3 Writing Competitions for Writer’s Digest

Enter the 81st Annual Writing Competition and gain access to agents, to editors, to your peers, to readers. Winning entries will be on display in the 81st Annual Writer’s Digest Competition Collection and entrants will gain the spotlight they deserve.

Entry Fee

Poems: $15 for the first entry; $10 for each additional poem submitted submitted during the same transaction.
All other entries: $25 for the first manuscript; $15 for each additional entry submitted during the same transaction.

Prizes

GRAND PRIZE:

$3,000 cash
a trip to the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City
individual attention from 4 editors or agents

First Place: $1,000 cash and $100 off WD Shop purchase

Second Place: $500 cash and $100 off WD Shop purchase

Third Place: $250 cash and $100 off WD Shop purchase

Fourth Place: $100 cash and $50 off WD Shop purchase

Fifth Place: $50 cash and $50 off WD Shop purchase

Sixth through Tenth Place: $25 cash

All Winners also receive a 1-year Writer’s Digest VIP membership, which includes a one-year subscription (new or renewal) to Writer’s Digest Magazine, 1 year access to WritersMarket.com, discounts on Writer’s Digest University workshops and purchases at WritersDigestShop.com and more.

EARLY BIRD DEADLINE: MAY 1, 2012

81st Annual Writer’s Digest WRITING COMPETITION COLLECTION The Grand Prize manuscript, the First Place manuscript in each category, and the names of the top 10 winners in each category will be printed in a special competition collection. Purchase a copy online or use the coupon on the printable entry form. (Publication date: November 2012. You are not required to purchase the collection to enter the competition.)Sur

7th Annual Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards Competition

We’re pleased to announce the only Writer’s Digest competition exclusively for poets! Regardless of style—rhyming, free verse, haiku and more—if your poems are 32 lines or fewer, we want them all.

Extended Entry Deadline: December 15, 2011 – the deadline has passed. Thank you to all who have entered this year’s Poetry competition.

Prizes

First Place: $500 and a trip to the Writer’s Digest Conference
Second Place: $250
Third Place: $100
Fourth Through Tenth Place: $25
Eleventh Through Twenty-Fifth Place: $50 gift certificate for Writer’s Digest Books.

* The names and poem titles of the First through Tenth-Place winners will be printed in the July/August 2012 Writer’s Digest, and afterwards their names will appear on www.writersdigest.com. All winners will receive the 2012 Poet’s Market.

The 7th Annual Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards Collection

The 1st- through 50th-place poems will be printed in a special competition collection. Use the entry form to order your copy or purchase a copy online using a credit card. (Publication date: May 2012. You are not required to purchase the collection to enter the competition.)

Entry Fee:

The entry fee is $15 for the first poem submitted and $10 for each additional poem. You may enter as many poems as you wish. When submitting online, the multiple entry discount only applies to entries submitted in the same checkout.

To enter via regular mail, use the printable form, and send it with your poem(s) and entry fee(s) to:

Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards
10151 Carver Road
Suite #200
Blue Ash, OH 45242

Entry Form | Official Rules | Contact Us

Contest Software provided by WizeHive

This competition is now closed. Winners will be notified by February 29, 2012. Winners’ names will appear in the July/August 2012 issue of Writer’s Digest magazine. Afterwards, their names and story titles will be posted at www.writersdigest.com.

PRIZES
First Place: $3,000 and a trip to the Writer’s Digest Conference
Second Place: $1,500
Third Place: $500
Fourth Through Tenth Place: $100
Eleventh Through Twenty-Fifth Place: $50 gift certificate for Writer’s Digest Books

* The names and story titles of the First-through Tenth-Place winners will be printed in the July/August 2012 Writer’s Digest, and winners will receive the 2012 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market and 2012 Guide to Literary Agents. Plus, all First through 25th place winners will receive a free copy of the 12th Annual Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition Collection.

The Rules 1. The competition is open to manuscripts of 1,500 words or fewer (title not included). Entries outside the word limitation will be disqualified. For entries submitted via regular mail, type the word count on the first page of your entry along with your name, address, phone number and email address. No refunds will be issued for disqualified entries.

2. The entry fee is $20 per manuscript. You may enter as many manuscripts as you wish. If you are submitting your entry via regular mail, you may send one check (in U.S. funds) and one entry form for all entries. We accept checks or money orders, Visa, American Express, Discover, and Mastercard for all entries submitted online or via regular mail. Checks should be made out to F+W Media, Inc. Credit cards will be charged within 90 days of the contest deadline. Charges will appear on your statement as “F+W Contests.”

3. All entries must be in English, original, unpublished, and not submitted or accepted elsewhere at the time of submission. Writer’s Digest reserves one-time publication rights to the 1st- through 25th-place winning entries to be published in a Writer’s Digest publication.

4. If you are submitting your entry via regular mail, all entries must be typewritten and double-spaced on one side of 8-1/2 x 11 or A4 white paper. Manuscripts will not be returned. Entries must be stapled.

5. Entries must be postmarked or submitted online by December 1, 2011 (11:59 pm EST).

6. Winners will be notified by February 29, 2012. If you have not been contacted by this date, you may assume that your entry is not a finalist and may be marketed elsewhere.

7. Enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard with your entry if you want to be notified of its receipt. We cannot notify you personally of your story’s status before the winners are announced. If entering online, you will receive a confirmation email for your entries.

8. Winners’ names will appear in the July/August 2012 issue of Writer’s Digest magazine. Afterwards, their names and story titles will be posted at www.writersdigest.com.

9. The following are not permitted to enter the competition: employees of F+W Media, Inc., and their immediate families and Writer’s Digest contributing editors and correspondents as listed on the masthead.

FAQ

Q: Is it okay to have illustration pictures on the cover?
A: Please send the text only

Q: If there is a word count, how many words per page am I allowed?
No preference.

Q: How large of print is allowed?
No preference.

Q: Are pen names allowed?
Pen names are fine. Write your pen name on all forms etc. so there is no mistakes on credits. Please be advised that we only need your real name if you are chosen as a winner (in order to issue prizes).

Q: What if I am not a U.S. resident?
WD writing competitions are open to non-U.S. residents as well. Please refer to the entry form and guidelines. All entry fees are due in U.S. Dollars.

Q: Is there an age limit for entrants?
No, any age may enter.

Q: What if I wanted to submit only part of my novel into the competition ( to stay with in the maximum number of words)?
If you submit a portion of a novel please understand that it will be judged as a complete story, not part of another work, so it needs to be a complete story in and of itself.

Q: When will winners be notified?

Top Award Winners will be notified by mail before February 29, 2012. The top 10 winners will be listed in the July/August 2012 issue of Writer’s Digest. The top 25 winners will be listed in the 12th Annual Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition Collection and at http://www.writersdigest.com after the June issue is published.

Q: What are the word count requirements?
The competition is open to manuscripts 1,500 words or fewer. The title is not counted in the word count.

Q: How do I order books published by F+W Media?
WritersDigestShop.com

Q: How do I subscribe to Writer’s Digest?
Visit www.writersdigest.com and click on the link

Q: Are there other writing competitions?
Yes! Visit www.writersdigest.com/competitions for other competitions for writers

Privacy Promise
Occasionally we make portions of our customer list available to other companies so they may contact you about products and services that may be of interest to you. If you prefer we withhold your name, simply send a note with your name, address and the competition name to: List Manager, F+W Media, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236.

Contest Software provided by WizeHive

Source: blog.successwithwriting.com