Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

Submit poetry in traditional verse forms. What are traditional verse forms? By traditional verse, we mean any form of poetry that has been in circulation for 50 years or more. The poems you submit should follow some kind of formal or informal pattern. This pattern might involve rhyme, meter, length of line, repetition, or some other pattern, strict or loose.

Your entry should be your own original work. You may submit the same poem simultaneously to this contest and to others, and you may submit poems that have been published or won prizes elsewhere, as long as you own the online publication rights.

Prizes:
1st Prize: $2,000
2nd Prize: $1,000
3rd Prize:   $500
4th Prize:    $250
5 High Distinction Awards: $200
5 Most Highly Commended Awards: $100
Top 14 entries will be published on the Winning Writers website

Entry Fee: $6 for every 25 lines

Deadline: June 30, 2008.

How to submit: By mail or online entry form

For more information go to Winning Writers.com

The Writer Magazine Contests

The contests keep on coming this month.

The Writer Magazine has a couple great opportunities to win some extra gas money, beginning with the New Writers’ Exchange Contest. The deadline is coming up in one week so you’ll need to get busy to enter this one.

New Writers’ Exchange Contest

Deadline: May 31, 2008

Writing is serious business. But funny things do happen. We all make silly mistakes, some more humiliating than others. At the time, your blunder probably seemed unbearably embarrassing, but looking back on it – it was pretty funny.

Here’s a chance to show your sense of humor by sharing a favorite faux pas from your writing career. Send us your story and we’ll publish the most entertaining entries in a future issue of The Writer and/or online at WriterMag.com.

Word length: 50 – 250 words

Payment: $50, plus publication and one year subscription to The Writer

How to submit: Send email with Word attachment to: exchange@writermag.com

The Writer 2008 Short-Story Contest

Genre: Mystery

Word length: 2,000 words or less

Deadline: June 30, 2008

Prizes:
1st Place - $1,000; The first-place entry, along with the finalist judge’s comments, will be published in The Writer magazine.
2nd Place - $300
3rd Place - $200, third place
All three winning entries will be posted on The Writer Web site.

Finalist judge: Mystery novelist William G. Tapply

Entry fee: $10 per entry, payable to The Writer.

How to submit: Click here to download the entry form
Or by mail to:
2008 Short-Story Contest
The Writer
PO Box 1612
Waukesha, WI 53187-1612

Click here for a complete list of Rules.

Traveling Mamas Anthology

Traveling Mamas is searching for true uplifting, funny, inspirational, and touching stories with a travel theme for an upcoming anthology series. Possible themes may include family travel, romantic escapes, girlfriend getaways, and solo trips.

Word length: 300-1000 words

Rights: One-time rights. Reprints are acceptable as long as you own the rights. If your work has been published before, send the name of the publication the story appeared and the date it was published with your submission.

Payment: $50 on publication, plus a Traveling Mamas travel pack that includes one copy of the book your story appears in

Deadline: September 1, 2008

How to submit:
Send your submissions in the body of an email to: anthology@travelingmamas.com
Attachments will not be opened. Include your name, address, phone number, and preferred email address. At the bottom of your story please include a brief author bio (no more than 100 words) to be included in the back of the book.

For more information go to Traveling Mamas.com

Cheerios® Spoonfuls of Stories® Children’s Book Contest

Cheerios invites previously unpublished adult authors to submit their children’s book manuscripts in the second Cheerios® Spoonfuls of Stories® Children’s Book Contest. Cheerios will provide cash prizes to up to three winners, and the top winner will have their book evaluated by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for a potential book deal. A book deal is not guaranteed. For a complete list of rules, go to Spoonfuls of Stories® Contest Official Rules.

Last year, Shellie Braeuner, an SCBWI member from Nashville, TN, was named the grand prize winner. In addition to her $5,000 prize from Cheerios, Braeuner received a book deal from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. Her winning story, The Great Dog Wash, is being published and will be printed and available in Cheerios boxes in the spring of 2009. The book also will be available in hardcover on bookshelves in the summer of 2009. Two first prize winners, Alison Anderson of Cumberland, WI., and Kate Heilman, an SCBWI member from Chicago, each received $1,000 from Cheerios.

Deadline: July 15, 2008

Prizes: $5,000 grand prize and winning story will be reviewed by publisher for a potential book deal. Two $1,000 finalist prizes.

Target age group: 4 to 8 year olds

Word length: 500 words or less

Open to: Authors 18 years or older

Submit your entry online: Spoonfuls of Stories® Contest

Judging Criteria:
 
1. Age Appropriate 
    Is the topic/subject matter appropriate for children ages 4 to 8?
    Are the words and the tone appropriate for young children?

2. Emotional Connection 
    Does the story provide an emotional connection with the reader?
    Does it provide a lesson for kids?
    Does it bring a tear to your eye?
    Does it offer high giggle-ability? 
    Are the characters and storyline engaging/appealing?

3. Writing Quality 
    Is the book well-written overall?

4. Uniqueness 
    Is the storyline/plot distinctive or extraordinary?
    Does it re-tell a known story or historical event in a new or
    different way?

5. Read Aloud Potential 
    Is this a book you can easily read aloud with children?
    Is it a book that could be enjoyed again and again?

Stories must be in English text only, and not illustrated.

May Contests

Thinking about attending the SCBWI Summer Conference but can’t afford the tuition?

Take your best shot at the fAiRy gOdSisTeRs, iNk. $1,000 SCBWI Summer Conference Grant.

Submit a 250-word double-spaced essay describing what you hope to accomplish by attending this year’s summer conference.

Send your essay to: fairygodsistersink@yahoo.com

Deadline: May 15, 2008
Winner will be notified on June 1, 2008

Questions about the grant may be sent to: mlhershey@aol.com

fAiRy gOdSiStErS, iNk. is a small, benevolent squadron of children’s book authors who believe in the magic of passing forward lucky breaks, bounty and beneficence. Members include: Thalia Chaltas, Mary Hershey, Valerie Hobbs, Robin La Fevers and Lee Wardlaw.

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Byline Juvenile Short Story Contest

Wanted: Fiction for ages 5-8; 9-12; or 13-16. State targeted age group on manuscript.

Word length: 2,000 words or less

Entry fee: $5

Prizes: $40, $30, $20

Deadline: May 22, 2008

Check out these other May contests at Byline:

New Talent Form Poem: Deadline May 3
Column/Op-Ed: Deadline May 10
Heavenly Poem: Deadline May 17