CONTEST RULES
- Open to women 18 years or older.
- Women Who Write will retain one-time publication rights (print and electronic), after which all rights revert to the author.
- Entries to the contest must be previously unpublished.
- Prose pieces can be fiction or non-fiction and are limited to 3,000 words or less.
- $12 entry fee for each poem or story submitted. Submissions will not be returned.
- Deadline is June 30. Electronic submissions must be received by midnight June 30. Print submissions must be postmarked on or before June 30. Late entries will not be considered.
- Winners will be notified in August by phone.
- Women Who Write members are ineligible to enter the contest. (See more information below.)
Judging and Awards
First, second and third place winners will be selected in the prose and poetry categories (a total of six winners) by independent judges in a blind judging. Decisions of the judges are final.
WINNERS WILL RECEIVE:
- First place: $300, publication in Calliope, the annual anthology of Women Who Write, and up to five copies of Calliope.
- Second place: $200, publication in Calliope and up to five copies of Calliope.
- Third place: $100, publication in Calliope and up to five copies of Calliope.
WOMEN WHO WRITE MEMBERS
Women Who Write members may submit work for inclusion in the organization’s anthology, Calliope, but are not eligible to win the International Short Prose & Poetry Contest. Members must follow the same submission guidelines as non-members. In addition, member submissions must be read aloud and critiqued at a Women Who Write meeting at least once. Pieces requiring extensive work may need to be read and critiqued twice before acceptance for publication.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
- Each poem or prose entry must include a cover page with the title of the work, the author’s name, address, home phone number, and valid email address.
- On the cover sheet, include a bio of up to 200 words. Bios will be published with the winning entries.
- To identify each page of your work, use a header with the title on the right, followed immediately by the page number. For example: To Kill a Mockingbird – 1. Do not put the author’s name or other identifying information in the header.
- Writers are encouraged to read past issues of Calliope to familiarize themselves with the publication.
FORMATTING
- Microsoft Word format (other formats, such as pdf files or Notepad, will not be considered)
- Times New Roman font, 12-point type
- Double-spaced
- One-inch margins on all side
- Left-justified for prose
- Indent paragraphs one tab
- Do not insert a line space between paragraphs
- One space after periods or other terminating punctuation
- Default on all other MS Word settings
Submit entries online at: http://womenwhowrite.submishmash.com/submit or send hard copy by mail to: Women Who Write, P.O. Box 6167, Louisville, KY 40206.
Entries are subject to editing for spelling, grammar, punctuation and line spacing. If other changes are needed, authors will have the opportunity to review edits before publication.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For submissions: via submishmash
Website: http://www.womenwhowrite.com
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