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The Winners of Our Personal Narrative Essay Contest

We asked students to write about a meaningful life experience. Here are the eight winning essays, as well as runners-up and honorable mentions.

By The Learning Network

Update: Join our live webinar on Oct. 8 about teaching with our Narrative Writing Contest.

In September, we challenged teenagers to write short, powerful stories about meaningful life experiences for our first-ever personal narrative essay contest .

This contest, like every new contest we start, was admittedly a bit of an experiment. Beyond a caution to write no more than 600 words, our rules were fairly open-ended, and we weren’t sure what we would get.

Well, we received over 8,000 entries from teenagers from around the world. We got stories about scoring the winning goal, losing a grandparent, learning to love one’s skin and dealing with mental illness. We got pieces that were moving, funny, introspective and honest. We got a snapshot of teenage life.

Judging a contest like this is, of course, subjective, especially with the range of content and styles of writing students submitted. But we based our criteria on the types of personal narrative essays The New York Times publishes in columns like Lives , Modern Love and Rites of Passage . We read many, many essays that were primarily reflective but, while these pieces might be well-suited for a college application, they weren’t exactly the short, powerful stories we were looking for in this contest.

The winning essays we selected were, though, and they all had a few things in common that set them apart:

They had a clear narrative arc with a conflict and a main character who changed in some way. They artfully balanced the action of the story with reflection on what it meant to the writer. They took risks, like including dialogue or playing with punctuation, sentence structure and word choice to develop a strong voice. And, perhaps most important, they focused on a specific moment or theme — a conversation, a trip to the mall, a speech tournament, a hospital visit — instead of trying to sum up the writer’s life in 600 words.

Below, you’ll find these eight winning essays, published in full. Scroll to the bottom to see the names of all 35 finalists we’re honoring — eight winners, eight runners-up and 19 honorable mentions. Congratulations, and thank you to everyone who participated!

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News, Notes, Talk

Read the story that just won the biggest short story prize in the world.

Today, the Sunday Times named Susan Choi the winner of the 2021 Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award, which honors the best short story of the year. With a prize of £30,000, the award is the world’s richest prize for a single short story. Choi was recognized for her short story “ Flashlight ,” originally published in The New Yorker .

Choi was chosen from a shortlist of six, which included Jonathan Gibbs for “ A Prolonged Kiss ”; Rachael Fulton for “ Call ”; Laura Demers for “ Sleeping Beauty ”; Elizabeth McCracken for “ The Irish Wedding ”; and Rabih Alameddine for “ The July War .”

Said Choi herself when receiving the award via videochat , “It’s funny; I think in my writing, I often have a lot of vague and uncollated ideas floating around in my mind that I’m never sure whether they’re going to actually achieve form. And so this story, when I started it, I didn’t know it would be the story that would be about what it ended up being about. I’m really quite overwhelmed.”

“Flashlight” is available to read in full on The New Yorker ’s website . Here’s the beginning:

“One thing I will always be grateful to your mother for—she taught you to swim.”

“Why.” Not asked as a question but groaned as a protest. Louisa does not want her father to talk about her mother. She is sick of her mother. Her mother can do nothing right. This is the theme of their new life, in Louisa’s opinion: that Louisa and her father are two fish who should leave her beached mother behind . . .

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100 Best Creative Writing Books of All Time

We've researched and ranked the best creative writing books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more

A Memoir of the Craft

Stephen King | 5.00

Mark Manson I read a bunch of books on writing before I wrote my first book and the two that stuck with me were Stephen King’s book and “On Writing Well” by Zinsser (which is a bit on the technical side). (Source)

Jennifer Rock If you are interested in writing and communication, start with reading and understanding the technical aspects of the craft: The Elements of Style. On Writing Well. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. (Source)

Benjamin Spall [Question: What five books would you recommend to youngsters interested in your professional path?] On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Stephen King, [...] (Source)

See more recommendations for this book...

