Welcome to The Writing Pool’s Weekly Writing Post^TM! 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 Pool^TM, your bottomless pool for great writing resources.

Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thewritingpool/

Follow The Writing Pool^TM blog at https://thewritingpool.com/.  Share a link, an article, a poem, or something else literary. Send your submission to cindy@thewritingpool.com

If you want to include a notice or announcement in the Weekly, please email your submission to weekly@thewritingpool.com

The classics are only primitive literature. They belong in the same class as primitive machinery and primitive music and primitive medicine. -Stephen Leacock

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Granted, the classics are really ancient and, as Leacock would say, primitive, that does not take away from their value as literary models. After all, we would not have modern machinery or modern music or modern medicine if we did not start somewhere. Even if they are ancient, or at the very least anywhere from a century to several centuries old, the only thing that really is old about them is the language. Any theme we come up with today will have been written in the classics. As long as literature is about humans, human lives, relationships, and emotions, it will be something anyone can understand in any period of time. We talk about the same things—our daily lives, family, work, neighbours, food, activities, our homes, leaders, politics, identity, fears, joys, loves, successes, death—all the things that fill up our lives and comprise who we are. When literature touches on one or more of those topics, we, as readers, connect. The more readers that connect with a literary work, the more established and enduring that work becomes. When readers across generations and ages continue to connect with the work, it transcends the boundaries of politics, geography, culture, and time and is elevated to the status of a classic. So, unlike other primitive things that become obsolete, classics are like excellent cheese and wine which improve with age. As long as we continue to read, study, appreciate, interpret, and translate them, classics will continue to live on.

Need tips on writing?  Ask us in The Writing Pool™! You can also read about other aspects of writing at Creativity Unlimited.

Happy writing!

~cpl

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NEWS

PEI LOCAL/ATLANTIC

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The Insider’s Guide to Writing and Publishing for Young Readers Summer Workshop in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Type: Two-Day Workshop          

Dates: July 13-15, 2017        

Location: University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Workshop Fees: Regular Rate: $300, plus 15% PEI HST; Seniors (65+) & Students: $250, plus 15% PEI HST

Presented by Humber College and the University of Prince Edward Island, through the generous support of the Access Copyright Foundation, The Insider’s Guide to Writing and Publishing for Young Readers is an intensive workshop for writers of young adult and children’s literature. No matter what stage of writing you’re at – from concept to first draft or beyond – here’s the lowdown on the world of publishing and self-publishing. Led by Cynthia Good and Rick Wilks, two of the most experienced professionals in the business, this workshop, held in in beautiful Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, is full of practical suggestions and writing inspiration.

For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/2pBZ9qx

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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

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See more at www.thewritingpool.com

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2017 WORLD’S BEST STORY CONTEST IS ON!

Writers from around the world can submit stories for free in several fiction and nonfiction genres while readers across the world vote on those stories using our easy and fun to use proprietary blockbuster story potential™ voting algorithm. All winning stories receive a pedigree building publishing deal represented by WBS Entertainment Inc.

For details, please visit https://worldsbeststory.com/.

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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:

1. Entry is $5 (approx £3). Multiple entries accepted.
2. Enter online through Submittable. Click here to enter.
3. The contest closes at midnight (GMT) on the fourth Saturday of the month.
4. Any entries submitted after the deadline will not be eligible.
5. The Writing Maps Writing Contest is open to all writers over 16.
6. There is no restriction on theme or style. We encourage prose, poems, prose poems, graphic stories and hybrid forms.
7. Maximum number of words is 150.

 

For more details, please visit http://www.writingmaps.com/pages/contest

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Flash Fiction Competition

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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2017 Publishizer Book Proposal Contests

Reading is food for the heart, mind and soul. Here at Publishizer, we’re passionate about finding and helping more authors get their books published. We strongly believe that there is an urgent need for more book diversity, so we’re proud to be hosting bi-monthly themed book proposal contests in 2017.

