Poetry Contests 2016

In honour of National Poetry Month, whip up a poem and send it out!

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Title of contest: 2016 CBC Poetry Prize

Type of entry: 400-600 words; unpublished and original obviously

Deadline: May 31, 2016

Fee (if any): $25 CAD

Prize (if applicable): $6,000 if win it all, publication, writing residency

Qualifications/Restrictions: Canadian citizens and/or permanent residents

Additional notes: They also host a short story and creative nonfiction competition every year

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Title of contest: Sentinel Literary Quarterly Poetry Competition

Type of entry: Under 50 lines

Deadline: May 31st, 2016

Fee (if any): £4

Prize (if applicable): £200.00

Qualifications/Restrictions: Your poem shouldn’t be considered for publication elsewhere or accepted either

Additional notes: Ensure you haven’t published the piece on your blog

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Title of contest: Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest

Type of entry: 250 lines or less; published or unpublished

Deadline: September 30, 2016

Fee (if any): $10 USD per poem

Prize (if applicable): $1,500, publication

Qualifications/Restrictions: None, really

Additional notes: Tom Howard accepts any style or genre; Margaret Reid accepts a poem that rhymes or follows a traditional style

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Review the complete rules and guidelines if you plan on submitting. Remember that dates, fees, and prizes are subject to change.

I have no control over anything. If I did I would shower all writers with bills and books. Although the latter might hurt a little.

Poetry Contests 2016

Looking for poetry contests with a 2016 deadline? You’ve come to the right place.

Title of contest: Prism Poetry Contest

Deadline: January 15, 2016

Fee (if any): $35 Canadian entries, $40 US entries, $45 Int’l entries (each entry comes with a one-year subscription or extension of the magazine)

Prize (if applicable): $1,500

Qualifications/Restrictions: Submit up to three poems with each entry.

Additional notes: They accept online submissions and they also have a Short Fiction contest with the same deadline (sorry about the late notice)

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Title of contest: Junior Authors Poetry Contest

Deadline: March 31, 2016

Fee (if any): None

Prize (if applicable): Publication, signed paperback copy of “Polly Wants to Be a Writer: The Junior Authors Guide to Writing and Getting Published” OR “The Naked Storyteller” (winner’s choice), 30 minute private coaching session OR LTC Insider Plus+ Membership (winner’s choice)

Qualifications/Restrictions: Anyone between the ages of 11-21

Additional notes: I’ve entered and placed in the Short Story Contest so I can vouch for its legitimacy

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Title of contest: Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest

Deadline: April 01, 2016

Fee (if any): None

Prize (if applicable): $1,000

Qualifications/Restrictions: Submit one poem, maximum 50 lines

Additional notes: You can submit published or unpublished work

If you plan on submitting, remember to read over the complete rules and guidelines. Good luck!

Writing Contests And Competitions

I’ve been meaning to do a post like this for a long time. I finally got around to it.

Rachel compiles a bunch every month on her blog. Kudos to you and thanks for inspiring me!

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Title of contest: The Bazaar of Bad Dreams

Type of entry: Fictional story (max. 4,000 words)

Deadline: December 18, 2015

Fee (if any): None

Prize (if applicable): Publication, a chance to attend a masterclass

Qualifications/Restrictions: UK residents

Additional notes: King is King

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Title of contest: Poetic Power Poetry Contest

Type of entry: Poem (max. 21 lines)

Deadline: December 23, 2015

Fee (if any): None

Prize (if applicable): Publication, free copy of anthology, special recognition in the book and possibly on their blog

Qualifications/Restrictions: Students in grades K-12 in Canada and USA

Additional notes: They run fall, summer, and spring contests

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Title of contest: Poetic Power Essay Contest

Type of entry: Essay (max. 250 words)

Deadline: February 18, 2016

Fee (if any): None

Prize (if applicable): Publication, free copy of anthology, special recognition in the book and possibly on their blog

Qualifications/Restrictions: Students in grades 4-12 in Canada and USA

Additional notes: I’ve entered and won so I can vouch for the legitimacy of this contest

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Title of contest: L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest

Type of entry: Science fiction or fantasy stories (max. 17,000 words)

Deadline: Quarterly on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1

Fee (if any): None

Prize (if applicable): Prize every three months: $1,000 for first place, $750 for second, $500 third; Annual Grand Prize: an additional $5,000

Qualifications/Restrictions: Amateur writers

Additional notes: They have another contest for illustrators

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Please do check out the complete rules and guidelines if you plan on submitting. I’ve condensed a lot of the information so I don’t mean to mislead anyone.

