Category: Writing Contests

Writing Contests: Staunch Book Prize

TGIF, everyone! I want to start this weekend by telling you about a new writing contest–and when I say new, I mean brand new. This year is the first year of a new annual contest called the Staunch Book Prize. I’m pretty excited because this contest requires writers to really stretch their writing muscles.

What is the Staunch Book Prize? It’s a contest which calls for thriller novels in which “no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered.” If you’re familiar with the thriller genre, you’ll know how often writers fall back on these techniques to make a “thrilling” novel, and that’s why I think this could be a good creative exercise for those willing to try it.

Here are the basic guidelines, beyond the topical concept, for the Staunch Book Prize:

  • Authors of any nationality who are over the age of 18 on the closing date may enter.
  • Traditionally-published and self-published books may enter so long as they were provably published within 18 months of the closing date. Works not yet published are also welcomed.
  • Entries must be in English, but translations are allowed.
  • Authors, agents, or publishers may submit entries so long as they comply with the submission formatting.
  • The entry, all in ONE DOCUMENT, should include the first 5,000 words of the manuscript (double-spaced, 12pt font) and a one-page synopsis (single-spaced, 12pt font).
  • NO IDENTIFYING NAMES OR MARKS ON THE ENTRY; enter in PDF or Word doc format
  • Completed novels–which should be at least 50,000 words long–will be requested by the end of August.
  • There is an entry fee of £20 per entry (multiple submissions accepted)
  • The entry period is February 22, 2018, through midnight BST on July 15, 2018.
  • The prize is £2,000, and the winner will be announced on November 25, 2018, to coincide with International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

There is one issue being brought against this contest. Namely, the Staunch Book Prize has been criticized by a writer for The Guardian for supposedly ignoring brutality against women.

I am split on The Guardian‘s opinion. Well, their writer’s opinion. On the one hand, I understand where she (the writer) is coming from. We cannot ignore brutality against women. We need books which represent the all-too-prominent problems of women being beaten, stalked, raped, exploited, etc. On the other hand, I also understand the stance taken by the founder of the Staunch Book Prize. The thriller genre is rather notorious for making women victims and putting them through horrific situations before they can feel empowered. This disproportionate representation doesn’t really seem fair, does it?

I would love to see more thrillers in which women are not tortured like that. Frankly, it’s demoralizing when so many books in a genre depict women that way. Can’t we have as many thrillers that use strong female leads as that explore the horrors that our patriarchal society and rape culture have forced upon us? That’s why I support this contest, so that we as writers can make women feel empowered but also bring attention to the important issues.

To make your own judgment on this debate, check out this article from The Guardian.

For more information about the Staunch Book Prize and to enter starting February 22nd, please visit the contest’s website.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

 

Writing Contest: Margery Allingham Short Story Competition

Happy Saturday, everyone! I hope you’re having a good weekend so far. I wanted to drop by and let you know about a writing contest with an approaching deadline: The CWA Margery Allingham Short Story Competition.

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you might remember this contest title from last April when I announced that my short story “Postmortem” had been longlisted for the competition.

Well, the contest is annual and so the deadline for the Margery Allingham Short Story Competition is on us once again, this time at midnight on February 28th. (Given that the CWA is based in the United Kingdom, I would assume that they mean midnight in the UK.)

Here are the rules:

  1. This contest is for unpublished short stories, up to 3500 words, written in English by writers 18 years old or older from anywhere in the world.
  2. The short story may be on any theme but must fit Margery Allingham’s definition of what makes a great story: “The Mystery remains box-shaped, at once a prison and a refuge. Its four walls are, roughly, a Crime, a Mystery, an Enquiry and a Conclusion with an Element of Satisfaction in it.”
  3. You may be a published or unpublished writer; all that matters is that the short story itself has not been published.
  4. You must enter through the form provided on the website.
  5. There is a £12 entry fee (US readers: please not that is in pounds, not US dollars), and the fee is paid through PayPal during submission.
  6. The grand prize is £500 and two passes to Crimefest 2019.

You can find more information on the Margery Allingham Short Story Competition and read last year’s winner on The CWA website.

Even if you aren’t a mystery writer, I highly recommend giving this contest a try. I had never written a story like this before last year’s entry, and yet I was longlisted for my first try. Plus, it’s a fun challenge to try and write short story based on Allingham’s definition. Past winners have certainly gotten creative with the concept.

I’m not sure right now if I’m going to enter this year. I have a story which could be entered, but it needs a lot of editing first. We’ll see what happens!

Good luck to everyone who decides to enter!