There are no entry fees or purchases required to join. For a chance to land a publisher for your book and a shot at the US$2000 cash prize for each contest:

• Write a compelling 1000-word book proposal based on an unpublished book idea
• Submit the proposal within the appropriate contest category for approval
• Launch your campaign within the contest month to be entered into the 45-day book proposal contest

The campaign with the highest number of pre-orders for each contest wins US$2000, though every author that successfully launches a campaign on Publishizer has a chance to get published! Needless to say, the more pre-orders you get, the more publishers will express an interested in acquiring your book.

For details, please visit https://publishizer.com/contests/

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SUMMER 2017 FLASH FICTION CONTEST

WOW! hosts a (quarterly) writing contest every three months, and has done so since 2006. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, great writing, and provide 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 flash fiction, although we do encourage you to take a close look at our guest judge for the season (upper righ-hand corner) if you are serious about winning. Please make sure you download our Contest Terms & Conditions PDF below for complete guidelines. Get creative, and let’s have some fun! We look forward to reading your work!

WORD COUNT:

Maximum: 750
Minimum: 250

The title is not to be counted in your word count. We use MS Word’s word count to determine the submitted entry’s word count.

PROMPT:

OPEN PROMPT!

That’s right, this is your chance to shine, and get creative. You can write about anything, as long as it’s within the word count and fiction. If you’re feeling inspired, write something new, or dig out those stories you started way back when and tailor them to the word count.

We’re open to any style and genre. From horror to romance. So, get creative, and most of all, have fun.

Click to Download the SUMMER 2017 FLASH FICTION Contest Terms & Conditions PDF

CONTEST DEADLINES:

FALL: September – November 30th 11:59 PM (Pacific Time) – CLOSED
WINTER: December – February 28th, 11:59 PM (Pacific Time) – CLOSED
SPRING: March – May 31st, 11:59 PM (Pacific Time) – CLOSED
SUMMER: June – August 31st, 11:59 PM (Pacific Time) – NOW OPEN!

ENTRY FEE: $10.00

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Commonwealth Writers Submissions Call: Poetry and Nonfiction
Deadline 3 July 2017

We are commissioning a number of pieces for publication in 2017–2018.

Each commission will be given detailed editorial attention to ensure a level of quality in the work published and also to offer the writers – especially those less experienced – a process to develop their writing.

We are looking to select a broad range of writers, particularly those with a story that hasn’t been heard before.

All commissions are paid.

We are offering one-off commissions for Poetry and Nonfiction only. For *nonfiction submissions please upload:

1. One nonfiction piece (1500–5000 words), or an outline of what you want to write and why (750 words max)
2. A description of your writing history (300 words max)
3. If we offer you a nonfiction commission, there may also be a small expenses fund available to help research your nonfiction piece e.g. local travel. Please state in your submission if you would need us to help with research expenses and what these would be.

*Nonfiction can include creative nonfiction, memoir, photo or narrative essay.

For poetry submissions please upload:

One poem only (no max word count)

A description of your writing history (300 words max)

 

There are no subject restrictions.

No previously published work will be considered, including work published in anthologies or chapbooks online or in print.

Please note, we only accept submissions from citizens of Commonwealth countries. See a full list of eligible countries here.

At the moment, we can only accept work/proposals written in English.

Please send your submissions by 11:59pm (any time zone) 3 July 2017.

The submissions form can be accessed here:
www.addastories.org/submit-a-story

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9th Annual Flash Fiction Challenge

The 9th Annual Flash Fiction Challenge is a competition that challenges writers around the world to create short stories (1,000 words maximum) based on genre, location, and object assignments in just 48 hours. Each writer will participate in at least 2 writing challenges and as many as 4 depending on how well they place in each challenge.  Feedback from the judges is provided for every submission and there are thousands in cash and prizes for the winners.  Sound like fun?  Learn more, register, and read past winning stories at the link below.  The competition kicks off on July 14th and space is limited, so make sure to register soon.  Good luck writers!

 

It’s easy to register.  First, download the Official Rules and Participation Agreement.  Once you have read through the rules, you are ready to register by clicking the button below.  The entry fee is US$45* until the early entry deadline of June 8, 2017 and US$55* until the final entry deadline of July 13, 2017.