Bird By Bird

Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Anne Lamott | 4.88

Susan Cain I love [this book]. Such a good book. (Source)

Timothy Ferriss Bird by Bird is one of my absolute favorite books, and I gift it to everybody, which I should probably also give to startup founders, quite frankly. A lot of the lessons are the same. But you can get to your destination, even though you can only see 20 feet in front of you. (Source)

Ryan Holiday It was wonderful to read these two provocative books of essays by two incredibly wise and compassionate women. [...] Anne Lamott’s book is ostensibly about the art of writing, but really it too is about life and how to tackle the problems, temptations and opportunities life throws at us. Both will make you think and both made me a better person this year. (Source)

The War of Art

out of 5 stars4,70 | 4.76

James Altucher When a writer or an entrepreneur, or a manager, or an employee, or a…whatever…sits down to get to work, he or she is often met by “the resistance”. The excuses that come up: I can’t do this. I am too old. I don’t have enough money. I’m scared. “The War of Art” is the guide to getting through that block. The comfort zone is papered up and cemented shut by our excuses. Learn to blast through that... (Source)

Seth Godin Also hard to find on audio. I find Steve's voice to be fascinating, and even before I knew him, I was fascinated by listening to him speak his own work. The War of Art is one of those books, at least for me when I finally was exposed to it, I said, 'Why wasn't I informed? Why did it take this long for this book to land on my desk?'... You need to be clear with yourself about what you are afraid... (Source)

Brian Koppelman Talks about resistance. (Source)

The Elements of Style

William Jr. Strunk | 4.57

Tobi Lütke [My] most frequently gifted book is [this book] because I like good writing. (Source)

Bill Nye This is my guide. I accept that I’ll never write anything as good as the introductory essay by [the author]. It’s brilliant. (Source)

The Hero With a Thousand Faces

Joseph Campbell | 4.57

The first popular work to combine the spiritual and psychological insights of modern psychoanalysis with the archetypes of world mythology, the book creates a roadmap for navigating the frustrating path of contemporary life. Examining heroic myths in the light of modern psychology, it considers not only the patterns and stages of mythology but also its relevance to our lives today--and to the life of any person seeking a fully realized existence. Myth, according to Campbell, is the projection of a culture's dreams onto a large screen; Campbell's book, like Star Wars , the...

The first popular work to combine the spiritual and psychological insights of modern psychoanalysis with the archetypes of world mythology, the book creates a roadmap for navigating the frustrating path of contemporary life. Examining heroic myths in the light of modern psychology, it considers not only the patterns and stages of mythology but also its relevance to our lives today--and to the life of any person seeking a fully realized existence. Myth, according to Campbell, is the projection of a culture's dreams onto a large screen; Campbell's book, like Star Wars , the film it helped inspire, is an exploration of the big-picture moments from the stage that is our world. It is a must-have resource for both experienced students of mythology and the explorer just beginning to approach myth as a source of knowledge.

Ray Dalio The book I’d give [every graduating senior in college or high school] would be [...] Joseph Campbell’s 'Hero of a Thousand Faces'. It's little bit dense but it’s so rich, so it’s a good one. (Source)

Darren Aronofsky [I'm] totally part of his cult. Because I believe in that hero’s journey. (Source)

Kyle Russell Book 28 Lesson: Embedded in human psychology (and the resulting symbolism we find compelling) is a wish for our struggles to be meaningful, for our suffering to have value, for our effort to pay off for ourselves and those we love - and to then be recognized for it. https://t.co/lWgr4k7d8Y (Source)

On Writing Well

The Classic Guide To Writing Nonfiction

William Zinsser | 4.55

Tim O'Reilly On Writing Well, by William Zinsser. I wouldn't say this book influenced me, since my principles of writing were established long before I read it. However, it does capture many things that I believe about effective writing. (Source)

Derek Sivers Great blunt advice about writing better non-fiction. So inspiring. (Source)

The Writer's Journey

Mythic Structure for Writers

Christopher Vogler | 4.50

Darren Aronofsky It’s the Bible for screenwriters. I think it’s the best book on how to write a screenplay ever written. It helped me get through so many roadblocks as a writer. (Source)

Writing Down the Bones

Freeing the Writer Within

Natalie Goldberg | 4.47

Brie Code @gamesandbowties Oh I love that book! And am intrigued by mystic poetry and would love to see it on Twitter 😇 (Source)

Writing Tools

50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

Roy Peter Clark | 4.47

The Artist's Way

Julia Cameron | 4.46

Anand C STARTING FROM AUTHENTICITY: by observing, showing humility and being grateful - I started being open to what’s in the sub-conscious more (30+ sessions in). Speaking your truth is a powerful result of this. One great book to help explore this. https://t.co/sOAgAHhWsO (Source)

Emma Gannon Instead of all these fast paced books saying: ‘Here’s how to be amazing, here’s how to get a side hustle, here’s how to hustle, hustle, hustle.’ This is the total opposite. It’s about slowing right down and connecting with yourself again. (Source)

Don't have time to read the top Creative Writing books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.

Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:

• Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
• Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
• Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.

The Emotion Thesaurus

A Writer's Guide to Character Expression

Becca Puglisi | 4.38

Save the Cat

The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need

Blake Snyder | 4.37

Eric Weinstein [Eric Weinstein recommended this book on Twitter.] (Source)

Bill Liao The human world occurs in language so best get good at it! (Source)

Neville Medhora It takes you through 11 different 'archetypes' of screenplays you can write, and the exact elements each needs to be a great story. (Source)

Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting

Robert McKee | 4.35

Gotham Writers' Workshop: Writing Fiction

The Practical Guide From New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School

Gotham Writers' Workshop | 4.33

The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction

Jeff VanderMeer, Jeremy Zerfoss | 4.33

Becoming a Writer

Dorothea Brande, John Gardner | 4.33

Sophie King This book will help you work out what you can do with your own book. (Source)

Andrew Cowan Because creative writing has now taken off and has become this very widespread academic discipline it is beginning to acquire its own canon of key works and key texts. This is one of the oldest of them. It’s a book that almost anyone who teaches creative writing will have read. They will probably have read it because some fundamentals are explained and I think the most important one is Brande’s... (Source)

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers

How to Edit Yourself Into Print

Renni Browne, Dave King | 4.32

Alina Varlanuta My professional path – copywriting – somehow intertwines with my unprofessional (hahaha) path – writing so I would recommend reading literature for both. Somehow reading and writing are two ways of doing the same thing: storytelling (even when you read you tell yourself a story in your own voice, bringing your personal emotion and empathy to the story you’re reading). The only difference is that... (Source)

Plot & Structure

Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish

James Scott Bell | 4.30

Zen in the Art of Writing

Ray Bradbury | 4.27

Maria Popova In Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You, Ray Bradbury — acclaimed author, dystopian novelist, hater of symbolism — shares not only his wisdom and experience in writing, but also his contagious excitement for the craft. Blending practical how-to’s on everything from finding your voice to negotiating with editors with snippets and glimpses of the author’s own career,... (Source)

Steering the Craft

Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew

Ursula K. Le Guin | 4.27

Reading Like a Writer

A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them

Francine Prose | 4.27

Steal Like an Artist

10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

Austin Kleon | 4.26

Seth Godin Breezy and fun and yes, scary. Scary because it calls your bluff. (Source)

Ryan Holiday Part of ambition is modeling yourself after those you’d like to be like. Austin’s philosophy of ruthlessly stealing and remixing the greats might sound appalling at first but it is actually the essence of art. You learn by stealing, you become creative by stealing, you push yourself to be better by working with these materials. Austin is a fantastic artist, but most importantly he communicates... (Source)

Chase Jarvis Super small, fast read. (Source)

Outlining Your Novel

Map Your Way to Success

K. M. Weiland | 4.25

Writing Fiction for Dummies

Randy Ingermanson | 4.23

Characters and Viewpoint (Elements of Fiction Writing)

Orson Scott Car | 4.22

Wired for Story

The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence

Lisa Cron | 4.22

2,000 to 10,000

How to Write Faster, Write Better, and Write More of What You Love

Rachel Aaro | 4.21

Creating Character Arcs

The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 7)

K.M. Weiland | 4.21

Powerful Character Arcs Create Powerful Stories

Have you written a story with an exciting concept and interesting characters—but it just isn’t grabbing the attention of readers or agents? It’s time to look deeper into the story beats that create realistic and compelling character arcs. Internationally published, award-winning novelist K.M. Weiland shares her acclaimed method for achieving memorable and moving character arcs in every book you write.

By applying the foundation of the Three-Act Story Structure and then...

By applying the foundation of the Three-Act Story Structure and then delving even deeper into the psychology of realistic and dynamic human change, Weiland offers a beat-by-beat checklist of character arc guidelines that flexes to fit any type of story.

This comprehensive book will teach you:

Gaining an understanding of how to write character arcs is a game-changing moment in any author’s pursuit of the craft.

Bring your characters to unforgettable and realistic life—and take your stories from good to great!

