Summer is about to strike, but there are still some great writing contests to be found!
As I hope you all know, contests are certainly not the only way to grab the interest of an agent or publisher. Good old fashioned querying can certainly be the way to go. Check out a market book, do your research, make a list of targets, and start querying!
Of course, contests are a fun way to break up the submission routine. (See our About Contests post if you have any doubts or questions about entering a contest. And please, read those contest rules carefully!) Contests are listed by closing date.
Here’s this month’s Roundup:
May:
5/31: Write Club 2014 – Submit a 500 word sample to be considered for one of 32 participants that compete in weekly bouts. There are agent and editor judges participating. (Thanks to Pat Harris for bringing this one to my attention!)
June:
6/1: Hillerman Prize – Open to unpublished author of a mystery set in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, or Utah. Winner receives $10,000.00 and a publishing contract from St. Martin’s Press. Guidelines available here.
6/2: The Montegrappa Scholastic Prize for New Children’s Writing – Open to writers in the UK and Ireland only. Submit the first 5,000 words of your novel for children aged 7-12. Winner will receive a publishing deal from Scholastic UK, representation from LBA Books, and a weekend for two in Venice. Ooo la la.
6/11: #SFFPIT – Pitch your fantasy or science fiction. All age categories are welcome (PB, MG, YA, NA, and adult.) Pitching is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central time using the #SFFPIT hashtag. See the event post on Dan Koboldt’s for some great pitching tips and information.
6/16: Pitcharama– Open to young adult and new adult manuscripts. Sign up on their list (upcoming) then post your 250 word pitch on your blog on 6/16. Winning pitches will be put in front of a team of publishing professionals on 6/27. Read the list of participating editors on this post at Aussie Owned and Read.
6/20: July Mystery Agent Lottery – It doesn’t say who the agent is or what the prize might be, but you can enter to be one of 15 pitches for a completed Young Adult, Speculative fiction, Adult romance or Picture book to be posted on the Operation Awesome blog for Mystery Agent Day.
6/27: Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers program – Open to published authors only, with less than 10,000 books sold. Winner will have their book promoted at Barnes & Noble.
6/30: Greenhouse Funny Prize – Open to writers in the UK, Commonwealth (excluding Canada) and Europe. Submit your picture book, middle grade, or young adult. Unagented writers only. Winner receives an offer of representation from The Greenhouse Literary Agency.
Be on the lookout for Miss Snark’s First Victim’s monthly Secret Agent Contest (around mid-month it seems) if you’re brave enough to submit to an agent without having any idea who they are.
Upcoming:
7/31: To the Lighthouse & Clarissa Dalloway Book Prize – Open to women only. Two awards, one to an unpublished collection of poetry (48 to 96 pages) and one for prose (50,000 to 150,000 words). “For the Clarissa Dalloway Book Prize, accepted genres include but are not limited to memoir, biography, novel or novella, young adult literature, and graphic novels. Winners receive $1000 and publication of their submitted collection by Red Hen Press.”
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.”
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.
9/30: Lee & Low New Voices Award – Open to writers of color only. Fiction, nonfiction, or poetry for ages 5-12 that “should address the needs of children of color by providing stories with which they can identify and relate, and which promote a greater understanding of one another.
10/2014: Nightmare on Query Street – What is your main character afraid of? Check out the details from last year’s contest.
Looking for more? Browse Freelance Writing or Poets & Writers database. There are lots of interesting contests there. Many are very specific but who knows what might inspire you!
Know of a great contest we missed? Contact us at subitclub (at) gmail (dot) com.
Sub It Club 
I’m not partial or anything…but WRiTE CLUB is a can’t miss event! It’s a great litmus test for your writing…and the best part is that its all anonymous! 🙂
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It’s a great one alright! Thank you for putting it together DL.
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Reblogged this on Mrs C Writes and commented:
Excellent roundup as usual…
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Thanks Mrs. C!
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Thank ya for ALL you guys do!
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Well you are certainly welcome my friend!
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