Writing contests are a great way to hone your skills and earn some great rewards. We have picked out five to get stuck into this spring.
Many of us have a secret, or not-so-secret writer inside of us. Research shows that writing has a lot of positive impact on our lives, whether or not we are published.
Expressing ourselves through the written word can be therapeutic and it can help teach us to communicate more clearly.
To help you find motivation for writing, provide creative prompts or to take your writing to the next level, consider joining a writing contest!
What Are Writing Contests?
There is a wide variety of writing contests out there and it is important to do a bit of research before signing up. While there are many legitimate contests, there are some that simply take advantage of inexperienced writers.
They lure people in with the promise of an irresistible prize in order to get you to pay a fee to enter. While there are many legitimate contests that involve fees, it is better to get yourself acquainted with the free ones first.
Before You Enter ANY Writing Contests
It is important to learn a bit about writing contests before you dive right in. Most writing contests will have specific guidelines.
They will specify if they want fiction, non-fiction, a specific word count, or a particular genre. They can also have super specific topics.
It is important to triple-check all the guidelines, including eligibility to enter. Some contests target people from specific demographics including nationality, age, gender and even employment.
Free contests may not offer the most appealing prizes, but it’s a fair trade-off for free submissions. Keep in mind that there are still rules to follow.
Make sure that you understand if you get to keep the rights to the work you are submitting.
Also, make sure you don’t submit the same piece to multiple contests at the same time unless it is explicitly allowed.
Reedsy’s Weekly Writing Contests: Short
Reedsy is a company that helps writers craft beautiful books. They aim to change the way books are published by giving authors and publishers access to talented professionals, powerful tools as well as free educational content.
They also have free weekly contests that anyone can enter for free.
There are five story prompts every week and you can enter just one, or all five. The stories need to be between 1,000 and 3,000 words and the winner gets $50!
League of Poets: Short Story or Poem
The League of Poets is looking for writing entries that bring the world together. They want writing that seeks for unification, exhorts love, harmonizes truth and portrays touching acts of kindness.
They are looking to create a beautiful, intercontinental anthology. Submit a short story under 500 words or a poem no longer than 14 lines by March 31st 2021. 50 writers and 300 poets will be published in two anthologies for each continent.
The Fountain Magazine: Short Non-Fiction
The Fountain Magazine understands how difficult 2020 has been for most of us. In their free writing contest, they ask us to let it all out in writing.
By March 1st, 2021, submit your COVID-19 story with a word count of 1,500-2,500. You are welcome to write about anything you like but they encourage contestants to avoid speculative narratives and political polarisation.
Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest: Long Fiction
Ron Hubbard’s writing contest has a lot of rules and a juicy prize of $5,000!
They are looking for longer prose of up to 17,000 words and the genre must be science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy.
They do not accept poetry or stories meant for children. The contest is quarterly and you can apply every time. The upcoming deadline is March 31st, 2021.
Inkitt: Long Fiction
Inkitt offers unusual writing contests that take place every month.
What makes them unique is that your submission will be published and judged on their reader engagement. This includes likes, reads and reviews.
Any non-winning entries will roll over into the next month.
All genres of fiction are accepted but unfortunately, poetry and fan-fiction are not. You are allowed multiple entries over multiple months as long as your submissions are a minimum of 10,000 words.
There are so many writing contests out there that can help you get your work out there.
Writing competitions can be a great way to enter the writing world because it doesn’t require you to find an agent to get published.
Not all writing contests are made equal. In fact, every single one has its cost, rules, requirements and more. Find the right one for you and become the published author of your dreams!
Every day during the week, we bring you amazing opportunities from across the world just like this one.
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