Contests, Contests, Contests

Agent-judged contest! I'm not sure if there is a prize other than being noticed by Anna Webman, agent at Curtis Brown, Ltd. During QueryTracker.net's last similar contest, one of the winners went on to sign with the literary agent in question. Send the first five pages and a synopsis of your complete YA novel for consideration. Contest starts November 10th, and only the first 70 entries will be accepted.


C. Hope Clark from Funds for Writers shares this contest that's a little different: You know how you set the volume on the TV at a comfortable level and then BAM! a commercial blasts through? Well, SRS Labs wants you to write a 500-word story about that experience. Three winners will receive a VIZIO Home Theater Speaker Bar featuring SRS TruVolume and their stories will be eligible to be chosen as the creative motivation for a future SRS commercial. Details are on Hope's blog. Deadline: November 17, 2009.

Women on Writing hosts a quarterly flash fiction contest. Enter your story of between 250 and 750 words for a chance to win prizes. Entry fee is $10. A critique is also available at an additional cost. The contest judge is literary agent Noah Lukeman of Lukeman Literary Management Ltd. Full contest details are available on the WOW website. Deadline: November 30th.

Show your thanks and win a free essay writing course from Amy Paturel, one of the instructors over at Renegade Writer. Send your essay about what Thanksgiving means to you. Full contest details are available here. Deadline: November 26th (American Thanksgiving).


Glimmer Train is looking for unpublished stories from writers whose stories have not appeared in publications with circulations of over 5000. Entry fee is $15. First prize wins $1,200 plus publication in Glimmer Train. Deadline: November 30th.



Editor Unleashed and Smash Words are teaming up to present a writing contest with a theme: Why I Write. The 50 best essays will be published in an anthology, and the Grand Prize Winner will receive $500 and promotion on both websites. You can find full contest details on the Editor Unleashed blog. Deadline: December 31st.

Glimmer Train's quarterly Fiction Open contest offers a first prize of $2,000 plus publication in Glimmer Train. The contest is open to all writers. Entry fee is $20. Deadline: January 2, 2010.