rules for creative writing competition

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Creative Writing Competition Rules and FAQ

Rules: (updated for the 2023-2024 competition).

• The event is open to all students in grades 4-12. Coppell ISD students may participate for free. Students who do not attend Coppell ISD schools must have a CGA family membership to participate.
• All entries must be received at or before the deadline of JANUARY 19, 2024, at midnight.
• All entries will be submitted digitally through our  Online Entry Form (click link to access — link will be available November – Deadline).  If you do not upload your story/poem in the digital form box and just attach it, your entry may be disqualified.
• Your entry can be no longer than 10,000 characters, including spaces.  Do not include page numbers, headers, or comments (footnotes and/or endnotes may be used to provide source information if appropriate).  The Online Entry Form will limit your entry to 10,000 characters, regardless of formatting.  Copy and paste your story as text in the “entry text” field.  Your submitted text will be sent to the judges. Please maintain indents, paragraph breaks, punctuation, etc. Text should be single spaced.
• Drawings, photographs or artwork will not be accepted.
• Each student may only submit one entry per category.  Categories are Story and Poetry.
• Students need not be “identified gifted” to participate. We are looking for passionate, creative writers.
• All entries must be the work of a single student.
• No foreign language submissions will be considered.  However, limited foreign language dialog is acceptable if it is understandable within the context of the entire work.
• Entries may not contain gratuitous violence,  profanity or explicit adult situations. Please remember that entries may be ready by students as young as fourth grade.
• Please use pseudonyms when appropriate to hide the author’s true identity from the judges.
• Each work must be the original work of the student author. No plagiarism. No parental assistance, embellishment or editing. Parent may type final work, but can not alter any content — we will be checking with the teachers of the finalists to confirm that the entry is consistent with the student’s work in the classroom.   Plagiarism.org defines plagiarism as “the use of another’s original words or ideas as though they were your own.”  For instance, if you are inspired by another author’s story, a fable or parable, provide credit in a comment at the end.  If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please contact your Language Arts teacher.
• CGA may contact the participant’s teacher to confirm that the student work is consistent with the writing ability of the participant as demonstrated in the classroom.
• To maintain the integrity of the competition, entries that are not clearly the original work of the student author will be removed from the competition.  The participant, the participant’s parents, and/or the participant’s school may be notified if an entry is removed.
• CGA reserves the option to establish a panel to pre-screen the entries or recruit additional judges.
• Entries selected as finalists will only be published upon written consent of the author’s parent or legal guardian.  This consent will be sought following the determination of competition results, so each entry form must contain valid contact information including a parent/guardian email address.
• Please note that if we receive multiple versions of a submission, the most recent version prior to the deadline will be submitted to the judges.
• A checklist has been provided in the entry form for the student to confirm that the entry complies with the basic rules. If the checklist is not completed, or the entry does not otherwise comply with the rules, it may be disqualified.
• The decisions of the judges are final.
• Submission indicates acceptance of the rules.
• Question: Can I tell a story that contains a brutal murder? Answer: See rule #10: no gratuitous violence. As a results, you may not include the extensive description and details of the crime. After all, the target audience is grades 4-12. However, if this is a necessary part of the story that you want to tell, you may focus on the emotional impact on the characters and provide a very brief summary of the crime.  Ask yourself, “is this appropriate for an audience that includes 9 year olds?”
• Question: How long is 10,000 characters? Answer: Approximately 6 pages of double-spaced text or 3 pages of single-spaced text, on a regular letter sized piece of paper.  You can check the number of characters through your word processing program.  Be sure that you include the spaces in your character count.  The story submitted in the text box on the Online Entry Form is the text that will be submitted to the judges and printed in the book.
• Question: I pasted my story in the text box and it did not load the entire story and gave me an error.  What happened? Answer: Your story likely exceeds the maximum length.
• Question : Why did you change the submission process?  I can no longer upload my document as an attachment? Answer : We changed the submission process to make it more automated. The competition involves several hundred entries, a few dozen judges, and a couple CGA volunteers. By copying and pasting your entry into the submission box, we are able to merge your information — with a few keystrokes we can send the stories to the judges and create the book of finalists. We may change line spacing and fonts. Otherwise, your entry paragraph breaks, indents, and punctuation will remain as entered. If you have any concerns, questions or feedback, please contact [email protected].
• Question: I want to make changes, can I resubmit my story? Answer: Yes, see rule #17.  We will only consider the most recent version of your story submitted prior to the deadline.
• Question: I mistakenly entered the wrong category.  What can I do? Answer: If it is before the deadline, please resubmit.  If it is after the deadline, please contact [email protected] .  If the entries have not yet been distributed to the judges, your entry can be reassigned to the proper category.
• Question:  Why do I have to pay for a book? Answer: Purchase is not necessary to participate in the competition. We are very proud of these awesome writers.  We publish the First Place and Honorable Mentions because we think that is a great way to celebrate and share the amazing talents of these young writers.  We provide a free copy to those students who receive First Place in each category (think of it as the “trophy” awarded to the top entry). We are unable to provide a complimentary copy to everyone who is published in the book because it is just too costly and we are committed to keeping this a FREE competition to enter.  If you procure a corporate sponsor who is interested in covering our costs, please let us know.
• Question: Who is in the book? How are the finalists selected? Answer: The book contains all of the entries that receive a First Place or Honorable Mention.  First Place is awarded to the entry that receives the highest overall ranking from the judges in that category.  Honorable Mention is awarded to those entries that receive a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd ranking from any of the judges in the category.  Each category is evaluated by at least 3 judges.  Thus, the most entries a category could have in the book is 9, the fewest is 3.  We intentionally do not provide a judging rubric as we embrace the expertise of our judges — the judges are encouraged to rank the entries based on whichever qualities are the most important to them.
• Question:  I am a parent and I really want to give my child some help.  Is that OK? Answer: No, absolutely not.  See rule #12.  Resist the urge to help him.  The judges are prepared for age appropriate work and will evaluate it for its originality and content. The judges are expert educators and published authors and know what to expect and evaluate. Besides, this is a learning process for the kids and an opportunity to celebrate their abilities. Also, please note that we may contact the student’s language arts teacher to ensure that the work is consistent with the work in the classroom.
• Question: I do not participate in GT classes.  Can I still participate? Answer: Yes.  See rule #7.  We are looking for passionate, creative writers.

