The North Carolina Writers’ Network e-mailed me this list of upcoming deadlines for writing contests. So you can’t say you weren’t warned. Get off your butts and enter.
Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition
Postmark deadline: November 30 (annual)
The Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition encourages the creation of lasting nonfiction work that is outside the realm of conventional journalism. Subjects may include traditional categories such as reviews, travel articles, profiles or interviews, place/history pieces, or culture criticism. The first-, second- and third-place winners will receive $300, $200 and $100, respectively. Additionally, the Rambler Magazine will consider the winner for publication. For more information, go here.
Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize
Postmark deadline: December 15 (annual)
The Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize honors internationally celebrated North Carolina novelist, Thomas Wolfe. The winner receives $1,000 and possible publication in The Thomas Wolfe Review. The final judge for this year’s award is Ashley Warlick. For more information, go here.
*Randall Jarrell Poetry Competition
Postmark deadline: January 31 (annual)
The Randall Jarrell Poetry Competition accepts one poem submissions. The contest awards the winner publication in The Crucible literary journal and $200. Questions may be directed to Tony Abbott via email at toabbott@davidson.edu. This year’s judge is James Applewhite, Duke emeritus professor who is the only NC writer mentioned in Harold Bloom’s Western Canon. For more information, go here.
Doris Betts Fiction Prize
Deadline for Receipt of Materials: February 1 (annual)
The Doris Betts Fiction Prize awards the first- and second-place winners with prizes of $200 and $100 respectively. Winners and finalists will be considered for publication in the North Carolina Literary Review. Questions may be directed to Margaret Bauer, editor of the North Carolina Literary Review, via email at BauerM@ecu.edu. The final judge is Tim Gautreaux. A Louisiana native and now part-time resident of western North Carolina, Gautreaux is the author of two short story collections, Same Place, Same Things and Welding with Children, and two novels, The Clearing and The Next Step in the Dance. His stories have been selected for the O’Henry and Best American Short Story annuals, and he has published them in such magazines as The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, and GQ. For more information, go here.