 

For more details, please visit http://www.nycmidnight.com/Competitions/FFC/Challenge.htm

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Big Break Contest Launches Careers

• Early deadline: June 26, 2017!
• Enter your screenplay or teleplay in the Big Break Contest by July 14, 2017 and launch your writing 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
• We’re excited to bring you two new Diversity categories to help celebrate and promote stories from underrepresented writers

For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/2nvPZid

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Emrys 2017 Chapbook Prize

Ends on July 15, 2017

$20.00 USD, $20.00 USD

Call for Manuscripts: May 15, 2017 through Jul 15, 2017. The winning volume will be

published in Dec 2016, by Emrys Press.

• The Emrys Press Chapbook Prize honors a book of original poetry in English by a single author; translations are not eligible. The winning poet will receive a $1000 honorarium upon publication plus 20 copies of the book. In addition, he/she will be invited as guest for one week of the Rensing Center, a gorgeous arts/writing retreat near Greenville SC, in the Appalachian foothills (see http://www.rensingcenter.org). * The winning book and author will be featured on the Emrys website.

• The final judge for the competition will be Dorianne Laux.

• Entries must be filed between 12:01 a.m. May 15 and midnight Jul 15, 2017. All entries should be made via Submittable (submissions open May 15th).

For more details, please visit https://emrys.submittable.com/submit/85649/emrys-2017-chapbook-prize

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Rattle Poetry Prize

Deadline: July 15

The annual Rattle Poetry Prize is once again offering $10,000 for a single poem to be published in the winter issue of the magazine. Ten finalists will also receive $200 each and publication, and be eligible for the $2,000 Readers’ Choice Award, to be selected by subscriber and entrant vote.

With the winners judged in a blind review by the editors to ensure a fair and consistent selection, an entry fee that is simply a one-year subscription to the magazine—and a runner-up Readers’ Choice Award to be chosen by the writers themselves—the Rattle Poetry Prize aims to be one of the most writer-friendly and popular poetry contests around.

We accept entries online and by mail. See www.rattle.com for the complete guidelines and to read all of the past winners.

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The Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers

The Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers honor the work of writers at the beginning of their careers.

 

Prizes: $500 prizes will be awarded in both the fiction and poetry categories, and the winning manuscripts will appear in the spring issue of Nimrod. Winners will have the chance to work with the Nimrod board of editors to refine and edit their manuscripts before publication.

 

Open only to writers whose work has not appeared or is not scheduled to appear in more than 2 publications.

• Poetry: Up to 5 pages of poetry (one long poem or several short poems)
• Fiction: 5,000 words maximum (one short story or a self-contained excerpt from a novel)

Dates: Contest opens May 1st, 2017. Postmark Deadline: July 15th, 2017.

For more details, please visit https://nimrod.utulsa.edu/Francine_Ringold_awards.html

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2017 Tomaž Šalamun Prize

$500 + chapbook published by Factory Hollow Press + one-month residency in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Judge: Matthew Zapruder

The Tomaž Šalamun Prize is open to poets at any stage of their career. Previous publication is neither a requirement nor a restriction. You can enter if you’ve published no books or 100 books.

Translations into English are acceptable if the author is still living and has given written permission.

Prose poetry and hybrid forms are also acceptable.

The winning chapbook will be published by Factory Hollow Press in Amherst, MA.

The prize winner will receive $500, 10 free copies of their chapbook, and a free one-month residency at the Tomaž Šalamun Center for Poetry in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

If a translation wins the prize, the translator will receive $500, 10 copies of the chapbook, and the residency.

Matthew Zapruder will judge the 2017 prize. Current/former students and close friends of the judge are not eligible. (If in doubt about your eligibility, query editorversemag@gmail.com.)

Entry fee: $12

Deadline: July 15, 2017

For more details, please visit https://verse.submittable.com/submit

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The HG Wells SHORT STORY COMPETITION

Founded by the world-renowned BBC Aeronautics Correspondent Reg Turnill and his wife, Margaret, to celebrate the life and works of HG Wells and encourage creative writing, especially among the young, the prestigious HG Wells Short Story Competition offers generous Senior and Junior prizes and free publication of all shortlisted entries in a quality, professionally published paperback anthology.