If you have any additional questions, please contact [email protected].

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The Smart Approach to Contest Submissions

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thebestdigger@a... replied on April 23, 2013 - 11:31am Permalink

The Smart Approach

Well. Don't we all want to win? Every time? But alas, having won, once, that's not enough to get drunk on it. I've been an "almost won" more times than I can count. But that doesn't deter me. What does? Not having a clue about why. I thought that might be evident by the writing of the dearly won. But even then, I cannot measure why this or that won.

Curiously, I don't find it daunting or even discouraging. I do find it frustrating because often I don't know what is wanted. I do follow the rules to the letter. I do stuff my drawer, reread, rewrite, and often zero back to the original where my soul wrote for me. The exercise has toughened my skin, a nice by-product of the effort. I do write and write and write and I have improved so much. I don't get fancy....that's silly. I do keep track, though my spread sheet contains only about sixty submissions across a few years. I have not made a career out of submitting. Perhaps I should. For instance, it never occurred to me to send an essay to more than one publisher at a time. And I have subscribed to several writers' mags and I see some really impressive...and humbling...work. And some trash.

For your amusement: the first Writer's Conference I attended, intimidated by many fine writers because I was a total newbie, my workshop submission raised the question: who publishes you? Well, either there was some measurement I was missing,  or they had low standards, I thought. But then there was a writing contest. It was called Writing Badly: write the worst possible essay you can think up. And of course, I won......

Thanks for the helpful instruction.

Barbarann Ayars

kkrousseau replied on April 23, 2013 - 11:49am Permalink

What the heck are selfies?

