Peace, Love and Rock 'n' Roll: Woodstock Revisited

Where were you in 1969? If you were at Woodstock and can come up with a true 850 to 1100 word story, you might want to submit it to Literary Cottage's Woodstock Revisited Anthology Contest. You'll have to hurry, though: the deadline is September 7, 2008. Adams Media will pay authors $100 per story, plus one copy of the anthology. Not only that, Literary Cottage offers prizes!

• 1st Prize: $100
• 2nd Prize: $75
• 3rd Prize: $50

So, if you were there and can remember the experience, or if you know someone who was (they are also accepting "as told to" stories), write from the heart, tell your story with imagery and humor, end with a satisfying conclusion, and email your story to sreynolds(at)literarycottage(dot)com. They have many guidelines for submissions as well as tips for writing a fabulous story, so please go to their website and check them out.

A Sign Of The Times???

Here's another war-related contest, but the folks at Diversion Press are looking for short stories, not poetry, for their upcoming anthology: War is All We Know. Their anthology is designed to collect the best FICTION on war; historical or other fiction is fine, but they do not want real-live battle stories! Each story must include, as a quote or somewhere else in the text, the phrase "War is all we know."
Prizes are :

• 1^st: $30 dollars
• 2nd: $20 dollars
• 3rd: $10 dollars

All three winners will have their short-stories published and receive a free copy, including free shipping, of the publication. Winners may also have their stories and name featured on their web-site. While only three prizes will be given, other work may be considered for publication in the anthology. Please go to their website to look at the rest of their submission and proposal guidelines.
You have until December 1st 2008 to get your 20 to 40 page story submitted to them. They prefer regular mail, [Diversion Press Inc., Attn: Acquisitions Editor, P.O. Box 30277, Clarksville, TN 37040] but will also accept your work via email at divisionpress(at)yahoo(dot)com.

What's In That Drawer?

Ya gotta love a contest that gives you a theme and lots of ideas with which to flush it out. (At least, I always do!) Here's one that especially intriguing: The Muse Marquee's Mother Hen Contest has it all: a cash prize of $25, no entry fee, and a link to an article with an amazing plethora of suggestions on what to write about and how to finesse it into your short story of 1,000 words or less (less is better). The deadline isn't until October 10th 2008, so you have plenty of time to be inspired, write and then submit your story to museitupeditor(at)yahoo(dot)ca. The winning story will also be published in their November 2008 issue!

The Best Advice You Ever Had ~

FundsforWriters, (and its annual sponsor IdeaWeaver), is announcing its 7th Annual FundsforWriters Essay Contest. FundsforWriters changes its theme every year; this year they are offering two topics to choose from that have one thing in common: write about the best advice you ever had.

• Topic 1: The Best Advice I Ever Had and Ignored
• Topic 2: The Best Advice I Ever Had and Followed.

FundsforWriters is "all about the writer," so your essay should be writing-related, or, at least will tie back into a writing lesson. The deadline is October 31, 2008, essays should be 750 words or less, and you have both No Fee and $5 Entry Fee options, (the $5 entry fee option has bigger prizes). Those that select the $5 entry fee option will also receive the ebook of their choice.
$5 Entry Fee Category:

• First Place: $200
• Second Place: $20 - and a free copy of IdeaWeaver software (a $49.95 value)
• Third Place: $10

No Entry Fee Category:

• First Place: $50
• Second Place: $20
• Third Place: $20

The same piece cannot be entered in both categories. Submit your entry in the body of an email to hope(at)fundsforwriters(dot)com. Please go to their website for the rest of the contest guidelines and to read previous winning essays.

What Was The Most Important Day In Your Life?

If you can think of many, select one of them, write a 1500-or-less-word essay (or polish up one you already have), and enter it in Real Simple's Life Lessons Essay Contest, for a chance to win a $3000 prize and have your essay published in Real Simple! The contest ends September 9, 2008, but they are accepting snail mail entries as late as September 16 (if they are postmarked by September 9); mail to: Essay Contest Real Simple, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, 9th floor, New York, NY 10020. Email entries can be sent to lifelessons(at)realsimple(dot)com.

Is It Truly Better To Have Loved And Lost?

No matter how you answer that question, you probably have a short story, either written or not-yet-written, that could illustrate your point. If you do, If Only I Could Tell You ... Where Past Loves and Current Intimacy Meet is sponsoring it's 2nd annual Past Loves Day contest whose deadline isn't until midnight, August 17, 2008. Tell them, in no more than 700 words, as though you were telling a best friend, about how this past love influenced your life.