 

Theme: Light
Closing date: 16 July 2017
Submit: hgwstory@gmail.com

 

For details, please visit https://hgwellscompetition.com/competition-rules-2017/

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The Stringybark ‘Dog Eat Dog’ Award 2017

Following on from our popular thematic Stringybark Erotic Fiction Award 2015 where the story related to the name of a cocktail, this award gives writers free-rein to dance with the Devil and break the ground rules of good writing by submitting a story which contains a common cliché and is titled that cliché. There are some great lists of clichés on the web to whet your appetite.  For example:

681 Clichés to avoid in writing or read the Wikipedia article: to get a sense of its meaning.

 

NOTE: This competition is not to see how many clichés you can shoehorn into your story.  Rather it is to inspire you to write a great story.  We don’t like clichés and wouldn’t want to see more than one in your tale. The Prize value for this competition is over $1000 in cash and books.  International entries are most welcome.

 

The story must:

1. Address the theme;
2. Be written for an adult audience (that is, we aren’t after children’s stories); and
3. Be 1500 words or fewer in length.

Closing date for entries is 16 July 2017. Results will be posted on the website on 26 September 2017.

For more details, please visit http://www.stringybarkstories.net/competitions/open-competitions.html

 

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SFWP Awards Program

Deadline: July 20th, 2017

Click here for submission details!

• Open to everyone over the age of 18. International entries welcome. You and your entry do not need to be associated with New Mexico, we publish a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction globally. You can find a list of past winners right here.
• What are we looking for? All fiction and creative nonfiction will be eligible despite genre, form, subject, or length. So, we’ll take full-length manuscripts, works-in-progress, collections short or long, and essays. We don’t care about what the big presses believe to be “marketable,” we want to see excellence in writing, no matter the form it takes. Past winners have ranged from flash fiction to memoir to magical realism to literary fiction to cultural essays.
• The grand prize is $1,500, and two runner-ups will receive $1,000 each.
• Authors retain all rights to their work.
• Winners will be offered a competitive book contract for full-market, frontlist release. There’s no obligation to sign this contract.
• There is a $30 reading fee.
• Deadline: July 20th, 2017.

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WTP Literary Competition: Prose

First Prize: Writing Retreat to the Legendary Hamptons, NY.

Destination for writers from around the world; home to Peter Matthiessen, George Plimpton, Truman Capote, among other literary legends; seven-nights; accommodations for two in spacious four-bedroom residence, within walking distance to train, ocean beach, and town; full amenities; flexible bookings (Note: transportation costs not included; no pets allowed)

 

• Publication in special winners edition of The Woven Tale Press
• Complimentary copy of print edition
• WTP Spotlight
• WTP (728 x 90 px) leaderboard homepage announcement

Submission Deadline: July 31

Entry Fee: $20 (per single work)

Submission Requirements: 6000-word maximum; literary fiction or creative nonfiction (self-standing excerpts okay); previously unpublished; electronic submissions only; double-spaced; bio.

 

For more details, please visit http://www.thewoventalepress.net/literary-competition-prose/

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Winchester Poetry Prize 2017

celebrating the best in new writing

 

First Prize: £1,000

2nd Prize: £500

3rd Prize: £250

 

Judge: Sarah Howe

 

Entry fee: £5 for first poem, £4 for subsequent poems

Closing Date: 31 July 2017

 

For more details, please visit http://www.winchesterpoetryfestival.org/poetryprize

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International 3-Day Novel Contest

Can you produce a masterwork of fiction in three short days? The 3-Day Novel Contest is your chance to find out. For 40 years, hundreds of writers have stepped up to the challenge each Labour Day weekend, fuelled by nothing but adrenaline and the desire for spontaneous literary nirvana. It’s a thrill, a grind, a 72-hour kick in the pants and an awesome creative experience. How many crazed plotlines, coffee-stained pages, pangs of doubt and moments of genius will next year’s contest bring forth? And what will you think up under pressure?

Prizes

1st Prize: Publication*
2nd Prize: $500
3rd Prize: $100

*The first prize winner will be offered a publishing contract by Anvil Press after the winner announcement in the spring following the contest. Once the contract is signed, the winning novel will be edited, published and released by next year’s contest.