I hope this helps! Good luck and work hard.

Hunting For Scholarships

Opinion: Hunting for scholarships is harder than hunting for writing contests.

A part of me is tempted to enter more writing competitions instead. I’ve had more luck with that. Finding and winning. Fact: I’ve earned money writing.

This just proves I’m a better writer than I am student. Which is a good thing because I want to be a writer for the rest of my life, but I don’t plan on being a student forever. At least not in the traditional sense of the word. Of course, I will strive to learn and improve. Just not in a jail. I mean classroom.

Submitting My Soul Away, Fame, And Unicorns

Whenever I submit something anywhere, I always feel like I’m submitting my soul away. Writing is and always will be personal. Letting someone else read what I have written is perhaps one of the hardest things to do. At least for me it is.

On one hand, I guess I shouldn’t really care too much. After all, it’s not like these competition judges/editors/writers know who I am. Which makes me wonder what happens when you’re famous. When everyone and their moms know your name. Then you have expectations to meet, standards to uphold.

I swear on anything, fame will be the death of me. That’s why I will enjoy my life right now when nobody really knows me. And I will try not to do anything insanely crazy, stupid, or astonishing. If I do, then I will pray that I won’t suddenly be in the spotlight and become so well known that I can’t live a normal, peaceful life.

I know I totally digressed from my point about submitting my soul away. So I guess I should end my post here before I start talking about unicorns and rainbows.

Then again, I’ve always wanted to write a story about a unicorn and incorporate the symbolic meaning of a rainbow into my novel.

Why Writers Never Sleep In

Today I don’t have to wake up early for school. Thanks to the OSSLT. Technically then I can sleep in. In fact, most of my friends are probably snoozing and dozing as I type this post. However, as a writer, I feel it’s in my blood to be up and at it early in the morning. Why? I hope this post will enlighten you so that you’ll understand the complexity of being a writer.

Writing when everybody is asleep is the sweetest feeling in the world. 

OK maybe not the sweetest. I stand corrected. But many of my friends and family members enjoy sleeping late. It’s too noisy at night to write. Rather, it can get too quiet in the morning. But as long as I can hear myself think, I can write.

Writers dream. And sometimes writers write about dreams. 

Hence…writers get out of bed at odd hours to record what they’ve experienced in the middle of the night.

Writing is a bigger priority than sleeping.

Devoted writers choose writing over sleeping. Extremely devoted writers choose reading over sleeping.

Writers are constantly thinking about writing.

How can one possibly sleep then?

If a writer slept more than he wrote, he would never make it in this industry.

It’s competitive. There’s competition. You need to be at your best or you’ll risk someone else taking your spot.

Are you enlightened after reading this post? The next time you sleep in, appreciate the fact that you can. You can bet that the writers of this world are awake and formulating a plan to conquer the entire universe. In their next novel of course. Did you really think I was serious?

 

Disadvantages Of Being A Writer

With every venture, endevaour, or dream one embarks on…lies a harsh reality one must face someday.

Today, Aspirignwriter22 aspires to bring you the DISADVANTAGES of being a writer, sadly.

Yes, writing is a great hobby and passion for many. Please do not allow me to discourage you from doing what you love to do. That is not my intention nor is it the point of this article. I merely want to inform you, whether you are a writer or not, about 6 unfortunate consequences or problems writers eventually confront head on.

With every choice comes multiple disadvantages, drawbacks, difficulties…

On a more positive note:

Advantages Of Being A Writer

1. Writers don’t get holidays. That’s right. They write every day. Well, the ones who want it badly enough, do.
2. They don’t have many friends. Hey it is true, writers spend most of their time at home…not outside partying.
3. Completing a writing project takes time. Try writing a novel in 5 minutes or even 5 days. You can’t do it.
4. You don’t get paid enough for it. If you are on of those writers that can make a living out of it, congratulations. As for the rest of us…keep your day job and keep on writing.
5. Ahem, the writing industry is a battlefield and you are a lone soldier on it. The competition is out of this world. In most cases, every writer out there wants the same thing you want: publication, royalties, status, etc.
6. The oh-so-common-mostly-bitter-rejection-slip. Enough said.