Glimmer Train competition deadline

Upcoming deadline:

Dorothy (L) and mother-in-law Elisabeth, 1952

• New Writers: 1st place $1,500 & publication in Issue 95. Deadline: 8/31.
  
• Note: New writers are especially welcome at GT, but the Short Story Award for New Writers is the contest that is open only to emerging writers. The 1st place winner in the last New Writer contest was that author's very first story accepted for publication.
• Second- and 3rd-place winners receive $500/$300, respectively, or, if accepted for publication, $700. Winners and finalists will be announced in the November bulletin, and finalists will be contacted directly the previous week.
• Most submissions run 1,500 - 6,000 words, but can be as long as 12,000. Reading fee is $15 per story. Please, no more than 3 submissions per category.

2014 Over The Edge New Writer of the Year competition

2014 Over The Edge

New Writer of The Year competition

OPEN TO POETS & FICTION WRITERS

WORLDWIDE

NOW TAKING ONLINE PAYMENTS

COMPETITION JUDGE: ELEANOR HOOKER

Major Sponsor: Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop,

other sponsors to date:

ISupply, Quay Street; Ward’s Hotel Lower Salthill;

 Clare Daly TD, Kenny’s Bookshop & Derek Nolan TD

Closing date: Wednesday, August 6^th, 2014

In 2014 Over The Edge is continuing its exciting annual international creative writing competition. Since its inception in 2007, it has grown to become one of the most important competition’s for emerging writers in Ireland and internationally. The competition is open to both poets and fiction writers worldwide. The total prize money is €1,000. The best fiction entry will win €300. The best poetry entry will win €300. One of these will then be chosen as the overall winner and will receive an additional €400, giving the overall winner total prize money of €700 and the title Over The Edge New Writer of The Year 2014. The 2014 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year will be a Featured Reader at Ireland’s leading literary reading series, the Over The Edge: Open Readings in Galway City Library, on a date to be scheduled in Winter 2014/15. Salmon Poetry will read, without commitment to publish, a manuscript submitted to them by the winner in the poetry category. Doire Press will read, without commitment to publish, a manuscript of short stories submitted to them by the winner in the fiction category. The winner in the poetry category will have one of the poems from her or his winning entry published in the April 2015 issue of Skylight 47 magazine.

Entries should be sent to Over The Edge, New Writer of the Year competition, 3 Carbry Road, Newcastle, Galway, Ireland. Entries will be judged anonymously, so do not put your name on your poem(s) or stories. Put your contact details on a separate sheet. If you live in Ireland and wish to be informed of the results by post, please enclose a stamped addressed envelope. OTHERWISE, YOU DO NOT NEED TO ENCLOSE A STAMPED ADDRESSED ENVELOPE.

Criteria: fiction of up to three thousand words, three poems of up to forty lines, or one poem of up to one hundred lines. Any of the aforementioned is one entry. Multiple entries are acceptable but each must be accompanied by a fee. The fee for one entry is €10. The fee for multiple entries is €7.50 per entry e.g. two entries will cost €15, three entries €22.50 and so on. Fee payable by cheque or  money order to Over The Edge. The competition is open to writers worldwide. We accept payment in Dollars, Sterling, Australian Dollars, Canadian Dollars and so on. Writers from outside the Euro area can calculate the payment for their entry here http://www.xe.com/ucc/ WE ALSO NOW ACCEPT ONLINE PAYMENTS. See the below for details. If you pay the entry fee online you must still post us a hard copy of your entry/entries and enclose with it a note saying ‘entry fee paid online’. PLEASE INCLUDE THE EXACT NAME IN WHICH THE ONLINE PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE SO THAT WE CAN VERIFY. 

Screenwriting in NUIG

Certificate in Screenwriting at NUI Galway

Certificate in Screenwriting

Have you an interest in screenwriting or do you enjoy writing about your ideas, but want to develop your writing skills?

If so, the Certificate in Screenwriting at NUI Galway will verse you in the craft of screenwriting, and will help you to explore and express your own ideas in an encouraging and supportive teaching environment.

The teaching format comprises screenings and lectures on one evening per week (Thursday: 18.30 – 21.30), from September 2014 to May 2015.  Each module of the programme will have a practical output with students being required to write a short film script or drama proposal.