Early registration deadline: The deadline for early registration is July 31st, 11:59 p.m. Normal registration must be made by September 1, 2017, 11:59 p.m. Early entry fee is $35; normal entry fee is $50.

 

Early registration fee: $35 in Canada; $35USD elsewhere

For more details, please visit http://www.3daynovel.com/registration/

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2017 Constance Rooke CNF Prize

The Malahat Review, Canada’s premier literary magazine, invites entries from Canadian, American, and overseas authors for its Constance Rooke CNF Prize.

The grand prize is $1,000 (Canadian funds) to one winner.

The 2017 contest judge is Brian Brett.

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.

Deadline: August 1, 2017

For more details, please visit http://www.malahatreview.ca/contests/creative_non-fiction_prize/info.html

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Screencraft Short Screenplay Contest 2017

This contest is open for entries!

Early Deadline: June 17, 2017

Final Deadline: August 1, 2017

Last year’s Winner Announcement Here

Rules and eligibility.

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Second Annual Ex Ophidia Press Poetry Book Contest

$25.00 USD

Deadline: August 15, 2017 

Fee: $25.00 USD for each manuscript

The prize: The winning author shall receive a $1,000 cash prize and 15 author copies of the book.

Eligibility: Open to all English-language authors (of any age, ethnicity, gender or orientation) for a book of poetry. Suggested length of manuscript is between 64 and 84 pages, single-spaced; Word document ONLY. By submitting, all authors attest that the work is their own.

For more details, please visit http://www.exophidiapress.org/poetry-book-prize.html

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Violet Reed Haas Prize for Poetry

75-100-page manuscript

$1,000 prize and publication

An entry fee of $25 must accompany the manuscript

Previously published eligible

Deadline: August 31, 2017

For more details, please visit

 http://www.snakenationpress.org/wordpress/submission-guidelines/

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Serena McDonald Kennedy Award

No more than 50,000-word novella or 200-page manuscript of short stories will be accepted. Any well written manuscript on any topic will be considered. Previously published works may be entered.

An entry fee of $25 must accompany the submission.

$1,000 award and publication

Deadline: August 31, 2017

For more details, please visit

http://www.snakenationpress.org/wordpress/submission-guidelines/

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THE NINTH ANNUAL Gemini Magazine FLASH FICTION CONTEST

FIRST PRIZE: $1,000

Second Prize: $100
Four Honorable Mentions: $25 each
Entry fee: $5 ($4/each additional entry)
Deadline: August 31, 2017
Maximum length: 1,000 words

All Six Finalists Will Be Published Online in the
October 2017 Issue of Gemini

WE ARE OPEN TO ANY SUBJECT, STYLE OR GENRE

Entries must be unpublished, but stories displayed on
personal blogs are eligible.

 

For more details, please visit http://www.gemini-magazine.com/contest.html

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OTP Contest #30: Community

Ends on September 1, 2017

Short story contest #30 launched on June 11, 2017. The premise is

COMMUNITY

They say it takes a village to raise a child, but that’s just one example of a kind of community and just one way a community can affect your life. There are plenty of others–good, bad, and otherwise. So, for this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words long in which the idea of community (or some kind of community) plays an important role.

If you have any questions, please write to Questions@OnThePremises.com . Thanks!

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BIOM Narrative Medicine Essay Competition

The BIOM Narrative Medicine Essay Competition is an inaugural BIOM competition aimed at letting osteopathic medical students and residents explore global health and clinical medicine through the written word. Students and residents are invited to submit an original creative nonfiction essay up to 1,500 words in length on any firsthand global health experience they have had. The winner will receive a cash prize and the opportunity to present the work at the BIOM Seminar. Learn more about the essay competition.

The deadline for all competitions, including submitting a poster to the poster session, is Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, at 11:59 p.m.

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Pilot Launch TV Script Contest

Opens for entries: June 19
Early Deadline: July 13
Final Deadline: September 13

For details, please visit https://screencraft.org/pilot/

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Action & Thriller Script Contest

Opens for entries: July 17
Early Deadline: August 9
Final Deadline: October 11

For details, please visit https://screencraft.org/action/

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Write your story, change the world

FutureScapes is an annual writing competition that asks writers to envision a particular future, and tell us its story. We could run projections and publish reports, but there’s a reason why Oscar Wilde didn’t say, “Life imitates empirical studies.” We want to help writers of excellent potential find their voice while shaping tomorrow.

