
- Use the premise as the basis for a story. 500 words or less, any genre.
- Enter to win literary fame and fortune.
$1000 in prizes to be won. Winners published in Geist and at geist.com. Check out contest submission guidelines and CanLit Contest FAQs to get more information and submit.
Shake up the CanLit canon, have fun and get weird with it! Enter today.
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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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How We Teach
Deadline: August 29, 2016
For the spring 2017 issue of Creative Nonfiction magazine, we’re looking for original essays about teaching—whether in a traditional classroom or online; in summer camp or college; in preschool or in a prison; in the woods or in a workshop.
We welcome personal stories as well as profiles, and we’re open to a very wide range of experiences and circumstances. Above all, we are looking for narratives—true stories, rich with scene, character, detail, and a distinctive voice—that give insight into what it means to teach.
Creative Nonfiction editors will award $1,000 for best essay and $500 for runner-up, and all essays submitted will be considered for publication.
Guidelines: Essays must be previously unpublished and no longer than 4,000 words. All essays must tell true stories and be factually accurate. Everything we publish goes through a rigorous fact-checking process; editors may ask for sources and citations.
There is a $20 reading fee, waived for current Creative Nonfiction subscribers.
Postmark deadline Monday, August 29, 2016.
Please send manuscript and reading fee, accompanied by cover letter with complete contact information including the title of the essay and word count; and SASE or email for response:
Creative Nonfiction
Attn: How We Teach
5119 Coral Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Online
Deadline to upload files: 11:59 pm EST August 29, 2016
For more details, please visit https://www.creativenonfiction.org/submissions/how-we-teach
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Kore Press Short Fiction Award
This competition is open to any female-identified individual writing in English, regardless of nationality. Submitters cannot be friends of the judge or recent students, as it would be a conflict of interest.
2016 deadline is AUG 30, 2016. Judge is Edwidge Danticat. Submit online here. $20 reading fee, some scholarships are available (contact Jussara Esprit).
For more details, please visit http://korepress.org/KorePressShortFictionAward.htm
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Cultural Weekly “Jack Grapes Poetry Prize” 2016
Cultural Weekly’s Jack Grapes Poetry Prize Poetry Contest opens on June 30th, 2016. No submissions will be accepted before that date.
Cash prizes of $250 for first place, $150 for second place, and $100 for third place, including publication in Cultural Weekly. In addition, five finalists will be chosen and awarded $50 each, including publication in Cultural Weekly.
No poems will be accepted after August 31st, 2016, midnight Pacific Time. No entries will be considered after that date.
For more details, please visit https://culturalweekly.submittable.com/submit/61469
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Lesson Learned
School may be out for the summer, but The Writer is still looking to learn a thing or two. Our latest short story contest is about education in all forms: life lessons, coming-of-age lessons, lessons learned the hard way. Whether your character is steeped in academia or getting educated at the School of Hard Knocks, we want to see them at the brink of change – and about to learn a lesson they’ll never forget.
Deadline: August 31st, 2016
Grand prize: $1,000 and publication in our magazine
Word count: 2,000 words or less
Other prizes: Our second-place winner will receive $500 and publication on our website, writermag.com; our third-place winner will receive $250 and publication on writermag.com as well.
For more details, please visit https://writermag.submittable.com/submit
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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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Black Warrior Review 12th ANNUAL CONTEST
APRIL 1 – SEPTEMBER 1, 2016
$1000 & PUBLICATION IN EACH GENRE
Fiction Judge: SOFIA SAMATAR
Nonfiction Judge: T CLUTCH FLEISCHMANN
Poetry Judge: HOA NGUYEN
Submit fiction or nonfiction up to 7,000 words, or a packet of up to three poems.
- Submit your work through Submittable at submittable.com/submit. We do not accept mailed or emailed submissions.
- There is a $20 entry fee for each submission ($30 for international submissions). All entrants receive a one-year subscription to BWR as a thank-you for your interest and support.
- Please email us at blackwarriorreview@gmail.com with any questions.
For more details, please visit http://bwr.ua.edu/submit/contest/
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Slippery Elm Prize
General and Contest submissions are open for our 2016 print issue! No charge for general submissions, but the $15 contest entry fee buys you a copy of our 2016 issue, along with eligibility for the $1000 prize. See guidelines below, and check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/slipperyelmfindlay for featured bios from our new 2015 issue.
We also read for online-exclusive content on a rolling basis, year-round. See our website http://slipperyelm.findlay.edu or e-mail us at slipperyelm@findlay.edu.for more information.
- $1000 prizes in Poetry & Prose
- Jennifer Moore will judge in poetry, and Courtney Maum will judge in prose.