To find out more about this exciting one-year course, please visit www.nuigalway.ie/adultlearning or contact the

Centre for Adult Learning & Professional Development 

– 091 492144

Sean O'Faolain Short Story Competition

July 31st Deadline
just under two weeks to go 

Sean O'Faolain Short Story Competition

Joyce Russel Judges

1st prize winner gets

€2,000 cash,
Publication in Southword
A week's accommodation at
the Anam Cara Artist Retreat (worth €800)
Accommodation with full meals & free tickets
at the Cork International Short Story Festival (worth €800)

2nd Prize winner receives
€500 & publication in Southword

4 Runner's Up will receive €120 and publication.

2014 Over The Edge New Writer of the Year competition

2014 Over The Edge

New Writer of The Year competition

OPEN TO POETS & FICTION WRITERS

WORLDWIDE

NOW TAKING ONLINE PAYMENTS

COMPETITION JUDGE: ELEANOR HOOKER

Major Sponsor: Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop,

other sponsors to date:

ISupply, Quay Street; Ward’s Hotel Lower Salthill;

 Clare Daly TD, Kenny’s Bookshop & Derek Nolan TD

Closing date: Wednesday, August 6^th, 2014

Words with Jam Short story competition now open-see website

Boston Review Poetry Competition

Annual Poetry Contest
Deadline: June 6, 2014
Judge: Major Jackson
First Prize: $1,500 and publication
Complete guidelines:
The winning poet will receive $1,500 and have his or her work published in the November/December 2014 issue of Boston Review. Submit up to five unpublished poems, no more than 10 pages total. Any poet writing in English is eligible, unless he or she is a current student, former student, relative, or close friend of the judge. Mailed manuscripts must be submitted in duplicate, with a cover note listing the author’s name, address, email, and phone number. No cover note is necessary for online submissions. Names and other identifying information must not be on the poems themselves. Simultaneous submissions are not permitted, submissions will not be returned, and submissions may not be modified after entry. Failure to comply with any contest guidelines may result in your submission being disqualified. A non-refundable $20 entry fee, payable to Boston Review in the form of a check or money order or by credit card, must accompany all submissions. All submitters receive a complementary half-year subscription (3 issues) to Boston Review. Mailed submissions must be postmarked no later than June 6, 2014.
The winner will be announced in the fall on the Boston Review Web site. All poems submitted to the contest will be considered for publication in Boston Review.
Please enter online using our contest entry manager. This requires payment using a credit card.
Or mail submissions to:
Poetry Contest, Boston Review
PO Box 425786
Cambridge, MA 02142

Aura Estrada Short Story Contest

Each year, Boston Review runs competitions in poetry and fiction. We also partner with the Unterberg Poetry Center/92nd Street Y to publish the winner of the annual “Discovery”/Boston Review poetry contest.
We strongly encourage online submissions for our poetry and short story contests, with payment via credit card. Contestants also may submit entries via postal mail but will not receive acknowledgement of successful submission. Email submissions are not accepted. All contest entry payments are non-refundable and previously published work may not be submitted to any contest. All winners are announced publicly and informed prior to that announcement. Please do not contact us to ask whether you have won a contest or when the winner will be announced.
Seventeenth Annual Poetry Contest (DEADLINE EXTENDED: June 6, 2014)
Aura Estrada Short Story Contest (Deadline: October 1, 2014)

HG Wells Short Story Competition

The HG Wells Short Story Competition 2014 closes on the 14th of July. They are looking for short stories, 1,500-5,000 words. Theme: Fortune.
First, there's The Margaret and Reg Turnill Prize (£1000) for writers 21 and under.
No entry fees for this one and no limit as to number of entries.
The Grand Prize does have an entry fee, £5 for under 21s, unwaged and over 60s. Otherwise it costs £10. The Grand Prize is £250. 
The winners and shortlisted stories will be published in an anthology.
You'll find out more over on their website.
(

Stinging Fly open for submissions

Stinging Fly Submissions open July 1 We are coming to the end of our reading of March submissions and have already begun contacting authors. We're a little behind schedule, but aim to contact each author who submitted in the coming two weeks. If you haven't heard from editor Thomas Morris by then, you may contact him directly: thomas.stingingfly@gmail.com Meanwhile, prose and poetry submissions for our Spring 2015 issue are being accepted from July 1st (until July 31st). * No more than one story and/or four poems should be submitted during any one submission period. * Short stories and poems should always be just as long (or as short) as they need to be. (In previous issues, stories have been as long as 5,000 words and as short as 500 words.) Full submission guidelines can be found on the website.