Writing Fiction

A Guide to Narrative Craft

Janet Burroway, Elizabeth Stuckey-French | 4.20

Story Engineering

Character Development, Story Concept, Scene Construction

Larry Brooks | 4.19

The Art of Fiction

Notes on Craft for Young Writers

John Gardner | 4.19

The Anatomy of Story

22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller

John Truby | 4.19

Writing Magic

Creating Stories that Fly

Gail Carson Levine | 4.19

The Positive Trait Thesaurus

A Writer's Guide to Character Attributes

Angela Ackerman, Becca Puglisi | 4.18

The Art of Dramatic Writing

Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives

Lajos Egri | 4.17

Seth Rogen Very referential to certain plays. (Source)

The Negative Trait Thesaurus

A Writer's Guide to Character Flaws

Angela Ackerman, Becca Puglisi | 4.17

The Emotional Wound Thesaurus

A Writer's Guide to Psychological Trauma

Becca Puglisi | 4.16

Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint

Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints

Nancy Kress | 4.16

•Choose and execute the best...

•Choose and execute the best point of view for your story •Create three-dimensional and believable characters •Develop your characters' emotions •Create realistic love, fight, and death scenes •Use frustration to motivate your characters and drive your story

Structuring Your Novel

Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story

K. M. Weiland | 4.16

Creative Living Beyond Fear

Elizabeth Gilbert | 4.16

Mark Manson I read a bunch of books on writing before I wrote my first book and the two that stuck with me were Stephen King’s book and “On Writing Well” by Zinsser (which is a bit on the technical side). I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Big Magic.” (Source)

Chelsea Frank I read everything with an open mind, often challenging myself by choosing books with an odd perspective or religious/spiritual views. These books do not reflect my personal feelings but are books that helped shape my perspective on life, love, and happiness. (Source)

Story Genius

How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)

Lisa Cron | 4.16

Back to Creative Writing School

Bridget Whelan | 4.15

Writing the Breakout Novel

Donald Maass | 4.15

Where the Wild Things Are

Maurice Sendak | 4.15

Richard Branson Today is World Book Day, a wonderful opportunity to address this #ChallengeRichard sent in by Mike Gonzalez of New Jersey: Make a list of your top 65 books to read in a lifetime. (Source)

Barack Obama During a trip to a public library in Washington’s Anacostia neighborhood in 2015, Obama shared some of his childhood favorites with a group of young students. He also read (and acted out) Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak to kids at the White House in 2014. (Source)

Martha Stewart In this photo, Jimmy Fallon and I enjoy slurping Eggs of Newt together for Season-5 of “The Martha Stewart Show." I am dressed as "Queen of the Wild Things" inspired by the beloved Maurice Sendak children's book, "Where the Wild Things Are." https://t.co/1ZBqXEW7dC (Source)

Into the Woods

A Five Act Journey Into Story

out of 5 stars31 | 4.15

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

The Last Book on Novel Writing You'll Ever Need

Jessica Brody | 4.14

How to Write a Damn Good Novel

A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling

James N. Frey | 4.14

Scene & Structure (Elements of Fiction Writing)

Jack M. Bickham | 4.14

On Becoming a Novelist

John Gardner, Raymond Carver | 4.14

Andrew Cowan This is another one of the classics. He was quite a successful novelist in the States, but possibly an even more successful teacher of creative writing. The short story writer and poet Raymond Carver, for instance, was one of his students. And he died young in a motorcycle accident when he was 49. There are two classic works by him. One is this book, On Becoming a Novelist, and the other is The... (Source)

Stein on Writing

A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies

Sol Stein | 4.14

Letters to a Young Poet

Rainer Maria Rilke | 4.13

Todd Henry A book of mentorship for young artists. (Source)

Estella Ng Letters to a Young Poet - it is everything. [...] This line in Letters to a Young Poet “If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches" is an important one to me. I constantly go back to this to evaluate if I have been living a full life. (Source)

Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One & Never Lets Them Go

Les Edgerton | 4.13

*The first and only fiction-writing book that focuses exclusively on beginnings--no other book on the market addresses story beginnings in a comprehensive manner

Agents and editors agree: Improper story beginnings are the single biggest barrier to publication. Why? If a novel or short story has a bad beginning, then no one will keep reading....

Agents and editors agree: Improper story beginnings are the single biggest barrier to publication. Why? If a novel or short story has a bad beginning, then no one will keep reading. It's just that simple. Hooked provides readers with a detailed understanding of what a beginning must include (setup, backstory, the inciting incident, etc.); instruction on how to successfully develop the story problem; tips on how to correct common beginning mistakes; exclusive insider advice from agents, acquiring book editors, and literary journal editors; and much more.