Quite often context reveals meaning but in this case " selfies" in the first paragraph has derailed me. Have you ever heard of a selfy or a selfie? I have a feeling of dread rather like when you can't remember how to spell "the" or "dog" because, for some wierd reason, it suddenly looks wrong or off in some way. Could it be that I have forgotten the word selfies and need more fish oil and exercise?

Nitwits deserve love too.

Four Way Books replied on April 23, 2013 - 12:12pm Permalink

Tips for The Smart Approach to Contest Submissions

I agree with the tips suggested above though I take some issue with one-- regarding the judges. It is important to note that judges don't necessarily choose books that are in alignment with their own writing aesthetic. Quite often, a judge's pick is a manuscript that is stylistically very different from the the judge's own creative work. At Four Way Books, we've seen such selections: Marianne Boruch selected Deborah Bernhardt's Echolalia, Jean Valentine selected George Kalamaras's The Theory and Function of Mangoes, to name a few. The point is, to focus on refining your work and send to a reputable press that you admire. 

taylorbundy replied on April 23, 2013 - 7:32pm Permalink

@kkrousseau taking a "selfie"

@kkrousseau taking a "selfie" is a new term for taking a picture of oneself. .

ssousa replied on April 24, 2013 - 8:25am Permalink

Smart Approach to Contest Submissions

While I appreciate some of the suggestions for strengthening my contest submissions in your article, such as targeting presses, magazines or judges who might be attracted to my work (all of which I do), I take exception to a certain snarky and patronizing tone that seemed to creep in when giving the nuts and bolts of submitting. Let me point out that the tone isn't exclusive to this article, I notice it more and more in submission guidelines. When I'm told not to include in my cover letter "the endearing anecdote about the first time you picked up a crayon and realized you wanted to be a writer." or not to include with my submission "flowers, ribbons, lollipops, chocolate" I wonder who the heck you think your audience is. I, and I assume the majority of your readers, are seasoned writers who view the submission process as a necessary evil, all business, of the writing life. I have submitted hundreds of manuscripts in my life as a writer, winning, coming close and not placing at all. The tone of your article seems to target the fifteen-year-old poet who may think a swirly font will make a nice touch, not at the professional who prints her manuscript, gets it in an envelope and out the door as efficiently as possible. I can't imagine that editors are discovering so much chocolate and lollipops in their submissions that they have to warn against their inclusion in the guidelines. In every case, I vote for a simple set of guidelines that tells me clearly what the editor wants , not what she doesn't want. And while we're at it, how about a little respect for writers on response time and communication over submissions, especially when a writer has been told their is interest and kept waiting.

ssousa replied on April 24, 2013 - 9:48am Permalink

Lesson: should edit letters to editor as well as ms submissions. "There" for "their" in last line.

competitivewriter replied on April 24, 2013 - 12:21pm Permalink

extending this advice a bit

ssousa - you raise some good points.   I've been collecting various writing articles related to writing competitions, and if you want to check out my blog , I think you will find some have a more professional tone.

That said, maybe your criticism is a touch harsh, can we allow the article writer to have a little levity?  I know it's  balance, but I'm sure they never intednded to insult your accomplishments and abilities.

In addition to the points in this article, I'd add:

1. Look locally in terms of geographic region and subject matter expertise.

2. Watch out for populatriy based/public voting contests that are more marketing than writing.

3. Finally, study past winners.

mariabeppa replied on April 28, 2013 - 7:05pm Permalink

paying to enter

When I started years ago, we were told to NEVER enter a contest where they ask for money. Has that changed?..

Nathaniel Tower

Juggling writing and life

How to Host a Writing Contest

Last Updated on March 4, 2024 by Nathaniel Tower

Running a writing contest may seem like a risky undertaking for an individual, a literary magazine, or any other type of publication. In order to get any interest at all, you have to put up some prize money. What happens if there aren’t enough entrants to cover your prize purse? How is a publication supposed to come up with that cash? Well, if money’s the only thing you’re worried about, then you aren’t prepared to host a writing contest.