The Edge Of Passion anthology launch

The Edge of Passion Launch Edge of Passion An anthology of twenty-one crime, mystery, suspense and romance stories from nineteen authors, including Emmy-nominated John Goldsmith and Booker-nominated Jim Williams. This global collection of short stories from 400 to 7000 words covers everything from crime fiction to romantic suspense and historical mystery. Authors: John Goldsmith, Jim Williams, Jeremy Hinchliff, John Holland, Gerry McCullough, Alexandar Altman, R.A. Barnes, Maura Barrett, Eileen Condon, Mary Healy, Susan Howe, Damon King, Mary Mitchell, Jeanne O’Dwyer, Michael Rumsey, Valerie Ryan, Dennis Thompson, Catherine Tynan and T. West.

Cork County Library and Arts Service From the Well Short Story Competition Anthology

Cork County Library and Arts Service From the Well Short Story Competition Anthology



Add caption



Writing for children -resources and submissions

Children's Scriptroom is open!

Scriptroom 7 for CBeebies & CBBC is open until midnight on Monday 7th July.

Find out more about the brief and what the channels are looking for

FAQs and Terms and Conditions for our e-submissions system.

Send your script now

We've put together a collection of help, tips, advice and resources from BBC Writersroom on writing for Children. These include interviews with writers who have had success in previous Children's talent searches, including Debbie Moon (Wolfblood), and Q&As with the Controllers of both CBeebies and CBBC. We also have scripts available to read from Children's programmes including Strange Hill High, Wolfblood, The Dumping Ground, M.I. High, Mr Bloom's Nursery, Grandpa in My Pocket, Wizards vs Aliens and many more.

BBC Radio 4 Short Stories for Radio

The Time Being BBC Radio 4 has commissioned independent radio production company Sweet Talk to produce three short stories by new voices. This is the eighth season of The Time Being.
Deadline Submission: July 18th 2014.
They're looking for writers who are unbroadcast (and largely unpublished: i.e. having a story in a magazine or anthology here and there is OK, but a track record of novels and story collections in print is not!)
Please don't submit stories that have been previously 'performed' whether this is at readings or events which have been recorded and put on YouTube for example. Ideally, stories will not have previously appeared in print or online.
Broadcast stories will be read by a single voice. Your story needs to be 2,000-2,200 words in length. Max of two stories per person.
Please put your full contact details (name, post and email address, phone number) including any alternative contact details for vacations and a word count on the title page of each story. Email stories to Jeremy Osborne jeremyosborne@mac.com

Glimmer Train Short Story Competition deadline

Glimmer Train's Fiction Open Deadline: June 30, 2014

Prizes: 1st place wins $2,500 and, of course, publication in Glimmer Train Stories. 2nd place wins $1,000 and possible publication. 3rd place wins $600 or, if published, $700.

Other considerations:
	Open to all subjects, all themes, and every writer. (50% of last year's Fiction Open winners were their authors' first published stories.)
	Word count: Most submissions to the Fiction Open run 2,000 to 8,000 words, but from 2,000 to 20,000-word stories are fine. Writing Guidelines
	Reading fee is $20 per story. Please, no more than 3 submissions per category.Winners and finalists will be officially announced in the September 1 bulletin, and contacted directly the previous week.
	Simultaneous submissions are okay. Please notify immediately if your submission is accepted elsewhere.
	Stories accepted for publication are presented in a highly regarded print publication where literary short fiction persists in the real world and beyond the next post.

Flash 500 Fiction Competition

Entries close at midnight (UK time) 3oth June

 

With the entry deadlines fast approaching, you only have just over a week left to polish up those stories and poems. Don't miss out as the Flash Fiction and Humour Verse categories both close at the end of this month.

Novel Opening and Synopsis Category

 

This category is open for entries until the end of October.

 

The judges this year will be (once again) the senior editors at Crooked Cat Publishing, who are the publishers for my own (writing as Frances di Plino) D.I. Paolo Storey series of crime novels, Bad Moon Rising, Someday Never Comes, Call It Pretending and Looking for a Reason (due out in October).

 

Crooked Cat Publishing cover a wide range of genres, from chick lit to horror, which is why they are the ideal judges for the competition.  

Full details of all three competition categories can be found on the Flash 500 Home Page.