The Writing Life

Annie Dillard | 4.13

How Not to Write a Novel

200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them—A Misstep-by-Misstep Guide

Howard Mittelmark, Sandra Newman | 4.13

How to Write Dazzling Dialogue

The Fastest Way to Improve Any Manuscript

James Scott Bel | 4.12

Take Off Your Pants! Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing

Libbie Hawke | 4.12

Conflict and Suspense (Elements of Fiction Writing)

James Scott Bell | 4.11

Conflict pulls readers into a story and suspense carries them along until its conclusion. Expert author of over 15 thrillers, James Scott Bell offers proven techniques that help writers craft fiction that their readers won?t be able to put down. Learn how to believably weave conflict and suspense into a story, how to pace your story and keep the pressure on throughout, and how to bring it all to a gripping conclusion.

The First Five Pages

A Writer's Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile

Noah Lukeman | 4.11

Many writers spend the majority of their time devising their plot. What they don't seem to understand is that if their execution -- if their prose -- isn't up to par, their plot may not even be considered.

Write. Publish. Repeat. (The No-Luck-Required Guide to Self-Publishing Success)

Sean M. Platt and Johnny Truan | 4.10

In 2013, Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt published 1.5 million words and made their full-time livings as indie authors. In Write. Publish. Repeat., they tell you exactly how they did it: how they created over 15 independent franchises across 50+ published works, how they turned their art into a logical, sustainable business, and how any independent author can do the same to build a sustainable, profitable career with their writing.

Write. Publish. Repeat. explains the current self-publishing landscape and...

Write. Publish. Repeat. explains the current self-publishing landscape and covers the truths and myths about what it means to be an indie author now and in the foreseeable future. It explains how to create books your readers will love and will want to return to again and again. Write. Publish. Repeat. details expert methods for building story worlds, characters, and plots, understanding your market (right down to your ideal reader), using the best tools possible to capture your draft, and explains proven best practices for editing. The book also discusses covers, titles, formatting, pricing, and publishing to multiple platforms, plus a bit on getting your books into print (and why that might not be a good idea!). But most importantly, Write. Publish. Repeat. details the psychology-driven marketing plan that Sean and Johnny built to shape their stories into "products" that readers couldn't help but be drawn into -- thus almost automatically generating sales -- and explores ways that smart, business-minded writers can do the same to future-proof their careers.

This book is not a formula with an easy path to follow. It is a guidebook that will help you build a successful indie publishing career, no matter what type of writer you are ... so long as you're the type who's willing to do the work.

James Altucher Sean Platt has a good book that just came out about writing many books. I recommend it. “Write. Publish. Repeat.” I think Sean has published over 50 books. I don’t know because he uses pseudonyms as well. (Source)

Kaci Lambe Kai On the same flight, I read Write. Publish. Repeat. by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant. They made it seem so easy to become an author and a creative. It's as easy as the title. Create a thing. Put it out into the world. Do it all over again. I got off that flight a changed human being. I knew I wanted to make my living as an independent creative in which I create works, release them, and obtain... (Source)

The Ode Less Travelled

Unlocking the Poet Within

Stephen Fry | 4.08

Fry is a wonderfully engaging teacher and writer of poetry himself, and he explains the various elements of poetry in simple terms, without condescension. His enjoyable exercises and witty insights introduce the concepts of Metre, Rhyme, Form, Diction, and Poetics. Aspiring poets will learn to write a sonnet, on ode, a villanelle, a ballad, and a haiku, among others. Along the way, he introduces us to poets we've heard of, but never read. The Ode Less Travelled is a lively celebration of poetry that makes even the most reluctant reader want to pick up a pencil and give it a try. BACKCOVER: Advanced Praise: “Delightfully erudite, charming and soundly pedagogical guide to poetic form… Fry has created an invaluable and highly enjoyable reference book.” — Publishers Weekly “A smart, sane and entertaining return to the basics… If you like Fry's comic manner… this book has a lot of charm… People entirely fresh to the subject could do worse than stick with his cheerful leadership.” — The Telegraph (UK) “…intelligent and informative, a worthy enterprise well executed.” — Observer (UK) "If you learn how to write a sonnet, and Fry shows you how, you may or may not make a poem. But you will unlock the stored wisdom of the form itself." —Grey Gowrie, The Spectator (UK) “…intelligent and informative, a worthy enterprise well executed.” — Observer (UK)

The Forest for the Trees

Betsy Lerner | 4.08

Andrew Cowan Yes, she was an editor at several major American publishing houses, such as Simon & Schuster. She went on to become an agent, and also did an MFA in poetry before that, so she came through the US creative writing process and understands where many writers are coming from. (Source)

No Plot? No Problem!