Do you know of any contests with upcoming deadlines? Calls for submissions? Drop a line in the comments below or e-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com with the details and I’ll feature the contest/call for submissions in a future post.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Novel Writing Contest: James Jones Fellowship Contest


Image retrieved from Atheist Revolution

Happy Saturday, everyone! Sorry for my scarcity again this week. The holidays are hectic and I’ve had quite a bit of work thrown my way (and Bubba has been keeping me up at night). Anyway, today I want to tell you about a special writing competition called the James Jones Fellowship Contest. Given that last month was NaNoWriMo, I figured that this particular contest would interest many of my readers.

I got my copy of the latest Poets & Writers earlier this week. As I was skimming the “Deadlines” section, a brief section on the James Jones Fellowship Contest caught my eye. It’s a contest specifically for novels-in-progress by writers who have not previously published a novel. Needless to say, I was intrigued and decided to go to their website to learn more.

Here are the most important highlights of the contest:

  • Writers who have not previously published a novel and are U.S. citizens are eligible to enter
  • Self-published novels are ineligible for submission
  • Writers may enter if they have published any other type of work, including non-fiction articles and short stories
  • Submission can be done by physical mail or through their online submission form
  • The entry fee is $30 for snail-mail entries and $33 for online entries
  • The submission must include a (maximum) two-page outline or synopsis of the entire book and the first fifty pages of the novel-in-progress
  • Grand prize is $10,000 and an excerpt from the winning novel will be published in Provincetown Arts (July 2019)
  • Two runners up will receive $1,000
  • Deadline is March 15, 2018, at midnight Eastern Standard Time

For more information on the James Jones Fellowship Contest and to enter your novel-in-progress, please refer to their website.

I highly recommend anyone with a novel-in-progress who has not previously published a novel to enter. As far as exposure and financial support goes, the possibilities attached to winning this contest are worth the entry fee. If you try and lose, at least you can take comfort in knowing that you tried. If you don’t even try, you certainly won’t win.

You can see what else Poets & Writers has to offer by visiting the magazine’s website. And for even more contests and publishing opportunities, be sure to snag your free PDF copy of Winter 2018 Guide to Writing Contest, brought to us by The Writer.

Know of any writing contests or publishing opportunities with approaching deadlines? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com or drop a line in the comments below and I’ll make sure to include the information in a future post.

Happy weekend, everyone, and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate the holiday! To everyone else, Happy Holidays (including a Happy Kwanzaa to my African American readers and a belated Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish readers)!

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Publishing Opportunity: Your Writing Life

Happy Friday, everyone! I have another writing contest/publishing opportunity to bring you today, this time from the magazine The Writer. It’s not for fiction writers or poets, although this experience could certainly help you prep your entry. This opportunity is called “Your Writing Life”.

“Your Writing Life” is an essay contest from The Writer with the possibility of having your essay published in the magazine. Here are some crucial details:

  • Any topic is fair game for your essay so long as it pertains to some aspect of writing. So, you can write about something like struggling to make time to write as the mother of a newborn or balancing a 9-to-5 job with your writing aspirations, anything as long as it discusses some aspect of writing.
  • The essay must be 2,000 words or less.
  • The entry fee is $25 for the first submission of the transaction. Each additional submission–up to 5 per transaction–costs $15 a piece.
  • You can pay an additional $25 to receive a 200-word critique of your essay from the judging panel, which includes both what you did well and what you can improve on. However, you can only receive critique for one essay, even if you submit multiple to the competition.
  • You must submit your entry using the online entry form. No e-mail or postal submissions are accepted.
  • The deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on January 1, 2018.
  • The prize will be $1,000 and publication in the April 2018 issue of The Writer. Every essay they receive will be considered for publication in The Writer.

For more information, look at the announcement page for the contest and the page detailing the rules.

I have a general idea for an essay and may enter this contest, but life lately has taught me not to make too many promises in those regards so it may or may not happen. Hopefully I’ll be able to; it’s quite the opportunity!

Good luck to everyone who chooses to enter.

Do you know of any unique publishing opportunities or writing contests with upcoming deadlines? Drop a line in the comments or e-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and I will try and discuss it in a future Friday Fun-Day post.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Publishing Opportunity: 2019 Writer’s Market

Happy Friday, readers! Today I have a very interesting publishing opportunity to show you. However, this opportunity is not for story writers or poets. Instead, it’s specifically for freelance article writers. I’m talking about a chance to appear in the 2019 Writer’s Market.

Mind you, this isn’t a contest. There are no awards, no first or second place, or anything of that sort. Instead, it’s a call for submissions from the people behind the Writer’s Market books. Your pitch(es), if accepted, will be bought for a competitive rate (they don’t share the rates unless they accept your work). Still, it’s worth throwing your hat into the ring for the exposure and the money (and a free copy of the 2019 Writer’s Market).