 

Hints from the Judges

No.4 – The Ending

 

The conclusion of any competition submission is the perfect opportunity to create a lasting impression with the judge.

 

Surprise is always likely to be a winner, providing it is relevant to the theme of the work and not farfetched. Such an ending requires great care in the development section of the work; whilst the judges should not have seen it coming, they must, on reflection, admire how you led up to it.

 

If you choose to finish your entry with a conclusion drawn from what has gone before, be sure that it is stated in an original way and, unless for a particular purpose, avoids mere repetition.

Night Feed by Eavan Boland interview on Radio 1 RTE player

Night Feed

This is dawn
Believe me
This is your season, little daughter.
The moment daisies open,
the hour mercurial rainwater
Makes a mirror for sparrows.
It's time we drowned our sorrows.

I tiptoe in.
I lift you up
Wriggling
In your rosy, zipped sleeper.
Yes, this is the hour
For the early bird and me
When finder is keeper.

I crook the bottle.
How you suckle!
This is the best I can be,
Housewife
To this nursery
Where you hold on,
Dear life.

A silt of milk.
The last suck
And now your eyes are open,
Birth-coloured and offended.
Earth wakes.
You go back to sleep.
The feed is ended.

Worms turn.
Stars go in.
Even the moon is losing face.
Poplars stilt for dawn
And we begin
The long fall from grace.
I tuck you in.

RTE Guide /Penguin Eason Short Story deadline

RTE Guide/Penguin Ireland Short Story Competition

Penguin Ireland in partnership with the RTE Guide magazine have announced their annual short story competition.

Rules: All entries for the 2013 RTE Guide/Penguin Ireland Short Story Competition should be original, unpublished and previously not broadcast short stories in English of 2,000 words or less. Entrants’ name and contact details (address, phone and/or email) should be on a separate page.

The closing date is 6pm on Wednesday July 5th.

Entries are welcome from anywhere in the world.

Send your entries to : RTE Guide/Penguin Ireland Short Story Competition, PO Box 1480, RTE, Donnybrook, Dublin 4 or you can email rteguide@rte.ie

Words with JAM competition

Genre Spoof Competition (FREE Entry!)

In association with Bookmuse

A departure from our usual first page and short story competitions, this time we’re looking for a condensed spoof of your favourite genre, up to 1000 words. See examples below.

Entry is FREE and our favourites will be published in a Bookmuse Reader’s Journal later this year, which will include review templates, quotes, to-be-read record pages and more.

Prize

All published entrants will receive a complimentary copy of the journal, and the overall winner, chosen by the Triskele Books team, will receive a £30 Amazon voucher.

Closing Date

30th September 2014 (winners announced by 31st October 2014).

To Enter

Simply send your entry as a Word Doc to submissions@wordswithjam.co.uk with the subject ‘Genre Spoof Competition’ and include your name, address and phone number in the body of the email.

A Few Rules

• We will not return or keep entries after the winners have been announced. Please keep your own copy.
• Entries must be in English.
• You must be 16 years or over.
• Stories must be previously unpublished either online or in print, and must not have been accepted for publication elsewhere. We do, however, accept stories that have been on critique forums or are currently submitted to another competition.
• No alterations may be made to a submission once received.
• Copyright remains with the author. However, Words with JAM/Bookmuse retain the right to publish the winning entries on their websites and in the Bookmuse Journal.
• Entries from regular columnists of Words with JAM are welcome.
• The prize of £30 Amazon voucher will be paid within 30 days of publication of the winning entry.

James Plunkett Short Story Competition 2014

JAMES PLUNKETT SHORT STORY AWARD 2014

Following the great success of the 2013 competition,the Irish Writers' Union, in association with the Irish Writers' Centre, are very pleased to announce the launch of the 2014 James Plunkett Short Story Award.
The judge for the 2014 competition will be Booker and IMPAC nominee Donal Ryan.
The Irish Writers' Union is delighted to continue celebrating the legacy of Plunkett, one of our founder members, through this competition. There is no restriction on theme or genre. Entrants are simply asked to recall Plunkett's skill as a social commentator when writing.
First Prize: €2000
Second Prize: €1000
Third Prize: €500
Closing Date for Entries: Friday, September 12th
The Grand Final will be held in the Irish Writers' Centre on Wednesday, November 4th (date TBC)
Entries should be between 1000 and 3000 words and should be sent to:
The Irish Writers' Union
19 Parnell Square
Dublin 1
There is no limit on the number of submissions an entrant can make. Entry costs €10 per submission (please make cheques payable to the Irish Writers' Union).

