Winning Writers

07/12/2023

Chapbook Contests and Reading Periods, a spreadsheet created by Anna Lena Phillips Bell and Ryan Bloom with updates by Elliot Miranda Komisar Gindling and Anna Bell
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1v1kuc4rAIwfkFsPt5fTQQzGK_GAo1Hu_PC3ivXnzJwA/edit =1619342399 HT Emily Stoddard

Chapbook Contests and Reading Periods Please see the How to Use This Spreadsheet tab at lower right for details on filtering and on how to submit an opportunity for consideration. Name of press/publisher,Name of contest (if applicable),Currently Open? ,Next/Current Reading period opens ,Next/Mos...

07/12/2023

47 Romance Publishers Open to Direct Submission, curated by Authors Publish

For the first few years of Authors Publish, even though I only reviewed romance publishers that were over a year old, I had no lack of options in terms of romance publishers to review. They were the easiest genre to find publishers open to direct submissions, other than those focused on non-fiction....

07/12/2023

"To seek understanding before taking action, yet to trust my instincts when action is called for. Never to avoid danger from fear, never to seek out danger for its own sake. Never to conform to fashion from fear of eccentricity, never to be eccentric from fear of conformity."
-Steven Brust, novelist (b. 23 Nov 1955) via A.Word.A.Day

adjective: Having five syllables.

06/12/2023

The Poets & Writers Literary Magazines database lists more than 900 magazines to which you can submit your work. Newest listings include: the Bicoastal Review, Active Voice Magazine, Anacapa Review, and Long River Review.
https://www.pw.org/literary_magazines

06/12/2023

Why and How to Get a Chapbook Published
https://authorspublish.com/why-and-how-to-get-a-chapbook-published/
via Authors Publish

Explore the Art of Memoir and Get Extensive Feedback on Your Writing. Get the tools and guidance needed to write a memoir that connects deeply with readers, meets the needs of publishers, and aligns with your personal values. Learn more here.

06/12/2023

Over the next six months, inmates in prisons around the country will be able to debate and vote on the winner of a new book award — the Inside Literary Prize https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/04/books/inside-literary-prize.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Dk0.p-s9.cUesrLoeCHLx&smid=tw-share via The New York Times Books HT Literary Hub

Over the next six months, inmates in prisons around the country will be able to debate and vote on the winner of a new book award — the Inside Literary Prize.

05/12/2023

Deadline Jan 8: Erma Bombeck Writing Competition; submit an unpublished personal essay up to 450 words (humor or human interest) to win $1,000, online publication, and free admission to the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop; special awards for entries from Ohio; fee: $25
https://www.wclibrary.info/erma/

05/12/2023

Curated by Authors Publish, here are themed calls and contests from 45 outlets for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Themes include the end; surf noir; strange clocks & different calendars; mathematical horror; color; familiars; the brides of Dracula; the map of lost places; rattus futura; pirate tales; and here there be dragons.

These are themed calls and contests from 45 outlets for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; a few outlets have more than one call. Some of the calls are: the end; surf noir; strange clocks & different calendars; mathematical horror; color; familiars; the brides of Dracula; the map of lost places; rattu...

05/12/2023

"The grass so little has to do", a poem by Emily Dickinson
https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/114/the-poems-of-emily-dickinson-series-one/2612/nature-poem-9-the-grass/ via Lit2Go, "a free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format"

04/12/2023

Deadline Jan 14: The Colorado Prize for Poetry; submit an unpublished poetry manuscript of 48-100 pages to win $2,500 and publication by the Center for Literary Publishing; fee: $28; final judge: Brenda Shaughnessy
https://coloradoreview.colostate.edu/colorado-prize-for-poetry/
via Colorado Review with Submittable

04/12/2023

"Split the Lark", a poem by Emily Dickinson
https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Dickinson_Split.pdf
via Harvard University Press and University of Pennsylvania

04/12/2023

Check out the top 23 LGBTQ Christian books of 2023 — including theology, Bible, memoir, church life and history by diverse authors
https://qspirit.net/top-lgbtq-christian-books-2023/ via Q Spirit

03/12/2023

Closing Dec. 18: Heroines Women's Writing Prize and Heroines Anthology Vol. 5 for poetry by women about "lost women's history, untold stories, and reimagined myths, fairy tales, folklore or legends". $500 prize, $15 submission fee. At least 50 poems will be included in the anthology. Previously published work OK.