A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days

Chris Baty | 4.08

Daily Rituals

How Artists Work

Mason Currey | 4.08

Alok Kejriwal Daily Rituals - Book Review "Sooner or later, Pritchett writes, "great men turn to be alike. They never stop working. They never lose a minute. It's very depressing". Daily Rituals is a remarkable book. It chronicles the daily habits of artists, writers, composers.. see note https://t.co/tMUhBKmzkI (Source)

Bobby Voicu Mason Currey’s "Daily Rituals" will show you how 161 of the most creative and inspiring minds in the world work. This book’s great to demolish the myth that artists don’t have a routine and they’re just waiting for inspiration to hit them. As David Brook… https://t.co/4Owd29TQEm (Source)

B. J. Novak B. J. also recommended Daily Rituals by Mason Currey for anyone who would enjoy seeing the daily routines of legends like Steve Jobs, Charles Darwin, and Charles Dickens. "It is so reassuring to see that everyone has their own system, and how dysfunctional a lot of them are". (Source)

Divergent (Divergent, #1)

Veronica Roth | 4.08

The Foundations of Screenwriting

Syd Field | 4.07

The Fire in Fiction

Passion, Purpose and Techniques to Make Your Novel Great

Donald Maass | 4.07

The Writing Strategies Book

Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Writers

Jennifer Serravallo | 4.06

The Story Grid

What Good Editors Know

Shawn Coyne and Steven Pressfiel | 4.06

Revision & Self-Editing

Techniques for Transforming Your First Draft Into a Finished Novel

James Scott Scott Bell | 4.06

•Write a cleaner first draft right out of the gate using Bell's plotting principles •Get the most out of revision and self-editing techniques by honing your skills with detailed exercises •Systematically revise a completed draft using the ultimate revision checklist that talks you through the core story elements

Spilling Ink

A Young Writer's Handbook

Ellen Potter, Anne Mazer, et al. | 4.06

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Judi Barrett, Ronald Barrett | 4.06

Travis Herzog I absolutely LOVED this book as a kid, and I still love reading it today as an adult. @Ginger_Zee and @RobMarciano, I challenge you to post your own "shelfie" (selfie with a book) and @Disney will donate up to 1 million books for kids in need! #magicofstorytelling https://t.co/zEwuZpf0zc (Source)

The Rural Setting Thesaurus

A Writer's Guide to Personal and Natural Places

Angela Ackerman, Becca Puglisi | 4.06

Emotion Amplifiers

Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglis | 4.05

Techniques of the Selling Writer

Dwight V. Swain | 4.05

The Right to Write

An Invitation and Initiation Into the Writing Life

Julia Cameron | 4.05

How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy

Orson Scott Card | 4.05

Still Writing

The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life

Dani Shapiro | 4.05

Writing 21st Century Fiction

High Impact Techniques for Exceptional Storytelling

Donald Maass | 4.04

Ernest Hemingway on Writing

Larry W. Phillips | 4.04

Maria Popova Ernest Hemingway famously maintained that it was bad luck to talk about writing. Yet, over the course of his career, he frequently wrote about writing in his novels and short stories, his letters to editors, friends, critics, and lovers, in interviews, and even in articles specifically commissioned on the subject. In Ernest Hemingway on Writing, editor Larry W. Phillips culls the finest,... (Source)

Imaginative Writing

Janet Burroway | 4.04

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

Lynne Truss | 4.04

Write to Market

Deliver a Book that Sells (Write Faster, Write Smart, #3)

Chris Fox | 4.03

Insurgent (Divergent, #2)

Veronica Roth | 4.03

The Science of Storytelling

out of 5 stars10 | 4.03

‘One of my absolute favourite writers’ Decca Aitkenhead

Who would we be without stories?

Stories mould who we are, from our character to our cultural identity. They drive us to act out our dreams and ambitions, and shape our politics and beliefs. We use them to construct our relationships, to keep order in our law courts, to interpret events in our newspapers and social media. Storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human.

There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story – from Joseph Campbell’s...