Alice Munro Short Story Competition 2014

 

Short Story Competition 2014

The Alice Munro Short Story Competition

Entries must be typed using standard fonts such as Times Roman, Helvetica or Arial, size 11 or 12, double spaced on plain white paper.
Story pages must contain a page number and either the title of your story or one word from the title of your story as a header or footer.  Please do not use your name.

 i.e. My Story about Dragons … "Dragons … 1"
 

Entries must not exceed 5000 words.
 

Stories must be written in English.

Mail one typed copy with registration to:
Alice Munro Writers & Readers Festival
c/o Box 90
Wingham, Ontario  N0G 2W0

AND 

Email one copy to: 
AliceMunroFestival@gmail.com

Receipt of short stories will be confirmed by email.

Deadline for postmarks of mailed copy or receipt of emailed copy:
August 1, 2014

Words With Jam First Page Competition

Just SIX DAYS left to enter the 2014 First Page Competition, and this year it's open to published works too!

 

We're looking for the most captivating first page (up to 400 words) of a story. Entries can be from a novel published, unpublished, a part written novel, or simply a first page written purely for the competition. Entries will be judged anonymously. 

 

Prizes

1st Prize - £500

2nd Prize - £100

3rd Prize - £50

 

Closing Date 

31st May 2014

 

Results

All three winning entries will be published in August 2014 on the Words with JAM website. All entrants will be notified via email with the results.

 

Judge: Orna Ross

In 2011, in what she describes as the best move of her writing life, Orna took her rights back from her publisher, Penguin, to republish her books herself, with the titles and treatment she had originally envisaged for them. The experience led her to launch The Alliance of Independent Authors the following year at London Book Fair. Having enjoyed a 20-year career in media publishing and creative teaching, mentoring and facilitation, she is greatly excited by how author-publishing is now democratising the business of books.

 

Orna writes novels and poems and the Go Creative! series, which teaches the application of creative principles and practices to everyday life. “What I love most about author-publishing is the creative freedom,” she says. “You become the creative director of the book from inspiration to publication — and beyond. What I love most about ALLi is being in daily connection with such an engaged, talented, forward-thinking group of authors who are changing not only the status of writers in the industry but also, and more importantly, what we read — and how.” Orna blogs regularly on her Author Blog, on ALLi’s Self-Publishing Advice blog and for many other websites and publications.

 

http://allianceindependentauthors.org

Over the Edge New Writer of the Year Competition 2014

 

2014 Over The Edge

New Writer of The Year competition

OPEN TO POETS & FICTION WRITERS

WORLDWIDE

NOW TAKING ONLINE PAYMENTS

COMPETITION JUDGE: ELEANOR HOOKER

Major Sponsor: Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop,

other sponsors to date:

ISupply, Quay Street; Ward’s Hotel Lower Salthill;

 Clare Daly TD, Kenny’s Bookshop & Derek Nolan TD

Closing date: Wednesday, August 6^th, 2014

In 2014 Over The Edge is continuing its exciting annual international creative writing competition. Since its inception in 2007, it has grown to become one of the most important competition’s for emerging writers in Ireland and internationally. The competition is open to both poets and fiction writers worldwide. The total prize money is €1,000. The best fiction entry will win €300. The best poetry entry will win €300. One of these will then be chosen as the overall winner and will receive an additional €400, giving the overall winner total prize money of €700 and the title Over The Edge New Writer of The Year 2014. The 2014 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year will be a Featured Reader at Ireland’s leading literary reading series, the Over The Edge: Open Readings in Galway City Library, on a date to be scheduled in Winter 2014/15. Salmon Poetry will read, without commitment to publish, a manuscript submitted to them by the winner in the poetry category. Doire Press will read, without commitment to publish, a manuscript of short stories submitted to them by the winner in the fiction category. The winner in the poetry category will have one of the poems from her or his winning entry published in the April 2015 issue of Skylight 47 magazine.

Entries should be sent to Over The Edge, New Writer of the Year competition, 3 Carbry Road, Newcastle, Galway, Ireland. Entries will be judged anonymously, so do not put your name on your poem(s) or stories. Put your contact details on a separate sheet. If you live in Ireland and wish to be informed of the results by post, please enclose a stamped addressed envelope. OTHERWISE, YOU DO NOT NEED TO ENCLOSE A STAMPED ADDRESSED ENVELOPE.