For 2017, the Futurescapes Contest theme is “Blue Sky Cities.” We’re seeking stories set in a near-future city where significant strides have been made toward improving air quality, climate adaptation, or even net positive impacts on climate and air quality.

Deadline: October 13, 2017

For details, please visit http://www.futurescapescontest.com/#rules

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 Contest 2017: TW Prize for Personal Essay on Writing and Faith

$15.00 USD

The Talking Writing Prize is an annual contest that celebrates the diversity online of original, personally driven writing.

This year’s Talking Writing Prize for Personal Essay will spotlight our annual holiday theme. We’re looking for honest, unsentimental nonfiction about soul searching through words. How do you tackle life’s Big Questions? Writers are invited to address mortality, belief, culture of origin, atheism, or any other issues connected to making meaning in a complicated world.

Length: Up to 2,000 words. Include only the story title (not your name or affiliation) on the first page and in the page headers.

Deadline: October 16, 2017

Prize: $500 and publication in Talking Writing.

For more information, see http://talkingwriting.com/tw-contests

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 Flash 500’s 5^th Novel Opening Chapter & Synopsis Competition

Have you started, or completed, a novel with strong, credible characters and a page turning plot? Have you honed the first chapter? Can you put together a compelling one page synopsis of the balance of the story? Yes? Then why not enter our Novel Opening Chapter competition and have your work judged by the senior editors at Crooked Cat Publishing? We welcome published, self-published and unpublished novelists. The only stipulation is that the entry must be unpublished.

We are looking for an opening chapter up to 3,000 words, plus a one page synopsis outlining the balance of the story. If your chapter is longer than 3,000 words, DO NOT SUBMIT A LONGER MANUSCRIPT. Simply close the entry within the 3,000-word limit and make a note at the end (which will not be included in the word count) stating the chapter continues beyond this point.

This is an annual competition: entries close on 31st October 2017.

 

Entry fee: £10/€13

Optional Critique of Chapter and Synopsis: £25/€32.50

 

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

First: £500

Runner up: £200

 

For more details, please visit http://www.flash500.com/index_files/novel.html

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St. Martin’s Minotaur/ Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition Contests for Writers

Sponsored by Minotaur Books and Mystery Writers of America (MWA)

The Competition is open to any writer, regardless of nationality, aged 18 or older, who has never been the author of any Published Novel (in any genre), as defined by the guidelines below, (except that authors of self-published works only may enter, as long as the manuscript submitted is not the self-published work) and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a novel.

Deadline for 2018 is December 2017. Please check the official website for details at http://mysterywriters.org/about-mwa/st-martins/

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Gover Story Prize

Best New Writing accepts unpublished fiction and creative nonfiction under 10,000 words for publication and consideration for the Gover Story Prize ($250). The story must be new and unpublished, including on-line publication. Submissions are read quarterly following the last day of March, June, September, and December. You will receive a response within two weeks of those dates. Simultaneous submissions cannot be considered. Please, no more than one submission per quarter, and STRIP YOUR NAME from the story pages. If your story was previously published, including on-line publications, please do not submit it.

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Free Novel Contest

• Inkitt Invests A Minimum $6,000 in Your Book Marketing
• Proven Amazon Top 100 Strategy
• A Dedicated Marketing Team
• Professional Editing & Cover
• 25% Royalties

Inkitt is a new boutique publishing house. Our first novel launched mid 2016, and since then we’ve published 18 books, 17 of which became Amazon Bestsellers in their categories and ranked Top 100 among the four million books on Amazon. In the months to come we will be publishing one book every week.

For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/2qLFPb8

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Metamorphose Short Story Publication

We are currently accepting short stories in the fantasy and science fiction genres ranging from 1,000 to 7,500 words for publication on our website. Each year the top 3-5 stories will be published as the featured short story in Metamorphose’s Anthology in the fall. All accepted submissions receive free professional edits on their submission. International submissions welcome.
Open: Always
Pay: Stories published in the anthology are eligible for royalty sales.
Submission Fee: $5
URL: http://www.metamorphoselit.com/submit/
Contact Info: Tammy Davies, contact@metamorphoselit.com

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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.