We are looking for poetry with a particular focus on telling lost women's history, untold stories, and reimagined myths, fairy tales, folklore or legends, or speculative fiction. 

03/12/2023

21 Writing Contests for December 2023, curated by Chill Subs

Last chance to submit to these contests closing before the end of the year.

03/12/2023

From Local, to Global, to Gone: On the Rise and Fall of Borders Books
* Tom Borders Reflects on Lessons Learned in the World of Bookselling
https://lithub.com/from-local-to-global-to-gone-on-the-rise-and-fall-of-borders-books/ via Literary Hub and Two Trees Press

03/12/2023

"This Is Not a Poem" by Joyce Carol Oates
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/02/08/this-is-not-a-poem via The New Yorker

02/12/2023

Deadline Dec 31: Press 53 Award for Short Fiction; submit an unpublished short story collection of 100-250 pages to win $1,000 and publication; fee: $30; judge: Claire V. Foxx
https://www.press53.com/award-for-short-fiction with Submittable HT NewPages.com

02/12/2023

"At A Poetry Festival", a poem by Najwan Darwish
Translated from the Arabic by Kareem James Abu-Zeid
https://poems.com/poem/at-a-poetry-festival/ via Poetry Daily and Action Books

02/12/2023

chrysalis––
how little I know
of my father’s life

-Mark Miller

chrysalis–– how little I know of my father’s life  

01/12/2023

Sponsored > Deadline Jan 31: William Saroyan International Prize for Writing - a biennial competition for newly-published books, intended to encourage new or emerging writers. Fiction and nonfiction published in 2022 and 2023 can win $5,000. Fee: $50.
https://saroyanprize.sites.stanford.edu/
via the William Saroyan Foundation with Stanford University

01/12/2023

Today Only! Download "What the Chinese Spy Balloon Saw" along with 66 other free poetry e-books as part of the 19th annual Poetry Super Highway E-Book Free-For-All
https://www.poetrysuperhighway.com/psh/great-poetry-e-book-free/

01/12/2023

Deadline Dec 18: Workplace Anthology Contest; no fee; ReadWrite Strategies and Dr. Jim Dunn are offering up to $500 and publication for true, funny, first-person vignettes about the workplace, up to 1,200 words
https://readwritestrategies.com/submissions #1 HT FundsforWriters

01/12/2023

Sponsored > Deadline Dec 31: Lilith Magazine's Annual Fiction Contest; no fee, submit a story up to 3,000 words to win $300 and publication. Lilith is independent, Jewish & frankly feminist and seeks quality short stories with heart, soul and chutzpah. https://lilith.org/contact/writing-for-lilith/

01/12/2023

12 Literary Contests and Prizes with Deadlines in December, curated by The Masters Review
https://mastersreview.com/december-deadlines-12-contests-and-prizes-this-month/

30/11/2023

The Poets & Writers Grants & Awards database currently lists seventy writing contests with deadlines between now and January 15—including the Longleaf Press Book Contest, which offers $1,000, twenty-five author copies, and publication for a poetry chapbook (deadline: December 15)

A list of 70 Upcoming Writing Contest deadlines from Poets & Writers Magazine November/December 2023, page 1

30/11/2023

Deadline Dec 1: Marvin Bell Memorial Poetry Prize; submit unpublished poems to win $1,500 and publication by December Magazine; judge: Dorianne Laux; fee: $20 for 1-3 poems; exclusive submission requested
https://decembermag.org/2024-marvin-bell-memorial-poetry-prize/ with Submittable

30/11/2023

Self-Publishing Your Book? Don’t Miss These Steps!
https://insights.bookbub.com/self-publishing-nanowrimo-book-steps/ via BookBub Partners

30/11/2023

96 Calls for Submissions in December 2023, curated by Erica Verrillo.
"All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to poetry to essays."