Criteria: fiction of up to three thousand words, three poems of up to forty lines, or one poem of up to one hundred lines. Any of the aforementioned is one entry. Multiple entries are acceptable but each must be accompanied by a fee. The fee for one entry is €10. The fee for multiple entries is €7.50 per entry e.g. two entries will cost €15, three entries €22.50 and so on. Fee payable by cheque or  money order to Over The Edge. The competition is open to writers worldwide. We accept payment in Dollars, Sterling, Australian Dollars, Canadian Dollars and so on. Writers from outside the Euro area can calculate the payment for their entry here http://www.xe.com/ucc/ WE ALSO NOW ACCEPT ONLINE PAYMENTS. See the below for details. If you pay the entry fee online you must still post us a hard copy of your entry/entries and enclose with it a note saying ‘entry fee paid online’. PLEASE INCLUDE THE EXACT NAME IN WHICH THE ONLINE PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE SO THAT WE CAN VERIFY. 

To take part you must be at least sixteen years old by September 1st 2014 and not have a book published or accepted for publication in the genre in which you enter. Chapbooks/ pamphlets excepted. Entries must not have been previously published or be currently entered in any other competition. The closing date is Wednesday, August 6th, 2014. A long-list will be announced at the August Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library on Thursday, August 28th, 2014 (6.30-8pm). THE LONGLIST WILL BE AVAILABLE, BEFORE THAT, AT CHARLIE BYRNE’S BOOKSHOP FROM 5PM ON THURSDAY AUGUST 28^TH.  The shortlist will be announced at the September Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library on Thursday, September 25^th, 2014 (6.30-8pm). The winners will be announced at the October Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library on Thursday, October 30^th, 2014 (6.30-8pm).

Mslexia Memoir Competition

Drum roll please…the brand new Mslexia Women’s Memoir Competition is now open for entries.

The only competition of its type in the UK, this year we’re looking for memoirs of at least 50,000 words of prose that narrate actual events in the writer’s own life. Said writer must not have had a memoir published, but can be previously published in other genres. It’s a crime to let wonderful life stories go untold, so if your writing fits the bill get those fingers typing, you only have until 22 September to submit your entry.

The first prize is a massive £5,000, and the acclaimed judging panel is comprised of memoirist and novelist Julie Myerson, literary agent Jenny Brown and Guardian Women’s Editor Jane Martinson.

Being placed in the competition is a great way to get a foot onto the publishing ladder. As well as the substantial monetary prize, we’ve again joined forces with The Literary Consultancy, who will provide free professional feedback for five finalists – who will also be invited to meet literary agents and editors at a special networking event in London.

The winning novel of our 2011 Women’s Novel Competition, The Palace of Curiosities by Rosie Garland, was published by HarperCollins, and Lu Hersey’s Deep Water – the winning entry in our 2012 Children’s Novel Competition – has recently secured a publishing deal. Winning a Mslexia competition guarantees your work will be noticed. Even if you’ve never attempted memoir before, life writing is an incredibly creative – and often cathartic – genre to dive into; let our competition be the incentive you need to start telling your own story.

Please visit our website for full details of how to enter and specially-commissioned memoir writing workshops.

Mslexia Memoir Competition

Drum roll please…the brand new Mslexia Women’s Memoir Competition is now open for entries.

The only competition of its type in the UK, this year we’re looking for memoirs of at least 50,000 words of prose that narrate actual events in the writer’s own life. Said writer must not have had a memoir published, but can be previously published in other genres. It’s a crime to let wonderful life stories go untold, so if your writing fits the bill get those fingers typing, you only have until 22 September to submit your entry.

The first prize is a massive £5,000, and the acclaimed judging panel is comprised of memoirist and novelist Julie Myerson, literary agent Jenny Brown and Guardian Women’s Editor Jane Martinson.

Being placed in the competition is a great way to get a foot onto the publishing ladder. As well as the substantial monetary prize, we’ve again joined forces with The Literary Consultancy, who will provide free professional feedback for five finalists – who will also be invited to meet literary agents and editors at a special networking event in London.

