The deadline for submissions to the 2019 Oregon Writers Colony writing contest is August 15, 2019. New this year is an additional contest in the category of the Fifty Word Story.
The contest is open to both OWC members and nonmembers.
Entries that meet the guidelines below will be accepted until the last date for electronic submissions, August 15, 2019.
We accept entries in the following categories:
- Fiction, Short Story
- Fiction, First Chapter
- Nonfiction, Short Story
- Nonfiction, First Chapter
- Fifty Word Story
Short Story Contest, Fiction and Nonfiction
Contest director, C. Lill Ahrens. Final judges to be announced. Two categories: Fiction Short Story and Nonfiction Short Story. Maximum 2,500 words, firm.
Judging Criteria
Judging criteria are (not necessarily in this order):
- Plot
- Character arc
- Originality
- Clarity
- Evokes emotion in reader
- Sensory detail
- Tension
- Mechanics (point of view, tense, etc.)
- Theme (emotional issue the story explores, such as “courage” or “love”)
- “Show-don’t-tell”
Contest Rules
- Original, unpublished story or chapter.
- Word limit: 2500 maximum. Firm limit.
- Standard manuscript form: Double-spaced, indented paragraphs, 12-point Times New Roman.
- No separate title page.
- Title, word count, and category on first page of manuscript.
- NO author name anywhere on the manuscript.
- Multiple submissions accepted.
- One entry per submission.
- Use the title of your short story or book as the file name of your submission.
Awards
The top three winners in each category will be invited to read from their winning entries at Awards Gala, plus cash awards and certificates.
- First place, $200
- Second place, $100
- Third place, $50
- First Honorable Mention and up to three Honorable Mentions, Certificate of Achievement
First Chapters, Fiction and Nonfiction
Contest director, C. Lill Ahrens. Final judges to be announced. Two categories: Fiction First Chapter and Nonfiction Story First Chapter. Maximum 2,500 words, firm.
Judging Criteria
Judging criteria are (not necessarily in this order):
- Depth of character
- Originality
- Clarity
- Evokes emotion in reader
- Sensory detail
- Tension
- Mechanics (point of view, tense, etc.)
- “Show-don’t-tell”
- Ends on page turner
Contest Rules
- Original, unpublished story or chapter.
- Word limit: 2500 maximum. Firm limit.
- Standard manuscript form: Double-spaced, indented paragraphs, 12-point Times New Roman.
- No separate title page.
- Title, word count, and category on first page of manuscript.
- NO author name anywhere on the manuscript.
- Multiple submissions accepted.
- One entry per submission.
- Use the title of your short story or book as the file name of your submission.
Awards
Top three winners in each category will be invited to read from their winning entries at Awards Gala, plus cash awards and certificates:
- First place, $200
- Second place, $100
- Third place, $50
- First Honorable Mention and up to three Honorable Mentions, Certificate of Achievement
Fifty Word Story Contest
Contest director, Harry Demarest. Final judge to be announced.
Judging Criteria
- Evokes a strong emotion
- Memorable
- Originality
- Clarity
- Story arc or shift of emotion or plot twist
Contest Rules
- Original, unpublished story.
- Word count: exactly 50 words, not including title. Hyphenated words count as one word.
- Manuscript in 16-point Times New Roman, single spaced, with space between paragraphs.
- No separate title page.
- NO author name anywhere on the manuscript.
- Submit up to three 50-word stories as one entry, one per page.
- Use the title of your short story or book as the file name of your submission.
- Multiple submissions accepted.
Awards
Cash awards for first, second, and third place will be announced. The First Honorable Mention and up to three Honorable Mentions will receive a Certificate of Achievement. All winners, including honorable mentions, will be invited to read their entire Fifty Word Story entries at the Awards Gala.
Entry Fees for All Contests
$15 per entry for OWC members
$20 per entry for nonmembers
If you want a written critique from the judging panel, add $15 to your entry fee.
Submission Guidelines (Electronic Submissions Only)
We are using Submittable, the submission manager.
To submit your short story, please have a word document or PDF ready to upload and be prepared to pay via debit or credit card, as well as PayPal. Submissions can be made through Submittable.
Be sure your name does not appear anywhere on the manuscript.
Multiple submissions are encouraged, but please submit each one separately with a separate payment.
Contest fee is nonrefundable. Entries not meeting the stated criteria will be disqualified.
Enter Your Manuscript
Questions? Email Marlene
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