This December there are eight dozen calls for submissions. All of these are paying markets, and none charge submission fees. As always, every genre, style, and form is wanted, from short stories to...

29/11/2023

57 Writing Contests in December 2023 - No entry fees - Curated by Erica Verrillo
* Short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays

This December there are more than four dozen free writing contests for short fiction, novels, poetry, CNF, nonfiction, and plays. Prizes range from $40,000 to publication. None charge entry fees....

29/11/2023

21 Popular Fantasy Tropes for Writers
https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/popular-fantasy-tropes-for-writers by Robert Lee Brewer via Writer's Digest

Here are 21 examples of fantasy tropes for writers to consider and subvert when writing fantastical fiction.

29/11/2023

"A Room Stacked with Newspaper", a prose poem by Eva Saulitis
https://poems.com/poem/a-room-stacked-with-newspaper/
via Poetry Daily and Alaska Quarterly Review

28/11/2023

Poetry Super Highway invites you to consider these literary organizations for your charity
https://www.poetrysuperhighway.com/psh/giving-tuesday/

28/11/2023

Deadline Dec 10: Troubadour International Poetry Prize; submit unpublished poems up to 45 lines each to win £2,000, online publication, and invitation to a reading; fee: £6/€7/$8 per poem; judged by Mona Arshi and Tom Sleigh
http://www.coffeehousepoetry.org/prizes

28/11/2023

4 Distinctive Writing Conferences and Workshops in December 2023, curated by Erica Verrillo
https://ericaverrillo.com/blog/4-distinctive-writing-conferences-and-workshops-in-december-2023

Preview selected January conferences at https://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/p/writers-conferences.html

Because of the holidays, writing conferences are sparse in December. That doesn't mean there are none worth attending. ​ For a month-by-month list of conferences throughout the year see: Writing...

28/11/2023

waking yet not waking ...
this silent heart-to-heart
with my late father

-Chen-ou Liu

waking yet not waking … this silent heart-to-heart with my late father  

27/11/2023

Today only!

Next Generation Short Story Awards - Enter a 2nd category for free
https://shortstoryawards.com/guidelines.php

Next Generation Indie Book Awards - Enter a 2nd category for free
https://indiebookawards.com/guidelines.php

27/11/2023

Deadline Nov 30: Frontier Poetry Award for New Poets; new and emerging writers may submit unpublished poems to win $3,000 and publication; fee: $20 for 1-3 poems (up to 5 pages in all); judge: torrin a. greathouse
https://www.frontierpoetry.com/poetry-awards/ with Submittable

27/11/2023

The Most Common Formatting Mistakes (When Submitting to a Literary Journal)
https://www.submititnow.com/post/the-most-common-formatting-mistakes-when-submitting-to-a-literary-journal via Submitit HT Lit Mag News

Since part of my job is to work on—which is to say, less euphemistically, “to fix”—formatting issues with the stories and essays I receive, you might say I’m writing this post for one reason only: to help writers get these things right before I receive their work. It would save me some tim...

27/11/2023

"How to Be a Real Indian", a poem by Kenzie Allen
https://www.narrativemagazine.com/issues/poems-week-2015-2016/poem-week/how-be-real-indian-kenzie-allen via Narrative Magazine

26/11/2023

Deadline Jan 15: The 2024 Henry Morgenthau III First Book Poetry Prize for a writer age 70 or older; US poets aged 70+ may submit an unpublished manuscript of 30-40 poems to win $3,000 and publication by Passager; fee: $25
https://www.passagerbooks.com/submit/ with Submittable