The winning novel of our 2011 Women’s Novel Competition, The Palace of Curiosities by Rosie Garland, was published by HarperCollins, and Lu Hersey’s Deep Water – the winning entry in our 2012 Children’s Novel Competition – has recently secured a publishing deal. Winning a Mslexia competition guarantees your work will be noticed. Even if you’ve never attempted memoir before, life writing is an incredibly creative – and often cathartic – genre to dive into; let our competition be the incentive you need to start telling your own story.

Please visit our website for full details of how to enter and specially-commissioned memoir writing workshops.

Narrative Short Story deadline

$4,000 awarded annually for the best short story, novel excerpt, poem,
one-act play, graphic story, or work of literary nonfiction published
by a new or emerging writer in Narrative. June 15 Deadline

Glimmer Train Short Story Competition

Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writers Deadline: May 31, 2014 Prizes:

1st place wins $1,500 and, of course, publication in Glimmer Train Stories. 2nd place wins $500, or, if published, $700. 3rd place wins $300 or, if published, $700.

I find it endlessly fascinating, the ebb and flow and mystery of what a character recalls.—Bret Anthony Johnston, interviewed by Margo Williams.

Other considerations:
	Open only to writers whose fiction has not appeared in any print publication with a circulation over 5,000. (Writing Guidelines)
	Reading fee is $15 per story. Please, no more than 3 submissions per category.
	Winners and finalists will be officially announced in the August 1 bulletin, and contacted directly the previous week.
	Simultaneous submissions are okay. Please notify immediately if your submission is accepted elsewhere.

2014 Raymond Carver Short Story Contest

One Week Left: 2014 Raymond Carver Short Story Contest

If you haven't yet entered the 2014 Raymond Carver Short Story Contest, featuring guest judge AIMEE BENDER, there's only a week left to do so! This is the 15th anniversary of the contest and to celebrate we're offering our biggest grand prize yet: $1500. This is your chance to be published in our fall 2014 issue and win one of five prizes: $1500 - first place $500 - second place $250 - third place $125 - Editor's Choice (2) Plus all winners will be read and considered for representation by three literary agencies: Rees Literary Agency, Folio Lit Management, and Sobel Weber Associates, Inc.. Entry fee is $17 online / $15 mailed. The contest closes Wednesday, May 15 at 11:59PM CST (also a postmark deadline). Winners will be announced August 1st.

Narrative Short Story Competition

The Spring 2014 Story Contest is open to all writers, and all entries will be considered for publication.

•	$2,500 First Prize

•	$1,000 Second Prize

•	$500 Third Prize

•	Ten finalists receive $100 each.

See the Guidelines. Read prior winners, and view recent awards won by Narrative authors.

For over a decade, Narrative has proudly published emerging writers alongside established authors, and we continue to look for exciting, meaningful new writing.

Narrative reaches a worldwide audience of 170,000 readers, and our contest winners and finalists have seen their exposure in Narrative bring great attention to their work.

Winning works from Narrative often appear in collections such as the Best American Short Stories, the PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, the Pushcart Prize series, and many others.

Words with Jam first page competition

Just THREE WEEKS left to enter the 2014 First Page Competition, and this year it's open to published works too!

 

We're looking for the most captivating first page (up to 400 words) of a story. Entries can be from a novel published, unpublished, a part written novel, or simply a first page written purely for the competition. Entries will be judged anonymously. 

 

Prizes

1st Prize - £500

2nd Prize - £100

3rd Prize - £50

 

Closing Date 

31st May 2014

 

Results

All three winning entries will be published in August 2014 on the Words with JAM website. All entrants will be notified via email with the results.

 

Judge: Orna Ross

In 2011, in what she describes as the best move of her writing life, Orna took her rights back from her publisher, Penguin, to republish her books herself, with the titles and treatment she had originally envisaged for them. The experience led her to launch The Alliance of Independent Authors the following year at London Book Fair. Having enjoyed a 20-year career in media publishing and creative teaching, mentoring and facilitation, she is greatly excited by how author-publishing is now democratising the business of books.

 

Orna writes novels and poems and the Go Creative! series, which teaches the application of creative principles and practices to everyday life. “What I love most about author-publishing is the creative freedom,” she says. “You become the creative director of the book from inspiration to publication — and beyond. What I love most about ALLi is being in daily connection with such an engaged, talented, forward-thinking group of authors who are changing not only the status of writers in the industry but also, and more importantly, what we read — and how.” Orna blogs regularly on her Author Blog, on ALLi’s Self-Publishing Advice blog and for many other websites and publications.

