Find more websites at Gridlocked.

Best Site in Writer's Digest magazine for: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 & 2007
#3 of The Writer magazine's "25 Best Writer Websites"

CONTESTS

Search for: Poetry Fiction competitions in The United States The United Kingdom Australia Search results powered by

Offsite Contests

* Calling all Children’s Short Story Authors...
Deadline is April 25th
Pinestein Press is looking for your best horror story that centers around one of the most chilling haunts a kid can think of...the school lunch room, that mysterious place where creepy creatures dwell, and evil lurks, and mischief reigns, and things go bump in the day AND night! Write a short story for kids (ages 7-10) centered around the mysterious and horror-filled goings-on of a fictional school lunch room. Tell your story in no more than 1,500 words, and include the ookiest, yuckiest, scariest, chillingest plot lines, the most compelling dialogue, the most memorable characters, the most humorous tone,and the most surprising twist-and-turn ending ever! Winners will be those that demonstrate extraordinary writing and indisputable kid appeal! More details are on the web site at http://www.pinestein.com/contest

* ACTober Fest - Ten Minute Play Festival
Deadline: April 30, 2007
Entry Fee: $5 per play (Free for youth under 18)
$200 Merce Award - Twenty-one plays are chosen then divided into three groups that will be presented as part of ACToberFest in October and November 2007.
http://www.fireroseproductions.com/Pages/10min2007-1.html

* My Sweetie Poetry Contest
Deadline: May 15th
Entry Fee: $1 for up to 3 poems
Winner will be announced in May issue of From the Asylum. Prizes:
1st: $25 and publication on website
2nd: $15 and publication on website
3rd: $5 and publication on website
Honorable Mention: Up to 3 Honorable Mentions. $1 entry fee refunded and publication on website. Any style/form/length but must begin with the following first line:
"My Sweetie wears…"
The poem should be "R" rated, at a maximum. (Prefer PG or PG-13.) Cursing is acceptable; hardcore porn is not. Humor is welcome and expected, as is any sort of speculative poetry (i.e. horror, SF, fantasy, etc.).
Example:
My Sweetie wears the book of the dead
on a chain around his wrist
[Obviously, the poem would probably be longer than 2 lines…]
To Enter:
Send by mail to:
From the Asylum Books and Press
Attn: Poetry Contest
PO Box 1519
Dickinson, TX 77539
Include a check or money order.
Or send by email to: mailto:fta@fromtheasylum.com and pay by PayPal at the website.

* 76th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition
Entry Deadline: Tuesday, May 15, 2007
GRAND PRIZE: $3,000 cash and a trip to New York City to meet with editors or agents. Writer's Digest will fly you and a guest to The Big Apple, where you'll spend three days and two nights in the publishing capital of the world. While you're there, a Writer's Digest editor will escort you to meet and share your work with four editors or agents! Plus, you'll receive a free Diamond Publishing Package from Outskirts Press.
https://www.writersdigest.com/contests/annual/76th/

* Boomer Women Speak APRIL-MAY Writing Contest
My Favorite Memory of the 50s, 60s, or 70s
Deadline: May 31, 2007
Entry Fee: NONE - Great prizes including $50.00 CASH, books, and New Membership or Renewal to NABBW! Remember "Hey Jude" or "American Pie?" Maybe you remember riding around all week on $2.00 worth of gas. Or … eating foot-longs at the local Dairy Queen? When your memories stir, does your heart race back to prom night? Don't let "what happened at Woodstock stay in Woodstock!" Why not share your favorite memory with us and win prizes? We want to know your favorite memory of the 50s, 60s or 70s. Send us your fav and let us all travel with you down memory lane. Just think, this time you don't have to buy gas! Please visit us at http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com for guidelines and submission information.