• First Prize: $100
• Second Prize: $75
• Third Prize: $50

All winners and Honorable Mentions will receive a copy of If Only I Could Tell You ... Where Past Loves and Current Intimacy Meet. Winners will also have their stories posted (anonymously, if requested) on their website.
Send your entry to: contest(at)ourpastloves(dot)com or: CONTEST, Spruce Mountain Press, 61 Katuah Road, Plainfield, VT 05667.
Winners will be announced on Past Loves Day, September 17, 2008. There is no fee to enter.

52 Perfect Days 2008 Travel Writing Contest

Do you know of an "off-the-beaten-track" area of the United States? If so, you are invited to submit a travel article to the First Annual 52 Perfect Days Travel Writing Contest. 52PerfectDays.com is looking for 750 to 1500 word submissions written by authors who have firsthand knowledge of an undiscovered section of city, or a relatively unheard of town or experience. Articles should appeal to those who enjoy U.S. travel and are willing to get a bit adventurous. Whether you want to explore the ethnic foods in a certain section of town, backpacking in a remote location, or know of a coastal town yet to be discovered, they want to know your story! Share how to spend a perfect day in the location of your choice. They're not interested in travelogues or diaries, but do tell them what makes your location unique or why is it off the main travel radar and why it is worth a visit. You have until October to submit your entry to travelwritingcontest(at)52perfectdays(dot)com.

• First Place Prize is $150
• Second Place Prize is $75
• Third Place Prize is $25

So, whether you are a freelancer, professional writer, or just looking for an excuse to finally write about your travels, this NO-FEE contest could be perfect for you. Please check out their website for the rest of the contest guidelines.

WordClay Short Story Contest ~

If you have a short story, up to 5,000 words, why not enter it in the Wordclay Short Story Contest? All you need to do is register at www.wordclay.com, and then email your entry and a cover letter to contests(at)wordclay(dot)com before June 1, 2008. Fifteen of the finalists stories will be published in an anthology and the finalists whose work is published will receive a printed, bound copy at no cost. In addition to bound copies, the Grand Prize Winner will receive a check for $500, and the Runner Up will receive one for $250. There's something for everyone at Wordclay: even if you're not a runner up, all non-finalist participants will receive an electronic copy (e-book) of the anthology. You may enter up to three short stories; just be sure they are double-spaced and written in Times New Roman. Go to their website for the rest of the contest guidelines.

$150 Dollars For 50 Words!!

That's the prize for feedback being offered by The Summerset Review. All you have to do is send them your opinion, (at least fifty words worth), of stories and essays appearing in the current issue! In addition, winners will receive a copy of Volume One. They will publish your comments in the following issue, along with your name and home town. Only one entry is allowed per person per quarter, and the entry must pertain to a piece appearing in the current issue. They are particularly interested in how the story or essay affected you; what impact it had, what memory it stirred. Be honest and lucid. The deadline for comments is two weeks before the release date. Issues are released on the 15th of March, June, September and December. Email your entry to editor(at)summersetreview(dot)org, and be sure to include your name, town, state and country (if outside the USA). There's nothing to lose and much to gain: check out their website to read the current stories and essays, and then read some of the previous winning comments to get an idea of what they like.

Finding Something "On the Premises"

Nothing beats a contest that provides a writing prompt, and On the Premises has one going on now with a delightful theme: "Found." If words are indeed like suitcases, how much can be packed inside this one, yes? The challenge is to write a creative, compelling, and well-crafted story between 1,000 and 5,000 words that clearly uses the premise, to wit: "One or more characters unexpectedly finds one or more physical objects somewhere. Something about the object(s) raises questions the character(s) want answered." Send your entry before midnight, Eastern Time, Saturday, May 31st, 2008, to entries(at)onthepremises(dot)com. Prizes are as follows:

• 1st Prize: $140
• 2nd Prize: $100
• 3rd Prize: $70
• Honorable Mention: $25

On the Premises is published every four months, and the stories published are the winning entries. They also occasionally run mini-contests with smaller prizes. To be eligible to enter these, all that is necessary is to sign up for their free, short, monthly newsletter.
Also delightful: there are no entry fees for any of their contests! Please go to their website to read the current issue and check out the rest of the contest guidelines.

Jerry Jazz No Fee Fiction Contest

Three times a year, Jerry Jazz Musician, a Web site "...devoted to jazz and American civilization..." awards a writer who submits, in our opinion, the best original, previously unpublished work of approximately one - five thousand words. The winner will be announced via a special mailing of our Jerry Jazz Musician newsletter. Publishers, artists, musicians and interested readers are among those who subscribe to the newsletter. Additionally, the work will be published on the home page of Jerry Jazz Musician and featured there for at least four weeks.