As managing editor at Bartleby Snopes Literary Magazine , I created and ran the Dialogue-Only writing contest for nine years. During that time, we received thousands of entries and awarded over $10,000 in prize money. The Dialogue-Only contest was one of the best-paying writing contests on the web. How does a contest sponsored by a small literary magazine get to be so big?

Here’s everything you need to know to host a successful writing contest.

Minimizing the Risk

Before getting into the details about how to make your writing contest huge, let’s talk briefly about how to reduce the risk. There are several risks involved when hosting a contest. The two biggest are:

• Losing money
• Dealing with complaints (about judging, submission fees, etc.)

In order to minimize the money lost, I recommend using a formula similar to what we did at Bartleby Snopes . Start with a guaranteed amount that won’t break the bank (we originally started with $250 and eventually guaranteed at least $1,000). Charge a modest submission fee (we always charged $10). Add a little bit of money to the prize pot for each entry over a certain threshold. For example, once you get to 25 entries, add an extra $5-$6 for each new submission. Two warnings here:

• You will need more entries than you think to cover the prize money (if you have a $10 entry fee, you should only count on $9 per entry after processing fees).
• You’ll get the majority of entries near the deadline, so don’t panic if it seems like you’re behind.

Don’t promise an amount that you don’t feel comfortable losing. Always imagine the worst-case scenario. Can you afford to pay the entire prize money out of your pocket? If not, then lower your starting amount (or don’t have the contest at all).

The other major risk you run into when hosting a contest is backlash from the non-winning writers. If you aren’t careful, there may be cries of bias or unfair judging procedures. Writers may ask for their fees to be returned. You may hear complaints that the winning entries weren’t any good. You need to be sure your contest rules are clearly stated, including a bit of legalese. Don’t forget to include these statements:

• All decisions made by the judges regarding the winners are final
• No contest entry fees will be returned
• By submitting, you are agreeing to all contest rules
• Contest rules are subject to change

Additionally, it’s always a good idea to be specific regarding all the various components of the contest. Tell your submitters who the judges are, where the contest fees go, when the winning stories will be published, etc. By taking this proactive and transparent approach, we were able to to stay clear of complaints. None of the writers asked for their fee to be returned (unless there was a glitch), and only one writer ever complained about the results (it was a cry of sexism because one year all 5 winners in our BLIND contest had male-sounding names).

Getting Enough Entries

Our Dialogue-Only contest wasn’t always a big deal. During our first year, we gave out just $450 in prize money. While many writers would be thrilled to win a piece of that, we’re not exactly talking about big bucks. Five years later, our prize pot was over five times that. How were we able to grow so much during that time?

If you want to maximize the number of entries your writing contest gets, you need to do a few things:

• Make the prize worth it
• Establish credibility
• Be transparent
• Advertise and promote
• Do something unique

Let’s discuss each of these elements in detail.

Make the Prize Worth It

A contest doesn’t have to award thousands of dollars to be worth it. Of course, that all depends on what you are asking the writers to do. The higher the fee you are charging, the bigger the prize should be. I recommend a prize-to-fee ratio of at least 20 to 1 (that’s a $100 prize for a $5 entry fee). If the prize is only $25, you aren’t going to get people who are willing to pay $5 or $10 to enter. If your prize-to-fee ratio is on the lower end, be sure to throw in some extra incentive (such as a free issue or subscription). Never  offer guaranteed publication to all entrants.

There are a couple other things to consider when making a prize that’s worth the entry fee:

• What are the odds of winning?
• How much work does the writer need to do to participate?

If you are getting thousands of entries, you need a huge prize. The lower the odds an individual writer has, the more you better hand out.

If you are asking for a very specific story, or if your contest requests a large volume of work, then you need to respect the effort a writer will have to put in to participate. Writers aren’t going to create a story just for your contest if they have only a small chance of winning a small prize.