! Competition !

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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ThrillerFest XII

July 11 – 15, 2017

Grand Hyatt, New York City

Welcome to ThrillerFest XII. We’re excited to present a blockbuster line-up featuring 2017 ThrillerMaster Lee Child, 2017 Silver Bullet Award recipient Lisa Gardner, 2016 ThrillerMaster Heather Graham, 2016 Silver Bullet recipient John Lescroart, and the authors of ITW’s new anthology MATCH UP, including Lara Adrian, Steve Berry, C.J. Box, Sandra Brown, Nelson DeMille, Diana Gabaldon, Andrew Gross, Charlaine Harris, Lisa Jackson, Peter James, J.A. Jance, Michael Koryta, Eric Van Lustbader, Gayle Lynds, Val McDermid, David Morrell, Kathy Reichs, John Sandford, Lisa Scottoline and Karin Slaughter.

 

For more details, please visit http://thrillerfest.com/

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Saskatchewan Festival of Words
July 13-16, 2017

The 21st Saskatchewan Festival of Words features readings, workshops, literary trivia night, poetry slam, concert, dramatic readings and panels with award winning and emerging Canadian authors, including Yann Martel, Maureen Jennings, Rosanna Deerchild, Marina Endicott, Marie-Louise Gay, Harold Johnson, Sheri-D Wilson, Jael Richardson and more! festivalofwords.com »

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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.

Tickets are $20.00 per person per event. They include a reading at the Old Meeting House at 7 PM, followed by a book signing, sandwiches, and refreshments at the fire hall. These may be purchased by downloading and mailing our ticketing form (click HERE to download or print), or in person at one of our ticketing locations:

NOTE: Tickets will be at these locations after April 21.

• Lane’s Privateer Inn, 27 Bristol Ave., Liverpool NS (902) 354-3456
• Bridgewater Library, 135 N. Park St., Bridgewater: (902) 543-9222
• Lunenburg Library, 19 Pelham St., Lunenburg: (902) 634-8008
• Thomas Raddall Library, 145 Old Bridge St., Liverpool: (902) 354-5270

A festival sponsorship, available for $175.00, includes two tickets to each of the three readings.

For more details, please visit https://portmedwayreadersfestival.com/tickets/

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2017 San Francisco Writing for Change Conference

September 9^th at the Unitarian Universalist Center, San Francisco, CA.  This full-day event is for all writers who write to change the world.
Online registration is now open. http://sfwritingforchange.org/

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The Independent Authors Conference

The Independent Authors Conference is taking place November 3rd-5th, 2017 in the Sonesta hotel in the heart of downtown Philadelphia.

The Independent Authors Conference is a skills-building educational weekend event for 500 independent authors. Our goal is to bring together bright minds to lead sessions that will improve skills, foster learning, and inspire creativity.

Our purpose is to give independent authors the practical skills they need to publish and market their books and manage careers as independent authors.

There will be two tracks – publishing and marketing, plus keynote presentations, panel discussions, and workshops.

For more details, please visit https://sites.grenadine.co/sites/rps/en/bookbaby

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Wild Writers Festival

Waterloo, Ontario

$135.00

The New Quarterly is proud to present the sixth annual Wild Writers Literary Festival on November 3-5th, 2017. 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 ground-breaking writing.

INDIVIDUAL TICKET SALES WILL OPEN AT 12 NOON on SEPTEMBER 15, 2017. Tickets available at the door unless otherwise noted.

For more details, please visit https://tnq.ca/product/wild-writers-festival/

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The 15^th SAN FRANCISCO WRITERS CONFERENCE

FEBRUARY 15-18, 2018 at the Mark Hopkins Hotel
The San Francisco Writers Conference is on President’s Day Weekend next year—February 15-18 on your calendar and register as soon as possible.  As you know, the SFWC sells out every year so it is never too early to register and save your seat.  CLICK HERE to register now.

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The Writing Pool^TM

http://www.thewritingpool.com

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