2024 Contests

The Annual Contests with Prizes and Publication


DEADLINE & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Deadline for entries is 11:59 PM CST on August 1, 2024.

Winners will be announced at the 2024 AWC Conference.


Prizes

David Eulin White Award

In memory of Major General David Eulin White, a two-star Army General and an avid reader who appreciated all genres.

$1,000 award for writing on military history, military fiction, or military memoir.

Limit 1500 words. A minimum of 10 entries must be received for the prize to be awarded. If the minimum is not reached, entry fees will be refunded.

Roger Williams Peace Award for Writing

$250 award to the writing of any genre/category that best promotes peace among human beings.

Limit 1500 words for prose/poetry or 10 pages for other formats (graphic novel, etc.). A minimum of 10 entries must be received for the prize to be awarded. If the minimum is not reached, entry fees will be refunded.

All Other Categories

Certificates and cash awards of $150 (1st place) and $50 (2nd place) will be awarded for the following categories:

·       Short Story (limit 1500 words), sponsored by Theron Montgomery

·       Flash Fiction (limit 500 words)

·       Memoir (limit 1500 words), in memory of David Eulin White

. Horror (limit 1500 words), sponsored by Chris Jones

·       First Chapter of Novel (limit 10 pages double-spaced), in memory of David Eulin White

·       One-Act Play (limit 15 pages/12 minutes), sponsored by Central Alabama Theater

·       Formal Poetry (limit 25 lines), sponsored by Mike Turner

·       Free Verse Poetry (limit 40 lines; subject: cats), in memory of Rebecca Davis-Brown


GENERAL CONTEST RULES

1.   Simultaneous submissions are permitted. If a submission is accepted for publication or wins a disqualifying award during the submission or judging period, AWC should be notified immediately by email to AWCcontests@gmail.com and the work withdrawn from consideration. Any prize money awarded to the withdrawn entry will revert back to AWC.

2.   Entries must be original and unpublished and may not have won a money prize in a previous AWC contest. No previously publish work will be accepted.

3.   AWC reserves First Rights for work to be included in the anthology of the year’s winners, with rights afterward reverting to the authors.

4.   Sitting AWC voting Board Members are not eligible.

5.   Multiple entries are accepted, but only one prize per person is awarded in each category.

6.   Each entry must be submitted separately by email.

7.   Judges read blind for this contest. Failure to remove your name from the manuscript itself will disqualify your entry. The only place that identifies the author should be in the body of the email. See additional request for attached cover page in the One-Act Play category only.

8.   Members pay a reduced entry fee for competitions. If you would like to become a member and take advantage of this reduced entry fee, make sure you renew or establish your membership prior to submitting your contest entry.

9.   Follow manuscript formatting instructions below.


GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

Submissions for the AWC Writing Contests are now being accepted. The entry fee for each competition category is $10 for members of the Alabama Writer’s Cooperative and $15 for non-members.

You can purchase your entries by adding them to your online shopping cart and then paying at check-out. You don’t have to send us an email receipt of payment (since we receive those and track them).


PROPER MANUSCRIPT FORMATTING

Each entry should be sent in standard manuscript format (double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12pt. Courier or Times New Roman font).

Please leave the manuscript blind by removing all signs of the author’s name from the manuscript. Failure to remove your name from the manuscript itself will disqualify your entry.

Send your properly-formatted entry (blind manuscript) as a Microsoft word (.doc, .docx) or PDF attachment to AWCcontests@gmail.com.

Each entry email should include an attachment of the contest entry.

In the body of the email ONLY, list the following information:

·       Author’s name

·       Email address

·       Mailing address

·       Phone number including area code

·       Title of the piece

·       Category

·       Word count (prose) or line count (poetry)

The manuscript or contest entry should be attached as a Word or PDF attachment, not pasted into the body of the email.

1.   In the email subject line, include the category (i.e. David Eulin White Award, Roger Williams Peace Prize, short story, first chapter of novel, flash fiction, memoir, horror, formal poetry, free verse poetry, or one-act play) of that particular submission.

2.   Please don't include a cover letter—just your contact and entry information in the body of the email and your entry as an attachment. *See additional request for attached cover page in the One-Act Play category only.*

3.   You will repeat this process for each individual contest entry in a separate email.

4.   Each entry should be added to the shopping cart and then paid for as a total when checking out.

5.   Make sure to include the category you are paying for in the blank above the payment.

Example: Earnestine is sending the first chapter of her glorious novel, I Love Mosquitos, as an entry for the novel contest. She typed her name, her contact information, and the title, category, and word count of her entry into the body of the email. Then she attached the manuscript to her email and filled in the Subject line as "Novel." She pressed send. To finish her entry process, Earnestine put the First Chapter of Novel Contest Entry into her online shopping cart and then paid for it. Because her novel is the best novel in the world and she would hate to see it ignored as a result of not following directions, Earnestine looks forward to winning the 2024 Award and seeing her name published in the anthology. 


David Eulin White Award Contest Entry
from $10.00

David Eulin White Award
One entry on military history, military fiction, or military memoir. Limit 1500 words. $10 per entry for members. $15 per entry for non-members.

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Roger Williams Peace Award for Writing Contest Entry
from $10.00

Roger Williams Peace Award for Writing
One entry, any genre. Maximum 1,500 words (poetry/prose) or 10 pages for other formats. $10 per entry for members. $15 per entry for non-members.

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Add To Cart

Short Story Contest Entry
from $10.00

Short Story
One short story. Maximum words 1,500. $10 per entry for members. $15 per entry for non-members. Sponsored by Theron Montgomery.

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Flash Fiction Contest Entry
from $10.00

Flash Fiction
For one entry fee, submit 2 flash fiction pieces with maximum 500 words each (1000 words total). $10 per entry for members; $15 per entry for non-members.

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Memoir Contest Entry
from $10.00

Memoir
Maximum 1,500 words. $10 per entry for member, $15 per entry non-member. In memory of David Eulin White.

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Horror Contest Entry
from $10.00

Horror
Scare us. Maximum 1500 words. $10 per entry for members, $15 per entry non-members. Sponsored by Chris Jones.

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First Chapter of Novel Contest Entry
from $10.00

First Chapter of Novel
Up to 10 double-spaced pages, first chapter ONLY. $10 per entry for members, $15 per entry for non-members. In memory of David Eulin White.

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One-Act Play Contest Entry
from $10.00

One-Act Play
Up to 15 pages (body) and can be performed in 10-12 minutes. For this category, attach a Cover Page to include: Author's Name, Play Title, Author's Contact (phone & email), 2-paragraph Bio. Include in the body of the play a List of Characters with Character Descriptions and any special instructions or notes about the play. No musicals or children's theater. $10 per entry for members, $15 per entry for non-members. Sponsored by Central Alabama Theater.

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Formal Poetry Contest Entry
from $10.00

Formal Poetry
For one entry fee, submit up to 2 poems (any "formal" poems, i.e. villanelle, sonnet, sestina) with a maximum 25 lines each. $10 per 2 poems for members, $15 per 2 poems for non-members. Sponsored by Mike Turner.

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Free Verse Poetry Contest Entry
from $10.00

Free Verse Poetry
Subject: Cats. For one entry fee, submit up to two poems with a maximum 40 lines each (not to exceed a total of 80 lines). $10 per 2 poems for members, $15 per 2 poems for non-members. In memory of Rebecca Davis-Brown.

Type:
Quantity:
Add to Cart