Establish Credibility

This might sound like it’s impossible to achieve during the first year of your contest, but it definitely can be done. Here are a few suggestions:

• Get an endorsement from a respected figure in the writing community (this could be in the form of a guest judge)
• Get your contest listed by credible publications
• Establish yourself as a respected and professional publisher/editor prior to hosting a contest
• Make sure your contest details are thorough

I wouldn’t recommend launching a contest during the first few months your publication exists. Establish yourself first, then establish your contest. And make sure you have a real website before launching your contest. No one is going to submit if there isn’t clear evidence your contest is real.

Be Transparent

In a world where privacy is becoming more and more of a commodity, people want to know more and more about what they are getting into. Don’t hide anything about your contest. Be forthcoming about everything, including:

• Who the judges are (provide names and links for guest judges)
• Where the money will go (especially if your contest will bring in more money than it awards)
• When and how the winners will be paid
• When and how entrants will be notified
• When the winning stories will be published

Additionally, if you’ve run the contest in the past, you need to make examples of past winners easily available. If the only way to see past winners is by paying money, then you aren’t being transparent. It’s also a good idea to write a blog post or article about the contest. For example, you could discuss the types of stories that generally don’t do well in your contest. Or you could give tips about preparing a contest entry. Naturally, this will also help to establish your credibility.

Advertise and Promote

Advertising your contest can add up quickly. An ad in  Poets & Writers can run you $500 or more. Add in a few other ads and maybe some promoted posts on Facebook and Twitter, and you are easily looking at $800-$1000 just to advertise your contest (which is about what we spent to promote our contest during our biggest years).

If paying big bucks to promote your contest isn’t in the cards for you, then find as many free outlets as possible. Make sure you have a contest listing everywhere you can. There are dozens of lists that compile writing contests for free. Make sure you are on all of them (or at least all the ones you qualify for). Have a separate listing on Duotrope that’s just for your contest. Post about your contest in legitimate writing forums. Reach out to MFA programs and ask if they will spread the word. Be sure to put together a professional announcement regarding the contest. In many cases, your free promotion will bring in more entries than your sponsored ads .

Of course, you should also use social media, but promoting your contest doesn’t just mean you Tweet about it every day. If you really want to promote a contest, you need to find a variety of outlets. The most valuable promotion is anywhere people are already looking for opportunities to make money as writers (online contest listings,  Poets & Writers  Contest Issue, social media groups dedicated to paying publications, etc.).

Do Something Unique

There are thousands of writing contests held every year. If you want people to enter yours, you need to do something different from everyone else. If your guidelines are “Write any story you want and we’ll pick the best one and give you a handful of money,” then no one is going to submit. When I created the Dialogue-Only Contest, I was trying to do something I hadn’t seen done anywhere else before. My “great” ideas included:

• A rolling rejection process
• Unlimited entries for one price
• A growing prize purse
• A very specific format (stories had to be composed entirely of dialogue)

I can’t tell you how many writers contacted me to say they really enjoyed participating in this contest. Every year, I was surprised by how many entrants responded to rejection letters by thanking me for hosting the contest.

Final Notes

Hosting a writing contest is no easy task. There are plenty of obstacles you will deal with along the way, none more difficult than the colossal challenge of sorting through all the entries to pick a winner. If you run your contest the right way, you will find it a rewarding experience. Being able to award almost $2400 to writers is definitely worth the hard work.

How to Host a Writing Contest FAQs

Can anyone host a writing contest.

Yes, in theory, any website or publication can host a writing contest. Before hosting a contest, you should clearly define your contest rules and develop a plan for collecting submissions.

Where can I advertise my writing contest?

You can and should advertise your writing contest in as many places as possible. Some of the best places are Poets & Writers, Duotrope, MFA programs, other online contest listings, and social media. Make sure you have an advertising budget. Promoting your writing contest can get expensive if you aren't careful.

Do I have to award prizes for my writing contest?

If you want people to enter your writing contest, you need to offer prizes. The most appealing prizes are monetary. Publication is also a highly desired outcome. The bigger the prizes, the more entries you'll get.

Can I charge an entry fee for my writing contest?

