Give Writing Contests A Try

Essay Contest

Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest offers more than 40 awards with the top prize being $10,000 for an essay on the philosophic ideas of Ayn Rand. The prize is open to high school seniors and college undergraduate and graduate students.

Deadline: September 17.

Poetry Contest

Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Series is open to unpublished collections of poetry with a first place prize of publication and $1,000.

Deadline: October 1, 2009, postmark.

Short Story

Family Circle Fiction Writing Contest
c/o Family Circle Magazine
375 Lexington Avenue
9th Floor, New York, NY 10017

Submit an original fictional short story of no more than 2,500 words.

Entries must be typed, double-spaced, with pages numbered, 8-1/2" x 11" paper. Include your name, address, daytime phone number, and e-mail. No purchase necessary. Contest opened March 1, 2009; ends August 31, 2009.

Entries must be original, unpublished, and may not have won any prize or award. Up to two entries per individual will be accepted, but each entry must be a unique short story. Open to amateur writers who are legal residents of the 50 United States, or the District of Columbia, age 21 or older.

Grand prize: $750 and publication in Family Circle, a certificate for one online mediabistro.com course (valued at up to $610), and a one-year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership ($49 value).

Two runners-up: $250 each and a one-year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership ($49 value), and will have his or her story published on familycircle.com.

Deadline: August 31, 2009, postmark and received by September 7, 2009.

Literary Writing

Robert Watson Literary Prizes offers prizes in both fiction and poetry. First place for each is $500. Winners will also receive publication in The Greensboro Review.

Deadline: September 15, 2009, postmark.

Takeaway Truth

Why not try? Someone has to win, and it just might be you.