If you wish to submit a pitch, the best way to find out if your article fits is to read a recent edition or two of Writer’s Market. As with all magazines and anthologies, that’s the best way to find what the editors are looking for. However, you can gleam an idea of what they want from this web page. To quote the driving force behind the call, Robert Lee Brewer, they’re looking for “articles that will help freelancers find more success from a business perspective.” Previous editions have included articles on queries, synopses, taxes, business management, etc., so you’re only as limited as your imagination and resources.

Their ideal writer has experience in the topic they’re pitching and access to other experienced sources for interviews, but anyone is welcomed to try their luck and submit their best ideas. You never know if you don’t try, and your specific area of wisdom and experience may be more valuable than you think.

To submit your proposal, send an e-mail to robert.brewer@fwmedia.com with the subject line “2019 Writer’s Market Pitch”. Just remember these rules for submitting:

  • Paste the pitch and your bio into the body of the e-mail. Brewer does not like attachments (and for good reason, seeing how easy it is to send viruses via e-mail attachments).
  • If you have more than one pitch, submit them all in the same e-mail. Be sure to label them “pitch 1,” “pitch 2,” and so on.
  • Place your pitch(es) before your bio.
  • Do not send multiple e-mails, even if you realize there’s a typo in the original.
  • The deadline is November 26, 2017, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

For more information, follow this link to the original call for submissions.

Good luck to everyone!

Know of any upcoming contests or publishing opportunities? Drop the information in the comments below or e-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and I will include it in a future Friday Fun-Day contest/publishing opportunity post.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Publishing Opportunity: DAW Books

Happy Friday, everyone! Sorry for the late post; I’m knee-deep in projects right now and, unfortunately, I can only do so much at once. Nevertheless, I wanted to take some time to tell you about a publishing opportunity for science fiction and fantasy novelists. It’s not a contest but it’s unique for a modern publishing company in that it accepts manuscripts without a literary agent. I’m talking about a branch of Penguin Books USA called DAW Books.

DAW Books was founded by paperback editor Donald A. Wollheim and his wife, Elsie B. Wollhein, as the first publishing company exclusively for science fiction and fantasy novels. They’ve published such authors as Mercedes Lackey, author of the Heralds of Valdemar series, and Patrick Rothfuss, whose first novel–The Name of the Wind–was Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year in 2007.

So, a science fiction and fantasy publisher that accepts unsolicited manuscripts? OK, what’s the catch? After looking at their website, I could only find two:

  1. DAW books does not accept manuscripts which are currently on submission with another publisher unless a prior arrangement has been made with an agent.
  2. They do not accept short stories, short story collections, or novellas. While the average length of the novels varies, most of them aren’t fewer than 80,000 words.

There are also requirements for formatting and DAW books accepts electronic submissions only through Submittable, but you can found out all about that on their website.

A big thank you to Ameel for the tip!

If you know of any writing contests or publishing opportunities that you wish to share with other writers, feel free to drop a line in the comments below or e-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com

I’ll be back with a book review and more Banned Books Week material soon, but until then, happy writing!

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Reader’s Choice Awards from TCK Publishing

I have another contest for self-published and indie authors, this time brought to you by TCK Publishing. It’s called the 2017 Reader’s Choice Awards. As the title implies, the contest involves readers voting on their favorite book from the list of approved self-published and indie book entries. The book with the most votes wins a Kindle Fire HD 8 Tablet and a book review.

Authors submit their books for entry, but the books must be approved before they are officially presented to readers for voting. There is no purchase or payment required but entrants must be at least 18 years old at the time of entry and a legal resident of the United States and District of Columbia. TCK Publishing encourages non-US authors to submit their books for the votes and exposure; authors outside of the US and DC just won’t be eligible to win the Kindle Fire and book review.

You may also nominate a book you’ve read through the same process.

There are many categories under which a book may be entered:

  • General Non-fiction
  • Advice
  • Self-help
  • Business and Investing
  • Health
  • Romance
  • Fantasy
  • Mystery
  • Thriller
  • Science fiction
  • YA and Middle Grade
  • Children’s Book
  • Historical Fiction
  • General Fiction
  • Memoir
  • Religion

Entries are evaluated by the TCK Publishing Reader’s Choice Awards committee and, if approved, the entrant will receive a confirmation e-mail from TCK Publishing and the book added to the voting page. Voting is opened until December 10, 2017, and authors may cast one vote.