While some writing contests are free to enter, most require an entry fee. There is nothing wrong with charging a contest entry fee as long as you make the prize worthwhile and you are transparent about where the entry fees go. If you are keeping any of the money as profit, you should disclose this.

What if no one enters my writing contest?

If no one enters your writing contest, or you just don't get many entries, you can try extending the deadline and increasing your promotion efforts. It's always a good idea to include a disclaimer in your contest rules that requires a minimum number of entries for the contest to be held. This way, if you only get a handful of entries, you don't have to award a big prize that will cause you to lose a lot of money.

For writers interested in entering a writing contest

Are you a writer interested in entering a writing contest? Check out these helpful posts:

• How to win a writing contest
• Should I enter a writing contest?
• Everything you need to know before entering a writing contest

Do you have any additional tips for hosting a writing contest? Share your thoughts or questions in the comments. If you are interested in hosting a writing contest, feel free to reach out directly to me for advice. And, as always, please share this post on all your favorite channels.

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2 thoughts on “ How to Host a Writing Contest ”

Recently, I have started using old comics for writing practice. They are public domain and from the WW II era. It is a lot of fun and a challenge since the pictures are already done. Do you have any thoughts on me organizing a writing contest in which writers fill in the blanked dialog balloons. Every entry would have the same eight pages to fill in.

This a great article thank you for being so truthful about the process of build a contest.

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Privacy overview.

Our 2024 Writers' Award competition will be open for entries until Sunday 19 May at 11:59 pm. To stay up to date,  please subscribe to our newsletter .

• The competition closes Sunday 19 May 2024  at 11:59 pm . Entries submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.
• Postal entries must be received by Monday 20 May.
• This year’s theme is ‘Reveal.’ The theme is a creative prompt, not a requirement. We are seeking the highest quality writing foremost.
• Poetry: maximum 50 lines
• Fiction: maximum 2000 words
• Creative non-fiction: maximum 2000 words
• Excerpts from longer works of fiction/non-fiction (i.e. novels, memoirs) are welcome but must read as self-contained/stand alone pieces.
• There is no minimum length.
• Underrepresented--those who find it difficult to access the writing world due to mental health challenges, disability, health, identity or social circumstance. These categories are defined here.
• UK residents. Please do not enter if you live outside the UK, due to the nature of the prizes and opportunities on offer.
• Over 18 years old.
• This does not include self-published books, work as part of an anthology, or in magazines (print or online).
• It does include poetry pamphlets.
• It does include if you intend to enter in a different genre than you've been published in.
• It does not include children's books, academic, technical, travel guides, cookbooks or similar.
• Winning pieces will be published in our anthology and therefore must not have been published previously in magazines, anthologies, or online where there is an external selection process (e.g. except on your own blog, website, or social media).
• We cannot accept entries without an entry form. If you are submitting by e-mail or post, please ensure you download an entry form here and attach it with your entry.
• Please DO NOT put your name on your work. Judging is anonymous.
• You may use a pen name if you wish, up to and including publication, announcement and associated publicity.
• Please do not include photographs or illustrations as these cannot be used in our anthology.
• Submissions cannot be altered after entry. You can withdraw your entry and make a new one if needed.
• We cannot offer feedback on your work or enter into correspondence about your entry.
• Your work must not have been created using AI software (e.g. ChatGPT), unless this is done in a transformative or artistic way and this is clearly indicated.
• We prefer typed entries, but accept handwritten entries—keep copies as entries will not be returned.
• Winners will be notified by 30 September . Judges’ decisions are final.
• If you have entered your work into another competition and won, or the piece is accepted for publication elsewhere, please notify us immediately to withdraw your submission.
• Copyright remains with the author, though by submitting you agree to allow us to publish winning work in the anthology and e-book.
• Employees of Creative Future or our project partners, and past winners, are ineligible to enter.
• Your personal data will be covered by current UK data protection legislation.
• We reserve the right to amend the Rules as deemed necessary or where circumstances are beyond our control. Any changes will be posted on the Creative Future website.

If you have any questions, please get in touch on 01273 234780 or [email protected] .

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