Contests
Participate in different Contests to
Raise your profile by entering your work.
Entries for the 2024 Writing Contests may be submitted at any time after the entrant has registered. The deadline for entries is August 20, 2024. Winners will be announced at the conference. You must be registered for the conference to enter. Once you have paid the contest entry fee, you may enter as many categories as you wish, up to five entries in each category. You may not enter the same material in multiple categories. The categories are listed below.
Unpublished Categories
Fiction
Flash Fiction
Inspirational
Nonfiction
Children's Books
(including picture books, chapter books, middle grade)
Young Adult
Play/Screenplay
Memoir
Poetry
Published Categories
Must have been published in 2023 or 2024.
Fiction
Non Fiction
Poetry
Children's
General Rules
- You must be registered for the conference to submit to the contest.
- In the unpublished category all submissions are limited to ten pages or fewer, except for Flash Fiction, which should be limited to two pages. If submitting from a book, submit a 10 page segment/section.
- Contest fee allows you to enter as many categories as you wish, up to five entries in each category.
- You may NOT enter the same material in multiple categories.
- Piece must have been published in 2023 or 2024.
- These categories are open to conference attendees plus conference speakers (past and present), exhibitors, and sponsors.
- You need only submit one digital copy of your entry. Make sure all information identifying the entrant is only on the first page.
- There are no length limitations, submit your entire published work.
- You cannot submit the same work in both the published and unpublished categories. If it’s been published, it can only be submitted in the published category.
- You cannot submit the same work, or sections of the same work, in multiple categories.
- Submissions for the Published categories must be received by August 1, 2024.
- Winners in the Published categories will receive medals and a cash prize.
Formatting Guidelines
- Double-spaced
- Times New Roman, twelve-point font,
- One-inch margins on all sides
- Poetry may be formatted as the author pleases.
- The title, author name, and category of each entry should appear on the first (cover) page of the file, but not on any of the subsequent pages.
- File should be saved in this format: Category – Author — Title of Piece. (For Example: Fiction — Bernhardt — ToKillAMockingbird)
Exclusions
- No manuscripts that have been previously published, in print or electronically, in whole or in part, may be submitted in the unpublished categories.
- Material that has previously placed first in WriterCon contests may not be resubmitted.
The contest entry fee is $29.00 and you can pay during registration, or you can add it later simply by going to the registration page as well.
Contest questions can be submitted to storytellers@writercon.com.
Submit your pieces below.