For more information on how to enter, check out the TCK Publishing website. To read the current list of approved entries and cast your vote, go to the Reader’s Choice Awards Voting Page.

Thank you to Frida for the tip about this contest!

Do you know of any upcoming writing/publishing contests? Feel free to share the information in the comments below or e-mail them to me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

The Writer Contest: Let There Be Light

Happy Friday! The weekend is almost here; I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Speaking of “light,” I have an interesting contest to tell you about that also serves as a writing prompt. It’s a contest presented by The Writer magazine called “Let There Be Light.”

I first learned about the contest from an ad in the August 2017 edition of the magazine. Information about the contest is also available on their website.

For now, here’s the basic rundown:

  • The short story you enter must be based on this prompt
    • “Write a 2,000-word fictional short story using any nuance, definition, or understanding of the word ‘light’.”
    • Some examples from the magazine include “I saw the light,” “Lighten the load,” and “Give the green light.”
  • Stories must be 2,000 words or less.
  • Entry fee: $25
  • Deadline is midnight Eastern Standard Time on August 21st, 2017.
  • Entries are only accepted through their entry form (see the link provided above).
  • First place prize: $1,000 and publication in The Writer
  • Second place prize: $500 and publication on their website
  • Third place prize: $250 and publication on their website
  • International (non-US) writers are allowed to enter.

The prompt sounds easy enough, right? Open-ended and leaves room for creativity?

Just be careful not to trick yourself into thinking it’s too easy. Writers are notorious procrastinators. While some of us thrive under pressure, not leaving ourselves enough time because we think something will be easy can kill our writing.

You should also remember that the most open-ended prompts are often the hardest. Without strict parameters, the imagination may try and wander down several different paths, leading to a story which is scatter-brained, incoherent, poorly-executed, and incomplete.

Don’t be deterred, though. Any one of you could submit a story and win. I’m looking forward to seeing a familiar name printed in The Writer.

Good luck to all who enter.

 

Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Poetry Contest from Writer’s Digest

I realize that this blog seems to be geared more towards fiction writers than poets and non-fiction writers, so I decided to talk about a writing contest specifically for poets. This contest is the Poetry Awards by Writer’s Digest. If you’ve a poetic mind and an active pen, please read on!

This contest is not much different from the other Writer’s Digest competitions I’ve discussed; this time it’s just for poetry.

Here are the basics:

  • Poems can be of any form but must be 32 lines or less
  • Early bird deadline is October 2, 2017
  • Normal deadline is November 6, 2017
  • Early bird entry fee is $15 for the first entry and $10 for subsequent entries; normal deadline entry fee is $20 for the first entry and $15 for subsequent entries
  • Prizes are given for first through twenty-fifth place winners
  • First place gets $1,000 in cash, a 20-minute consultation with Poet’s Market editor Robert Brewer, a copy of the 2018 Poet’s Market, and their poem published in the July/August 2018 edition of Writer’s Digest

For more information, follow this link.

If you’ve any unpublished poetry you’d like to share, I highly recommend trying this contest. Good luck to all who enter!

Know of any contests in fiction, poetry, or non-fiction with upcoming deadlines? Share the love and post them in the comments below, or email me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com so I can share it in a post on this blog.

 

Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Self-Published Contest from Writer’s Digest

Happy Friday! I’m here to tell you about another contest from Writer’s Digest. (There are scores of them.) This particularly opportunity is for those of you who have put the time and effort into self-publishing an e-book. Your book must be self-published in e-book format before you enter the contest, so be certain that you read all of the rules and FAQs before trying to enter.

Here are some basic details:

  • You must enter online.
  • There are several categories in which you can enter: mainstream/literary fiction, genre fiction, nonfiction, inspirational, life stories, children’s picture books, middle grade/young adult books, and poetry.
  • The entries are judged based on content, writing quality, and overall quality of production and appearance.
  • One grand prize winner will get $5000, a feature article about them and their book in the May/June 2018 issue of Writer’s Digest, a paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Conference, and more.
  • One first prize winner in each category will get $1000, promotion in the May/June 2018 issue of Writer’s Digest, and more.
  • Honorable mention winners get $50 worth of Writer’s Digest books and promotion on the Writer’s Digest website.
  • The early-bird deadline is August 1, 2017 and the regular deadline is September 5th.
  • The entry fees for the early-bird deadline are $99 for the first entry and $75 for any additional entries.
  • The entry fees for the regular deadline are $110 for the first entry and $85 for each additional entry.

I suggest thoroughly reading all of the details on their website. You should especially look at how your self-published e-book should be entered.

Good luck to all who participate.

Know of any upcoming writing contests? Share your knowledge in the comments below or contact me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com.

 

Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011