 

http://allianceindependentauthors.org

http://www.ornaross.com/

Boston Review Poetry Contest

POETRY CONTEST

THE 2014 BR POETRY CONTEST

Judge: Major Jackson | Prize: $1,500 | Deadline: June 2

The winning poet will receive $1,500 and publication in the November/December 2014 issue of Boston Review. Submit up to five unpublished poems. Any poet writing in English is eligible.

For complete details or to enter online, visit our Web site.

BBC script writing open for submissions

Send your script to the BBC - Script Room is now open for Comedy scripts (Radio, TV & Film) until midnight on 12th May 2014.

BBC writersroom provides a unique open-door at the BBC for writers - we call it the Script Room. 
The Script Room window for submitting Comedy scripts is open from 10am on 28th April 2014 until midnight on 12th May 2014.
The Script Room is a place where you can send your script to be assessed by our team of experienced readers.  We read all scripts as a calling card of a writer's talent. This is not a free script-reading service, but a means by which the BBC seeks out the best new writing talent, offering writers without a track record, representation, or contacts the opportunity to have their work considered by the BBC.  Shortlisted writers will go forward to access a range of development opportunities with BBC writersroom.

What we accept

We have strict rules on what we do and don’t accept, so before sending in anything you should acquaint yourself fully with our Terms & Conditions before submitting.

How to submit

Submissions to the Script Room should now be made online via our brand new e-submissions system 

Please read the E-submissions FAQs for full guidelines on how the new system works.  All scripts must be formatted as PDFs.

If you are unable to submit online, please email us on writersroom@bbc.co.uk to request a cover sheet no later than 3 weeks ahead of the Script Room deadline.

Deadline: midnight, May 12th 2014

Find more information about Script Room and about formatting your script, in the Send a Script section.

Book cover design by Mia Hoddell

If you're an author looking for a book cover, promotional material or you know someone who's looking for a designer make sure to check out my website.

I'm offering 20% off covers until May 11th 2014.

M Designs

Sean O Faolain Short Story Competition 2014

First Prize: €2,000 (approx $2760/£1640 in April 2014), publication in the literary journal Southword,
AND a week-long residency at Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat. 

Second Prize: €500 and publication in Southword.

Four other shortlisted entries will be selected for publication in Southword and receive a publication fee of €120.

The Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition is an annual short story competition open to writers from around the world. It is dedicated to one of Ireland’s most accomplished story writers and theorists, sponsored by the Munster Literature Centre. If the winner comes to Cork to collect their prize, we will lavish them with hotel accommodation, meals, drinks and VIP access to the literary stars at the Cork International Short Story Festival (16 - 20 September 2014).

Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat www.anamcararetreat.com is again awarding a week-long residency to the first prize winner of the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition. Located just outside the colourful village of Eyeries on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork, Anam Cara is a tranquil spot structured to provide support and sanctuary for people working in the creative arts. It offers private and common working rooms as well as five acres of walking paths, thirty-four nooks and crannies, a river cascades and a river island, gardens, and a labyrinth meadow. Editoral consultation is also available. The prize is valued at €700. (The dates of the residency will be arranged between the writer themselves and Anam Cara, and can be scheduled before or after the week of the Cork International Short Story Festival. Otherwise, the week can be scheduled for another time of the year, at Anam Cara's discretion.)

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1. The competition is open to original, unpublished and unbroadcast short stories in the English language of 3,000 words or fewer. The story can be on any subject, in any style, by a writer of any nationality, living anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, translated work is not in the scope of this competition.
2. Judging for this competition is ANONYMOUS. The entrant's name and contact details (address, phone number) must be on a separate piece of paper. Manuscripts cannot be returned. Entries should be typed.3. Each entry must be accompanied by an entry fee of €15 or £15. You may submit as many entries as you wish. For non paypal payments only cheques or drafts drawn on an Irish or British bank can be accepted and must be made payable to THE MUNSTER LITERATURE CENTRE. Paypal link available below for payments in Euro.
4. Closing date is 31st July 2014. All non-email entries must be postmarked before or on that date (i.e. entries posted before or on the date will be accepted after 31st July provided they are sent via airmail). Entries must be sent to The Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition, The Munster Literature Centre, Frank O'Connor House, 84 Douglas Street, Cork, Ireland (no postal/zipcode).
5. The winners will be announced at the Cork International Short Story Festival in Cork in 16 - 20 September 2014