There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story – from Joseph Campbell’s well-worn theories about myth and archetype to recent attempts to crack the ‘Bestseller Code’. But few have used a scientific approach. This is curious, for if we are to truly understand storytelling in its grandest sense, we must first come to understand the ultimate storyteller – the human brain.

In this scalpel-sharp, thought-provoking book, Will Storr demonstrates how master storytellers manipulate and compel us, leading us on a journey from the Hebrew scriptures to Mr Men, from Booker Prize-winning literature to box set TV. Applying dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to the foundations of our myths and archetypes, he shows how we can use these tools to tell better stories – and make sense of our chaotic modern world.

Hannah Fry This is the intro to The Science of Storytelling by @wstorr. Easily the best book I've read this year. https://t.co/WzpSWlzVGi https://t.co/RX9kdQANeB (Source)

Adam Rutherford Tomorrow night at @WaterstonesTCR I’ll be in conversation with @wstorr about his brilliant book The Science of Storytelling - a book that has made me change how I write. Come. https://t.co/mbQpHfwysV (Source)

The Art of War for Writers

Fiction Writing Strategies, Tactics, and Exercises

James Scott Bell | 4.03

The Sense of Style

The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century

Steven Pinker | 4.03

Writing Alone and with Others

Pat Schneider, Peter Elbow | 4.02

The Urban Setting Thesaurus

A Writer's Guide to City Spaces

Angela Ackerman, Becca Puglisi | 4.02

Living the Writer's Life

Natalie Goldberg | 4.02

The Creative Writing Coursebook

Forty Authors Share Advice and Exercises for Fiction and Poetry

Julia Bell, Paul Magrs, Andrew Motion | 4.02

Getting Into Character

Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn from Actors

Brandilyn Collins | 4.02

GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict

The Building Blocks of Good Fiction

Debra Dixon | 4.01

The Modern Library Writer's Workshop

A Guide to the Craft of Fiction

Stephen Koch | 4.01

Beginnings, Middles & Ends (Elements of Fiction Writing)

Nancy Kress | 4.01

Old Friend from Far Away

The Practice of Writing Memoir

Natalie Goldberg | 4.01

Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers

Anne Bernays, Pamela Painter | 4.01

Description & Setting

Ron Rozelle | 4.01

The Art of the Novel

Milan Kundera | 4.00

Make a Scene

Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time

Jordan E. Rosenfeld | 4.00

Story Trumps Structure

How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules

Steven James and Donald Maas | 4.00

• College of Arts & Sciences
• Graduate Division
• College of Liberal and Professional Studies

2021 Creative Writing Contest Winners

The Creative Writing Program awards a number of prizes annually to University of Pennsylvania students. See below for our most recent prize winners; previous winners are listed at the bottom of this page . Details on our 2022 prizes and how to submit work will be available on our website in early 2022.

Congratulations to the 2021 recipients of the Creative Writing Prizes:  

The Peregrine Prize from the Academy of American Poets Awarded to the best original poetry by a graduate student

Winner: Mir Masud-Elias

Contest judge Rachel Zolf writes: Masud-Elias’s poems “witness, record, survive” in a remarkable range of forms on the page. Traumatic pasts burst into the present space of the poem “like cutouts punched through with the anonymous charity of bullets,” reorienting the future and the reader’s consciousness at one and the same time.  

The College Alumni Society Poetry Prize Awarded to the best original poetry by an undergraduate student

Winner: Sofia Sears

Contest judge Rachel Zolf writes: Sears has a remarkable facility with imagery, diction, the line, and “language...as point of light-stunned pressure—.” The reader viscerally feels the poet’s uncanny thoughts leaking through their body and carving into the white page, working “language as beloved blade beneath the pillow.” Sears is a real, rare talent to watch and listen to.

Second Place: Daniel Cooper

Contest judge Rachel Zolf writes: Cooper’s poems are like tiny uncut diamonds refracting weird and surprising language moments with each turn toward the light. The body and its beautiful betrayals dwell in Cooper’s tight lines, gathering toward poems replete with love. Poems that are easy to love, indeed.

Third Place: Pamela de la Cruz

Contest judge Rachel Zolf writes: The images in de la Cruz’s poems will haunt me for a long while. I love their work with the period as violent caesura. I want to read more from this writer’s beautiful mind.

Honorable mentions: Walden Green, Erin O’Malley

Contest judge Rachel Zolf writes: Both of these writers work with the body and its excesses in fascinating ways. Look forward to hearing more words come spilling out of them.

