March Contest Roundup

Spring is here and contests are popping up all over! We hope you’ll find one here that’s right for you. There’s lots to consider when entering contests so checkout our About Contests post if you have any doubts or questions. And please, read those contest rules carefully! Scroll down to see the entire contest list. We’ll add more contests to the list throughout the month when we find them. Entries added after the original post date are in pink.

Just a reminder, today, 2/26 is #MWSL – This isn’t a contest but it’s helpful so I wanted to include it. Agents use the hashtag from time to time but there is a planned tweetup on the 26th. Agents will be tweeting their wish lists using the #MWSL hashtag. You can check out the #MWSL Tumblr for past tweets.

On Now:

Now – 3/1: March Madness Poetry Write Off at Think Kid – There are cash prizes payments for poems in certain rounds. Bracket selection will be March 2nd so get your application in asap. “First words will be assigned on Monday, March 17th, and the first poems will be up for vote on Wednesday afternoon, March 19th. Read the Authlete Application for more details.

Now – 3/2:  Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award – “One Grand Prize winner will receive a publishing contract with a $50,000 advance, and four First Prize winners will each receive a publishing contract with an advance of $15,000. Visit the Prizes page for the full list of prizes and details. The categories include five popular genres: General Fiction, Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror and Young Adult Fiction. For complete eligibility details, view the Official Contest Rules, or read details on how to enter. Visit CreateSpace to learn more.” Please read the contest rules carefully before entering!

Now – 3/7: Fourth Annual NaNoWriMo Pitchapalooza –  Pitch your book in 250 words. 25 randomly selected pitches will be critiqued online. One winner will  be chosen to receive an introduction to an agent or publisher appropriate for his/her manuscript. The fan favorite will be given a one-hour consultation with The Book Doctors. All pitches must be received by 11:59 PST on March 7, 2014.

 

Now – 4/1: Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest  – Seeking submissions of humor poems. Published or unpublished work is permitted. Poems may be of any length. $1000 first prize, 10 honorable mention prizes of $100. You can read the full guidelines by clicking on the link in the sidebar. Taking submissions now -April 1st.

Now -4/12: Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize – For 1st novel by a female UK resident over 21. They’re looking for a novel that marries literary merit with unputdownability. Open to MG, YA, NA and Adult manuscripts. There is a fee of £10 per entry for this contest!

Now – 5/5: Criminal Lines – Open to unagented, debut authors born or residing in the UK or Ireland. Send your send the first 15,000 words and an 800 word max. synopsis of your crime, suspense or thriller novel. First prize: £1,000. Second Prize: entry to the Festival of Writing 2014

Now – 5/15: Remixing the World’s Problems Challenge – Using the poems from Solving the World’s Problems by Robert Lee Brewer as inspiration, write your own remix poem. Winning remix will receive $500 from the author.

March 2014:

3/1 – 3/31: Chronicle Books, Great Tumblr Book Search – “Use Tumblr to explain your humor book idea. Then our editors will judge the entries and choose a grand-prize winner whose idea will be considered for publication. You may use an existing Tumblr or create a new Tumblr to illustrate your book idea. Just make us laugh!”  Tag your post  “TumblrBookSearch” and include your title, concept, and synopsis. One winner will have their book idea considered for publication, get a feedback session with a Chronicle Books editor, and receive $300 of Chronicle books. Three Runners-Up will receive a written critique from Chronicle Books editors and $100 of Chronicle Books. Be sure to read the official rules and enter via their entry form.

3/1 – 3/31: SCBWI Work-In-Progress Grants – Seven Grants of $2,000 will be awarded annually, one in each category. Seven Runner-Up Grants of $500 will also be awarded, one in each category. Authors of other projects cited by the judges as noteworthy will receive a Letter of Merit. Categories include: Picture Book Text (Barbara Karlin Grant), General Fiction, Contemporary young adult novel, Multi-cultural fiction, and Nonfiction research . You must be a member of SCBWI to apply.

3/3: March Secret Agent Contest at Miss Snark’s First Victim. Submission window will be open from noon to 6:00pm EDT to MG, YA, and adult manuscripts. 50 entries will be randomly selected to move on to the agent round.

3/3 – 4/4: Australian & New Zealand Residents Only!  THE TEXT PRIZE FOR YOUNG ADULT & CHILDREN’S WRITING – “Awarded annually to the best manuscript written for young adults and children, the Text Prize has unearthed extraordinary, multi-award-winning novels and launched international publishing careers. The winner receives $10,000 and a publishing contract with Text Publishing.” Fill out an entry form. $25 entry fee.

3/4 – 3/18: Dear Lucky Agent Contest – This contest is open to contemporary middle grade fiction. Submit your first 150-200 words along with your title and logline. Entrants must you must mention this contest twice through any any social media and send the links as a part of their entry. Top three winners get Top 3 winners all get a critique of the first 10 double-spaced pages of your work, by agent Christa Heschke of McIntosh & Otis, and a free one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com.

3/6: Mid Grade Madness with Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary – Pitch your Middle Grade novel in 7 sentences or less. The first 51 entries will be accepted. Entry opens at 6pm CST. Top 10 pitches will be invited to submit the first 7 pages of their novel. Five winners will receive a 30 minute phone call with Terrie where, “In addition to a critique of the first seven (7) pages originally entered into the contest, each winner will be encouraged to discuss their work in general, and will be invited to ask questions pertaining to their writing careers and the publishing industry.” 

3/10: Pitch Madness– Submission are open from 12:01 AM EST, March 10 until 11:59PM EST. Compete to win agent requests. Accepting Middle Grade, Young Adult, New Adult, and novel length Adult fiction. Completed and polished manuscripts only. No non-fiction. You can read the schedule here.

Entrants must submit a 35-word (maximum) pitch plus the first 250 words of your manuscript. If the 250th word falls in the middle of a sentence, go to the end of the sentence. More information to come.

3/25: a #PitMad Twitter Pitch Party from 8AM to 8PM EST. Read the rules here.

April:

4/1: NestPitch – Top 100-120 pitches will be chosen to move on to the agent round. 9 bloggers will pick their 8 favorites to post. Secret agents will then jump in. You can look to the blog nestpitch.wordpress.com  and @nestpitch on Twitter for the lastest information.

4/1-8/31: International Children’s Story Competition –  This year’s theme is, “Grandpa, grandma and I in the multicultural society.” Read about the previous year’s competition at Inclusive Works. There is lot information there to be aware of before entering.

4/4-5/1: Like A Virgin Pitch Contest – This contest is open to Young Adult and New Adult manuscripts that have not been entered intoany other online pitch contests. See the eligibility guidelines for details. Finalists will have their pitches reviewed by agents and editors. Here’s how to enter.

4/15 – 8/15: Pockets Magazine Fiction Contest – Stories should be 750–1,000 words. (Stories shorter than 750 words or longer than 1,000 words will be disqualified.) From the Pockets website: “Our primary interest is in stories that can help children deal with real-life situations. We do not accept stories about talking animals or inanimate objects. Fictional characters and some elaboration may be included in scripture stories, but the writer must remain faithful to the story.”

Upcoming:

Know of a contest we missed? Contact us at subitclub (at) gmail (dot) com!