The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theatre, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. Your writing should appeal to a reader with these characteristics.

Contest details

A prize of $100 will be awarded for the winning story. In addition to the story being published on Jerry Jazz Musician, the author's acceptance of the prize money gives Jerry Jazz Musician the right to include the story in an anthology that will appear in book or magazine form. No entry fee is required. One story entry only.

Submission deadline for the next contest is May 31, 2008. Publishing date will be July 1, 2008.

No Fee Poetry Contest - Spiritual Directors International

Spiritual Directors International puts out a publication called Presence, which is ."..a peer-reviewed journal that publishes thought-provoking articles addressing topics of interest to spiritual directors. The goal of Presence is to identify current trends in the field, to provide background and resources for spiritual directors as well as others interested in the ministry of spiritual direction, and to look ahead at what might be developing in the future."

They are currently holding a no-fee Poetry Contest.

Deadline May 15!

Details from their Web site:

"Presence: An International Journal of Spiritual Direction announces its fourth annual juried poetry contest.

The grand prize winner will be awarded a US$100.00 cash prize. Three runners up will receive US $75.00 each. The top four selections will be published in the September, December, March, and June issues of Presence, respectively. A number of honorable mentions will also be selected for future publication. Everyone may enter."

SheKnows Presents the “Defining Moment” Poetry Contest.

If you work best under pressure, The Life Before Her Eyes Poetry Contest just might be one to inspire you to get some of your work out there, paid for and read by people you don't know. Might lead to a nice way to meet and greet, practice social skills, show off your talents, bask in the glow of pride. Fun, yes? You could ENTER TO WIN $500! Nothing to sneeze at (gesundheit) Pretend the part about laying your ego on the line is the least aspect of the venture. "The Life Before Her Eyes" is a movie made by the same director, Vadim Perleman, who created "House of Sand and Fog", one of the more devastatingly powerful movies to come out in recent years.
Moving backwards and forwards in time, "The Life Before Her Eyes" combines the dramatic intensity of "Sophie's Choice" with the eerie mystery of a ghost story like "The Others."
How much more does a contest need to be totally compelling?? Not much. "The Life Before Her Eyes" explores the reverberations stemming from the collision of past and future, reality and dream.
They are asking us to submit poems that capture a moment in our lives in which we had to make a difficult choice and how that choice impacted the course of our lives.
Please email entries to poetry (at) magpicture (dot) com. Enter your poems by May 8th to win the Grand Prize $500 Amazon.com gift card, or be one of five runners up to win $100 Amazon.com gift card.

"Inscribed" Sponsors Two Writing Contests ~

Inscribed is not only a small press not-for-profit publishing company operating out of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. Their mission goal is to provide excellence in literature, poetry and art from around the world to international audiences through their publications in order to support artistic and environmental education and programs. They are also hosting one poetry and one short story competition in 2008. The deadline for both is December 1, 2008, so you have plenty of time to fine-tune your entries! Prizes:

• 1st Place: $50
• 2nd Place: $25
• 3rd Place: $15
• All winners will receive a copy of the printed anthology.

Send all submissions to submissions (at) inscribed (dot) org, with "Poetry Contest" or "Short Story Contest" in the subject.

Up for Writing Yourself into a Frenzy?

Our friends over at Script Frenzy, a nonprofit who also runs the popular NaNoWriMo site have issued the following stage play writing challenge:

Script Frenzy is the 100-page challenge designed to inspire everyone who's ever aspired to write a stage play.

The curtain opens and the show begins April 1. Take on the challenge! Write the story you've been threatening to write and have a blast doing it. Thousands of writers will be right there beside you, both online in the forums and at write-ins around the globe.

Script Frenzy charges no fee to participate; no valuable prizes are awarded or best scripts singled out. In order to "win" at Script Frenzy, you need only sign up and complete the goal of writing 100 pages in 30 days. In return for your valiant efforts, Script Frenzy winners are granted a Script Frenzy Winner's Certificate, web icon, and eternal bragging rights.

This is the time to get your brilliant idea written in a whirlwind adventure with an unflinching deadline.

Sign up at www.scriptfrenzy.org and get writing.

Calling All Writers!