- Submissions open annually in May, and close at midnight EST on September 1st.
For more details, please visit https://slipperyelm.submittable.com/submit
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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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Still: The Journal 2016 annual Writing Contests
in Fiction, Poetry, and Creative nonfiction
The editors of Still: The Journal announce the 2016 Writing Contests for fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction. Contest entries should be in keeping with our publishing mission which states: “Our emphasis is on the literature of the Southern Appalachian region, and we are committed to publishing excellent writing that does not rely on clichés and stereotypes. We want to feature writing that exemplifies the many layers and complexities of the region or that is written by an author with a connection to the region.”
Contest Prizes:
$200 each for first-place winners of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, and publication in Still: The Journal, 22: Fall 2016. All other contest entries will be considered for possible publication. Previous first-prize contest winners are ineligible to enter 2016 contests in the same genre but may submit to other genres.
Deadline: 6 September 2016
For more details, please visit http://www.stilljournal.net/contest.php
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Creative Writing Institute’s Annual Short Story Contest
Entry fee: $5
First, second and third place winners and seven additional Judge’s Choice stories will receive publication in our fourth annual anthology, and for the first time, we are awarding professionally designed eMedals to post on your site or blog.
1st place: Professionally designed Gold eMedal and $100, plus publication
2nd place: Striking Silver eMedal and $50, plus publication
3rd place: Brilliant Bronze eMedal and $25, plus publication
4th and 5th place: Finalist eMedal and publication
This is a themed contest and this exact sentence must appear in the story:
“Explain how that happened.”
- Open genre
- Your story must be between 1,500 and 2,000 words.
- Accepting submissions from July 15, 2016 until September 15, 2016, midnight, USA Eastern Standard Time. No early or late submissions, please.
- Entries will only be accepted through the form at https://CreativeWritingInstitute.submittable.com/submit
Please direct questions to Ms. Jo Popek, head judge, at ms.jo@cwinst.com
Our special thanks to assisting Competition Co-coordinator and award-winning author, Jianna Higgins.
For more details, please visit http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com/
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Writer’s Block Prize in Poetry
Louisville Literary Arts announces the third annual creative writing prize to be celebrated with a $500 prize for first place at the 2016 Writer’s Block and with publication in The Louisville Review, the literary magazine of Spalding University’s nationally distinguished low residency MFA in Writing program. This year’s contest for the best poem is now open and will be judged by Kathleen Driskell, the director of the Spalding University low-residency Master in Fine Arts program and the author of several poetry collections— Next Door to the Dead: Poems (2015); Seed Across Snow (2009)—a Poetry Foundation national bestseller; Laughing Sickness (1999/2005); and Peck and Pock: A Graphic Poem (2012).
Co-authored works are acceptable. Submitting multiple batches is fine with entry and fee for each.
Entry fee: $8.00
Deadline: September 15, 2016
Submit through Submittable up to 3 poems, total page number not to exceed seven pages.
For more details, please visit https://writersblockaward.submittable.com/submit/60675
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Children’s Novel Competition 2016
Closing Date Sep 19
This year we welcome back the Mslexia Children’s Novel Competition! Open to unpublished women novelists, this competition welcomes books written for children (who are able to read for themselves) and young adults – in every genre imaginable.
1st prize: £5,000
Five finalists will receive an invitation to a special networking event with literary agents.
Entry fee: £25 per novel
To enter, please submit the first 3,000 words of your completed children’s novel. To qualify, your book must total at least 15,000 words.
Judges: Anne Fine (award-winning novelist), Claire Wilson (literary agent), Charlotte Eyre (Children’s Editor, Bookseller)
For any questions about your entry, email novel@mslexia.co.uk or call 0191 204 8860 to chat to a real person.
For more details, please visit https://mslexia.co.uk/competition/novel-competition/
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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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2017 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award
Entries are now open for the 2017 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award.
The prize, worth £30,000 to the winner, is an international award, founded in 2010, that is open to any story of up to 6,000 words written in English. Stories need to have been either previously unpublished or only published after 31 December 2015. Five authors shortlisted for the award will each receive £1,000. The prize is administered by the Society of Authors.
To be eligible, the author must simply have a record of prior publication in creative writing in the United Kingdom or Ireland.
Entries can be made either digitally by pressing the Digital Entry Form button, or by post, by pressing the Postal Entry Form button, printing the postal form off and sending it together with 11 copies of the story to the address listed on this page.
The deadline for entries is 6pm (GMT) on Thursday, 29 September 2016.
For more details, please visit http://shortstoryaward.co.uk/entries
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Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest
Welcome to the 14th annual Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. Submit published or unpublished work. $4,000 in prizes.
