Winning Writers

01/11/2025

Deadline Nov 16: Fractured and Fused Prize
Submit stories that utilize the tension and conflict in something being fractured, or that revel in the catharsis of someone finding what makes them complete after a shattering. Winner receives $3,000 and publication. Submit unpublished fiction up to 1,000 words. Guest judge: Sherrie Flick. Fee: $20 for 1-2 stories.
https://fracturedlit.com/fractured-and-fused-prize/
via Fractured Literary with Submittable HT Literistic

01/11/2025

10 contests and magazines to submit to in November, curated by Frontier Poetry
https://www.frontierpoetry.com/2025/10/20/november-deadlines-2025/

31/10/2025

Deadline: Dec 1: Jane Martin Poetry Prize. Submit 1-2 poems, maximum 2 single-spaced pages total to win 1,000 pounds. No fee | https://www.girton.cam.ac.uk/jane-martin-poetry-prize

31/10/2025

Nine Terrific New Literary Journals, curated by Authors Publish
(October, 2025)
https://authorspublish.com/eight-terrific-new-literary-journals-october-2025/

One Day Poetry Workshop with Rick Barot: Mining Potatoes in the Dark — Structure and Surprise in Narrative Poems. Learn More and Enroll Here

31/10/2025

Sylvia Plath's Spirit Guide
https://poets.org/text/sylvia-plaths-spirit-guide

More Poems and Resources for Halloween
https://poets.org/halloween-poems

via The Academy of American Poets

With an "overturned brandy glass" for a planchette, Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes often navigated their handmade Ouija board for inspiration. In a note accompanying Plath's poem "Ouija," Hughes describes how she "occasionally amused herself, with one or two others, by holding her finger on an upturned...

31/10/2025

Please enjoy "An Ornithology of Grief", an essay by Christy Tending, honorable mention in our 2025 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest
https://winningwriters.com/past-winning-entries/an-ornithology-of-grief

30/10/2025

One of the largest distributors of print books for libraries is winding down operations by the end of the year, a huge disruption to public libraries across the country, some of which are warning their communities that the shutdown will limit their ability to lend books.
https://www.404media.co/libraries-scramble-for-books-after-giant-distributor-shuts-down/
Baker & Taylor via 404 Media

Why it might have been and may continue to be harder to get new releases from your local library.

30/10/2025

Early-bird deadline Nov 17: Writer's Digest's Short Short Story Competition
Submit unpublished fiction up to 1,500 words.
First prize:
* $3,000 in cash
* Publication of winning piece in Writer’s Digest (Sept/Oct 2026 issue), and on WritersDigest.com.
* An interview with a WD editor on WritersDigest.com
* A paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, including a special trophy presentation at the keynote
* A pitch session at the Writer's Digest Conference where the winner will receive one-on-one attention from editors or agents
* A one-year subscription (new or renewal) to Writer’s Digest magazine
* 20% discount off of purchases made at Writer’s Digest University
* A special graphic recognizing their winning status

Many smaller prizes. Fee: $30.
https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/short-short-story-writing-competition with Submittable

30/10/2025

Please enjoy "When Sister Joan Opens the Door", a story by Patricia Schultheis, honorable mention in our 2025 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest
https://winningwriters.com/past-winning-entries/when-sister-joan-opens-the-door

29/10/2025

Bea Chang was a winner in our 2025 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest with her essay “Requiem for a Bubble Tea”. The piece was awarded $3,500.

You can enter your work in our current contest by visiting winningwriters.com/tomstory or clicking the link in our bio.

29/10/2025

84 Manuscript Publishers with Geographic Limitations, curated by Authors Publish
Currently includes publishers seeking work from US, Canada, Oceania, the UK, Ireland, and Asia

Writing for Young Readers with John Claude Bemis is now open for enrollment. Get feedback on your manuscript and personal help getting your writing published, directly from John Claude Bemis. Learn more here.

29/10/2025

Please enjoy "Grandma’s Way", a story by R.L. “Pete” Peterson, honorable mention in our 2025 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest
https://winningwriters.com/past-winning-entries/grandmas-way