Steve Lopez of the LA Times is inviting all LA Times readers to collaborate with him on a novel! His column in next Sunday's paper (March 30th) will be Chapter 1 of "Birds of Paradise: A Novel Collaboration," and readers are invited to contribute chapters 3, 4, 5, and so on until noon PST on Thursday, April 24, 2008 -- just in time for the LA Times Festival of Books on April 25-26! Entries must:

• Be 600 words or fewer
• Be entirely original
• Be submitted under the entrants real name

The final chapter, to be published online on April 25th and in the newspaper on April 26th, will be written by Steve Lopez.
Winners will have their entries published online and in the newspaper, receive two tickets to the LA Times Festival of Books Prize Ceremony April 25th at 8:00 PM, and be invited to read their chapter at the festival. The contest is open to all legal California residents who are 18 years or older as of the first day of the contest period. Please go to the contest website to read the rest of the guidelines and who knows where this could lead you??

For We Women Of "A Certain Age ..."

Here's a contest for women over 50 -- as one of which, I'm always pleased to see these; makes me think there's something to the idea that wisdom comes with age, and that there are actually people interested in reading about our insights. With that in mind, for those of us to whom this applies, The Portia Steele Award Organization is accepting submissions for their Third Annual Award for Excellence in Poetry, and Award for Excellence in Prose for 2008. There's no entry fee, and each award will be $100.

• Poetry should be no longer than one and one-half pages, double spaced.
• Prose should be no longer than 500 words, with the word count noted on the first page. Fiction or non-fiction is acceptable.
• Use Microsoft Word File Format
• Must be double-spaced and use 12-point Ariel or Times Roman
• Unpublished Poetry and Prose only
• One submission per category only
• Entries may be on any subject
  

Entries will be accepted via email only between 2/14/2008 and 4/15/2008. Send an attachment of your MS Word cover letter with your contact information and your poetry or prose submission with no contact information on the submission (Please) to contest@portiasteeleaward.org. You may also contact them via this email address with any questions or concerns that aren't addressed on their website.

Got Erotic? In the Rain?

If your writing has the steam of eroticism, this contest is for you! Desdmona's latest sex story contest will take place in the rain. It could be one of those warm afternoon drizzles, or a gushing torrent, but whatever it is has to contain some of "that wet stuff falling out of the sky." You may enter up to two stories of 1,000 words or less by March 31, 2008. There is no entry fee. Prizes will be awarded to the judges three favorite stories:

• 1st Prize: $250
• 2nd Prize: $150
• 3rd Prize: $75
• Honorable mention prizes of $25 will be awarded at the discretion of desdmona.com and the judges.

Entrants must be at least 18 years old, and no child pornography will be accepted. Your story must have a title, and all your characters must be fictional. Please go to their website for the rest of the contest guidelines, and then tap into your erotic imagination and let your story flow!

Remember Those Who Forget - The Early Onset Project ~

Those of us who are aware of the immense therapeutic benefits of writing may be especially drawn to this request for submissions by The Early Onset Alzheimer's Project. They have already published one anthology, "The Alzheimer's Anthology of Unconditional Love: Early Onset Dementia," which focused on the 110,000 people in Missouri affected by this disease. Their goal now is to create awareness of how many Americans are affected, and to let these people know where to go for help, that they are not alone. They are seeking true stories about persons with Early-Onset Alzheimer's and Early-Onset Dementia, which develops in people under age 65. There is no entry fee, and the deadline is June 30, 2008. Authors of stories selected will receive a free copy of the publication. Although no other payment will be made, stories will automatically be entered in a contest:

• First Prize: $100
• Second Prize: $50
• Third Prize: $25
• Honorable Mention: $10

You may submit more than one story for consideration, but only one prize will be awarded for each author, and your work should be no more than 2500 words. Stories deemed to be fiction will be automatically disqualified. Please go to their website for complete submission guidelines, and to learn more about this wonderfully thoughtful and heroic enterprise!

Camp Quest West Essay Contest

If you are a middle school student, or you know a writer who is, this contest might interest you: Camp Quest West is announcing an essay contest whose winner will receive a free campership at Camp Quest West 2008, valued at $390! Simply write a short essay, between 200 and 400 words, on any one of the following intriguing questions:

1. Should Intelligent Design be taught in public schools along with evolution? Why or why not?
2. What, if anything, does evolution tell us about the interconnectedness of life and how we should treat each other?
3. Is science the only way of knowing about the universe, or are there other ways? Explain.

The submitted essay must be entirely the work of a middle school student, with the exception of attributed quotations. Any work that does not meet these qualifications will be disqualified and the deadline is March 15, 2008. Please go to the Camp Quest West website for the application form.
Camp Quest West 2008, for campers aged 8 through 15, will be held at Camp Ross Relles in Nevada City, California, from Sunday July 13 to Saturday July 19. In addition, campers aged 16 and 17 are welcome as "staff in training,"