Please submit during April 15-September 30, 2016. We will award the Tom Howard Prize of $1,500 for a poem in any style or genre, and the Margaret Reid Prize of $1,500 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style. Ten Honorable Mentions will receive $100 each (any style). The top 12 entries will be published online. Length limit: 250 lines per poem. No restrictions on age or country. Click the Submittable button below for full details. The results will be announced on April 15, 2017. Fee: $10 per poem.
For more details, please visit https://winningwriters.com/our-contests/tom-howard-margaret-reid-poetry-contest
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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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Sixth Annual StoryQuarterly Fiction Prize
Deadline: October 15, 2016
$15.00 US
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, double-spaced.
For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/29VCjDk
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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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Jake Adam York Prize
$25.00 USD
Ends on 10/16/2016
The Jake Adam York Prize is open to poets writing in English who have published no more than one full-length poetry collection. It is a collaboration between Copper Nickel and Milkweed Editions.
The prize-winning poet will receive $2,000 and publication by MILKWEED EDITIONS. Screening for the prize will be facilitated by COPPER NICKEL.
All entrants will receive a one-year subscription to COPPER NICKEL in exchange for their reading fee.
For more details, please visit https://coppernickel.submittable.com/submit
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“What is Your Life’s Purpose?”
The Wonder Institute invites all writers to participate in an international competition by submitting a personal essay on: “What is Your Life’s Purpose?”
What to Submit: An original, unpublished essay on the topic of “What is Your Life’s Purpose.” You may submit more than one entry. Each entry must be accompanied by a contest fee of $20.
When to Submit: Contest deadline is November 1, 2016. Entries must be postmarked by this deadline or submitted online by midnight.
Prizes and Publication: First Prize is a check for $1,000 dollars and publication on The Wonder Institute website. Honorable mention(s) will be selected at the discretion of the final judge, Linda Durham. Honorable Mention entries may also be published on the Wonder Institute website.
For more details, please visit https://www.wonderessaycontest.com/
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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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Prairie Fire Press 2016 ANNUAL WRITING CONTESTS WITH $6,000 IN PRIZES!
Prairie Fire is now accepting entries for the Banff Centre Bliss Carman Poetry Award, Short Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction Contests.
Deadline: November 30 (postmarked).
By entering the Banff Centre Bliss Carman Poetry Award Contest, you not only have a chance to win $1,250 in cash, but also a jeweller-cast replica of poet Bliss Carman’s ring, an invitation to THIN AIR (produced by the Winnipeg International Writers Festival), dinner with the staff of Prairie Fire and publication in Prairie Fire magazine.
With your contest submission you’ll receive a one-year subscription to Prairie Fire, so if would like to start reading Prairie Fire as soon as possible, you can send in your entry today!
Prizes are awarded in each of the three categories and winning entries are published in Prairie Fire:
1st prize $1,250
2nd prize $500
3rd prize $250
For more details, please visit: Contest Rules.
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The 18th Annual Gival Press Poetry Award
Deadline: December 15, 2016 (postmarked).
Reading Fee: $20.00 (USD)
Our dates never change, if the date falls on a Sunday, then Monday becomes the default postmarked date.
Theme: Completely open.
Eligible Poets: Open to all, national and international poets.
Language: English.
Forms or Style of Poetry: Original work, not a translation of someone else’s poetry. Open to any form or style; simply good poetry.
Length of Manuscript: At least 45 typed pages of poetry, on one side only.
For more details, please visit http://www.givalpress.com/
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2017 San Francisco Writing Contest
The San Francisco Writers Conference is pleased to announce the 2017 San Francisco Writing Contest. The contest is open to all writers everywhere, including those attending the 2017 San Francisco Writers Conference. The entry fee is $35 per item.
Your entry must fit into one of the following categories:
* Adult Fiction
* Adult Nonfiction (including memoir)
* Children’s/YA Books
Entries may have been self-published or not-yet published, but not traditionally published. Entries can be up to 1500 words in length (or less, but not more).
Please use the contest registration form on this web site SFWriters.org/contest-registration to upload your entry/entries and pay. It’s easy! If you prefer to send your fee by check, mail both the entry and check to SF Writing Contest, PO Box 326, Oakley, CA 94561.
All fees and entries must be received by 5:00 pm Pacific Time on January 13, 2017.
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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
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.
Still up: 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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Wild Writers Literary Festival
The New Quarterly is proud to present the fourth annual Wild Writers Literary Festival on November 4-6, 2016 in Waterloo, Ontario. Join us for a celebration of the savage and free and its expression in poetry, the short story, and everything in between. Create, learn, discover and share the art of groundbreaking writing.
For details, please visit http://www.tnq.ca/wildwriters/
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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 