* The Howard Frank Mosher Short Fiction Prize
Deadline: June 1st, 2007
Entry Fee: $15
Will be judged by Wally Lamb this year. Lamb is the author of She's Come Undone and Oprah Book Club selection I Know This Much Is True, and served as editor of the best-selling Couldn't Keep It to Myself, an anthology of stories written by female inmates at Connecticut's only maximum-security prison for women. The deadline for the Howard Frank Mosher Short Fiction Prize is June 1, 2007. The prize awards $1,000.00 and publication. A $15 entry fee includes the Fall 2007 Issue of Hunger Mountain. For complete guidelines, visit http://www.hungermtn.org

* WRITING CONTEST HOSTED BY WHISPERS PUBLISHING
Deadline: August 1st, 2007
Entry Fee: not listed
Whispers will be hosting a writing contest. The contest is open to all writers published and unpublished. The contest will be written in a series called The Seven Wonders of the World. The series will consist of 12 e-books with each e-book hosting two short stories. Each short story will be titled “The Seven Wonders of the World” with the subtitle being your own, but in reference to your selected world wonder. Example:
The Seven Wonders of the World
Love in the Eiffel Tower
You can log on to http://wonderclub.com/AllWorldWonders.html and choose any one wonder from the 9 lists of world wonders. Requirements:
Storyline should be based on the chosen world wonder Entries should have a minimum of 2,500 words but should not exceed 10,000 words and should be double spaced.
Entries that include m/m, f/f, bondage, rape, or bestiality will not be considered and will be returned to the author. All genres of romance will be accepted
Prospective entries should be submitted no later than midnight (12:00 a.m.) EST on August 1, 2007. Entries should consist of a detailed query which should include a brief bio, a blurb, word count, and your publishing credits (if any).
Each submission should be written in a Microsoft Word document and emailed to mailto:submissions@whispershome.com with the words World Wonders Entry in the subject line.
Your name (both real name and pseudonym if used), address, telephone number, and a valid email address must be included with your query. More information can be found on our submissions page at http://scarletpublishing.com/whispers/submissions.php
Multiple entries will be accepted, but must consist of different wonder themes
Prizes: 12 Winners will receive a contract for publication of the short story. Additionally, the novella voted best of all entries will receive a $25.00 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble or Amazon and inclusion in Whispers Publishing’s next print anthology volume. Second and third place winners for best novella will receive $10 gift certificates to Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com along with contracts for publication.

* Hunger Mountain Creative Nonfiction Prize
Deadline: September 10, 2007
Entry Fee: $15
The newly established Hunger Mountain Creative Nonfiction Prize will be judged by Sue William Silverman, author of Love Sick: One Woman's Journey Through Sexual Addiction and editor of the journal Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction. The deadline for the Hunger Mountain Creative Nonfiction Prize is September 10, 2007 (entries will be accepted beginning June 1, 2007). The prize awards $1,000.00 and publication. A $15 entry fee includes acopy of the Spring 2008 Issue of Hunger Mountain. For complete guidelines, visit http://www.hungermtn.org

ONGOING CONTESTS

“Silly” Sottile’s Monthly Poetry Contest for Kids
“Silly” Sottile has a Monthly Poetry Contest for kids in grades 1-12. Winning poems for kids in grades (1-5), middle grades (6-8), and high school (9-12) will be featured for a month. No entry fees or cash prizes, just the joy of being posted online and archived. (He likes silly, serious or mysterious poems.) Follow the link for more details and inspirational writing suggestions.
http://www.joe-sottile.com

Perpetual Writing Contest
"Life for Change" seeks stories for a new type of contest. People write their story, others vote for it, and the author of the story with the most votes wins a payout. Right now payouts are $100 US, but the site aims to award over $12,000 per month.
http://www.lifeforchange.com/life

MountainLand Publishing Contests
Mountainland Publishing offers the following awards:
The Mountainland Short Fiction Award - Monthly
The Mountainland Creative Non-fiction Award - Monthly
The Mountainland First Chapter Award - Monthly
The Mountainland Full-length Fiction Award - Quarterly
The Mountainland Poetry Award - Monthly
http://www.mountainlandpublishing.com/contests.html

