Monthly Writing Contests
Hi there, SFWA members,
SFWA is thrilled to announce that Jeff Dorn has returned as our Contest Director!
He has a list of Topics which will be posted shortly.
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He is also reinstating the monthly "Merit Award" as he did in the past. This time, the award will be an antique British shilling. Not the new coinage. These bear the image of George V, grandson of Queen Victoria. The great-grandfather of the current reigning monarch, King Charles III.
I get a tingly feeling to think of the possible history of these coins.
Some of these same shilling coins (minted from 1910 to 1936), when shiny and new, may have graced the palms of such titans of literature as George Orwell, Agatha Christie, Rudyard Kipling, Virginia Woolf, Dylan Thomas, Beatrix Potter, W. Somerset Maugham, Daphne Du Maurier, or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and so many others! Maybe they even bought a pen, a sheaf of foolscap paper, a bottle of ink, or a typewriter ribbon with it!
Submissions must be received no later than our monthly meeting. You can email your submissions to at this link: Jeffrey Dorn.
Winners will be announced at the following monthly meeting and will be presented with a beautiful certificate. The Special Merit Award will be announced at that time.
First place winner may also claim a prize of up to $25 toward the entry fee for submission of the winning work to any major contest of the author's choosing, national or international. Winner must show the contest submission receipt to claim the $25 from the Treasurer within 60 days of award date. We do not publish winning entries without the author's consent, to preserve its "unpublished" status for contest submission.
Use the links at the bottom of this page to find some contests, local, national, and international. Don't forget to visit the contest website for guidelines.
Our Submission fees:
One article $3, two articles $5, and three articles $7.
The entry fee is $5 for any piece of more than 10 pages. All entry fees are non-refundable.
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New topics and prompts will be posted monthly. Jeff does this by design to level the playing field. He prefers new entries, begun and completed in the last 30 days, rather than something that's been languishing in a file for a year or more.
April 2024
A person, when grown up, realized that their parent is not who they thought they were.
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Short Story:
1st Prize: Jo Avent, A Son's Reflection,
Jo Avent also wins this month's Special Merit Silver English shilling award.
2nd Prize: Pat Bonner Milone: Marlena's Secret
Memoir:
1st Prize: Beverly Melasi-Haag The Truth About Grandma
2nd Prize: Ricki Dorn, What A Surprise!
3rd Prize: Javier Castano (Jay Cano): Discernment
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Poetry:
1st Prize: Javier Castano (Jay Cano) Good Bye, My Dear Old Father
2nd Prize: Carla Albano, The Math Teacher
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Novel: Javier Castano (Jay Cano): Chapter 27.
May 2024:
Good or bad advice given by a (non-human) animal.
​Short Story:
1st Prize: Javier Castano, Tom The Cat. A Prison Story,
Javier also wins this month's Special Merit Silver English shilling award.
Memoir:
1st Prize: Jonathan Rose: Polly, the Parrot, and Me
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Poetry:
1st Prize: Swati Bagga: Blue Buddha Of Water.
June 2024:
An exotic plant received as a gift changes someone's life.
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SHORT STORY:
1st Prize: Beverly Melasi-Haag; The Enchanted Blossom
2nd Prize: Carla Albano: Saviors Come In All Forms
3rd Prize: Robert Jacober: A Gift From A Stranger
MEMOIR:
1st Prize: Ricki Dorn: Once Upon A
Jade Plant
POETRY:
1st Prize: Swati Bagga:The Rudraksha Tree
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The Special Merit Award goes to Beverly Melasi-Haag for The Enchanted Blossom.
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July 2024 Topic:
"An article of clothing must be the critical element of your entry." It can be a crown, a ring, a pair of glasses, a suit of armor; or even a mask, or a wig or a shroud. Or a dog's collar.
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SHORT STORY:
1st Prize: Mark Lew; Blind Spot
2nd Prize:
Javier Castano: Long Pants, Button-down Shirt, and Shiny Shoes
MEMOIR:
1st Prize:
Gail Tucker-Griffith: The Signet Ring
2nd Prize: Rita Morrissey:
Little Black Book
3rd Prize:
Beverly Melasi-Haag:
The Crown That I Wear
POETRY:
1st Prize: Javier Castano: The Slides
2nd Prize: ​Joanne Sherry Mitchell
The Joy Of Pajamas
3rd Prize: Anita Mitchell
Best $29 I Ever Spent
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NOVEL;​
1st Prize: Javier Castano:
Black Hawk Blues, From "Leather."
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The Special Merit Award goes to Mark Lew for "Blind Spot"
August 2024:
The theme for August must include a mirror, looking glass, or any reflective surface.
August Winners:
POETRY:
1st Prize: Javier Castano, for Plastic Mirror
2nd Prize: Jonathan Rose, for Frying Pan
3rd Prize: Rita Morrissey, for Mirror Reflections of Years Gone By.
Honorable Mention, Rita Morrissey for Reflections In A Mirror
SHORT STORY:
1st Prize: Joanne Avent for The Big Spoon
SPECIAL MERIT AWARD SILVER SHILLING GOES TO:
Joanne Avent, for The Big Spoon
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September 2024:
Theme:
A magical place which, once visited, may not ever be visited again. (Or, perhaps it may!)
Examples:
Shangri-La, Brigadoon, Treasure Island, The House At Pooh Corner
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September Winners!
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August Winners:
POETRY:
1st Prize: Jonathan Rose, for Disloyal;
2nd Prize: Swati Bagga, for Inner Circle
3rd Prize: Javier Castano, for Nine Long Aprils
MEMOIR:
1st Prize: Javier Castano for The Chain and the Box
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​ SPECIAL MERIT AWARD SILVER SHILLING GOES TO:
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Javier Castano for The Chain and the Box
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October 2024 Theme:
For October, Jeffrey is giving a "Free Month."
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Choose your own topic! Anything Goes!
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POETRY:
1st Prize: Jonathan Rose, for Don't You Remember Me?
2nd Prize: Walter Harris, for Infinite Reflections
3rd Prize: Swati Bagga, for Dandelions
Honorable Mention: J. C. Ledakis for Lemon Lozenge Moon
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MEMOIR:
1st Prize: Walter Harris: My First Encounter
2nd Prize: Rita Morrissey for Emergency!
3rd Prize: Walter Harris for My First Drag
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SHORT STORY:
1st Prize: Don Daniels: Writers Block,
Explained.
2nd Prize: Mark Lew for Hallowe'en
3rd Prize: Amy Nicole Naim for The Polka Dot Bag
HISTORICAL FICTION:
1st Prize​: Jo Avent for Osbert and the Cathedral
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SPECIAL MERIT AWARD WITH SILVER SHILLING goes to Don Daniels, for Writers Block, Explained.
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November 2024:
Death, The Dead, or Dying.
December 2024:
Holidays, Past and Present
Janurary 2025:
Unexpected New Beginnings