Mini Murder Mystery Contest
Do you want to write a mystery? Here's your chance! This month, I'm hosting a mini mystery contest. I have supplied the setting and some possible characters. You write the story. Winner receives a prize. The best one(s) will be posted on my website. For details, visit the Contest page at http://www.RelaxWithRonda.com

The Drew McAdam £1,000 Short Story Writing Competition Deadline: March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31 Entry Fee: £10 for the whole year plus free book Here's a brand new Short Story Writing Competition that could win entrants £250 every quarter throughout 2004. We are looking for short stories in every category. Romance. Mystery. Crime. Twist-in-the-Tale. Sci-Fi. You name it. And each story will be judged on its own merits. The quarterly prizes are: £150, £75 and £25 for stories judged 1st, 2nd and 3rd. UK£1000 currently = US$1650 approximately. http://www.theshortstorywriter.com/competition.html

AMERICAN MARKETS NEWSLETTER COMPETITION Deadline: July 31 and December 31. Guidelines for SASE. Entry Fee: $10 for 1 entry; $15 for 2 entries; $20 for 3 entries; and $25 for 4 or 5 entries (payable to S. O'Connor). Entries are eligible for cash prizes and all entries are eligible for worldwide syndication whether they win or not. Here's how it works. Send us your double-spaced manuscripts with your story/article title, byline, word count, and address on the first page above your article/story's first paragraph (no need for separate cover page). There is no limit to the number of entries you may send." Bi-annually. Prizes: 1st Place: $300; 2nd Place: $100; 3rd Place: $50. Judged by a panel of independent judges. Open to any writer, published or not. Previously published articles actively encouraged. American Markets Newsletter, 1974 46th Ave., San Francisco CA 94116. E-mail: sheila.oconnor@juno.com. Contact: Sheila O'Connor.

Bella Online Contest Listing

AuthorShowcase Free Short Fiction Contest - Monthly

Diamond Cutters International/Marriage Proposal Essay - No Deadline

Flight Humor Writing Contest - No Deadline

Voices Anthology Contest - Ongoing

Biff Boards Ongoing Short Story Contest - Ongoing

Current Contest Listing- Ongoing

Coffeehouse for Writers - Ongoing

Crossroads Magic ezine
Deadlines: Oct. 15th, Dec. 15th, Feb. 15th, April
15th, June 15th, Aug. 15th
Entry Fee: $ 3.00
Bi monthly ezine, cross-genre, with articles, poetry
and reviews. All winning entries are published, with
an interview of the winner, in the next issue of Crossroads Magic. Small cash prize and gif "Crossroadswinner" included. Gif may be posted on your author's page. Please send your entry to mailto:ghostposts2003@yahoo.com. Courier 12 font, as
an rtf attatchment. In the subject line include
"Crossroads Contest" As always, any genre counts. 3
winners, no special catagory. Just the best entries.
The mag doesn't discriminate. If the writing is good,
I use it. The point is to get the work (and author)
exposure. Basically, if it makes me sit up and say,
"Yes!", it wins. Entries are accepted year round.
Winners are notified by email. If an entry is late, it
is held over for the next magazine issue. Email me for
further info, or visit http://www.crossroadsmagic.com
for further details. editor: susie hawes
mailto:ghostposts2003@yahoo.com or
mailto:susie76306@yahoo.com
http://www.crossroadsmagic.com

Pioneer Drama Service: Shubert Fendrich Memorial
Playwriting Contest
Deadline: March 1st (yearly)
Entry Fee: None
This is not a poetry contest, but we wanted to alert
you to this free contest from a leading publisher of
middle-school, high-school and community-theater
plays. Winner receives a $1,000 royalty advance in
addition to publication. Pioneer specializes in farce
and musical comedy that would be appropriate for
family audiences. Postmark deadline is 3/1 each year.
http://www.pioneerdrama.com/stuff/contest.html

Webstatic’s Free Poetry / Prose Contest - Ongoing

WriterSpace Book Contests - Ongoing

Writers Digest Contests - Ongoing

  Writers Online Contest - Posted every 2 weeks (Ongoing)

Writer Online Marketplace Contest - check for dates