About the judge:  Rachel Zolf has published six books of poetry, including a selected poetry entitled Social Poesis . No One’s Witness: A Monstrous Poetics is forthcoming with Duke University Press in fall 2021. They have won a Pew Fellowship in the Arts and a Trillium Book Award for Poetry, among other honors. Films Zolf has written and/or directed have shown internationally at venues including White Cube Bermondsey, the Wexner Center for the Arts, and the International Film Festival Rotterdam. They are Artist in Residence at the Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Phi Kappa Sigma Fiction Prize Awarded to the best original short story by an undergraduate student A note from contest judge Weike Wang: Judging a fiction award is always hard.  For this year’s PKS fiction prize, I judged our submissions based on the strength of the prose itself and the story’s follow through. I was looking for voices that showed coherency, clarity, and a unique lens without overexertion.

Winner: Jessica Bao, “Chang’e”

Contest judge Weike Wang writes: The story follows Connie in the moments after the score release for the most important exam that she will ever take in her life. In the hands of a different writer, the score itself would have been the climax or ending, yet here it is event one from which the rest of the narrative unfurls. In a few concentrated pages, we are given a glimpse into Connie’s world, both online and at home. We are allowed in but also held at arm’s length. Bao shows restraint and an ability to orient us quickly without weighing us with bulk. She is a promising stylist who is able to balance complex relationships, tensions, and the unknown alongside fate.

Second Place: Emma Blum, “Pastoral”

Contest judge Weike Wang writes: I was moved by the first scene—that of a girl decapitating a chicken. Annie lives with her father and two brothers. Mom is gone, and Annie’s youth is under threat. The men in this setting are not malicious per se, but they intrude, follow, and make their demands known. Yet Annie is never without her agency or indelible presence. Blum writes with simple elegance and takes on character ambiguities in a refreshing and smart way. Here is a story that was gripping, and had a complete arc from first scene to last. 

Third Place: Michelle Paolicelli, “At the Apsis”

Contest judge Weike Wang writes: In these pages, I found a coherent and compelling voice that captured the teeming mind of a young adult. Melissa is still adjusting to high school but is an avid science whiz and admirer of the cosmos. She is trying to make sense of the adults around her—her mother with the new boyfriend, her teachers, other parents, and the celebrity astronomers whom she has long followed. How can these adults ever compare to the celestial beauty of planets? To the mysteries of the universe? I was drawn into the story by the ease of the writing and Paolicelli’s distinct eye for details. 

Honorable Mentions: Dylan Cook, Pearl Liu, Jack Kiyonaga

About the judge: Weike Wang is the author of Chemistry (Knopf, 2017), and her work has appeared in  Glimmer Train  and  The New Yorker , among other publications. She is the recipient of the 2018 Pen Hemingway, a Whiting award, and a National Book Foundation 5 under 35.  She holds a BA from Harvard University, an SD from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, and an MFA from Boston University.

The Judy Lee Award for Dramatic Writing Awarded to a graduate or undergraduate student for the best script (stage, screen, television, or radio)

Winner: Sofia Sears, “I Know the End”

Contest judge Brooke O'Harra writes:  This one-act play packs a punch. The work has an explosive and dynamic quality. The performance piece calls attention to what Sears names as the violences and transcendences of girlhood. Set in LA and considered through archetypes culled and formed from the writer's own Latinx roots, this work is powerful and exciting. One can imagine this work alive on a stage. The language is beautiful and full. The writer is also very clear about they imagine this play/performance to be performed.     

Second Place:   Kate Kearns, “Difficult Discussion #42”

Contest judge Brooke O'Harra writes:   Well-constructed one-act theater script that imagines a future where the government assigns difficult discussion practices for families. The writer employs humor, undermines tropes and delivers a thoughtful unexpected ending. It is a playful and astute way of addressing how people talk about sex when they are engaging in sex. The script is a thoughtful take on consent conversations.    

Third Place (tie): Edmund Cai, “Rust”

Contest judge Brooke O'Harra writes:   This screenplay is a futuristic drama/thriller. The strengths of the work are in the tempo, the dialogue and the world building.   The “viewer” is introduced to an unfamiliar future through two characters—one who is trying to save or change the future and one who has no memory. This helps ease the viewer into this unknown world. This is of the sci-fi genre.   The judge would watch this show.  

Third Place (tie):   Keely Douglas, “May I Write Words”

Contest judge Brooke O'Harra writes: In this one-act play Douglas writes a queer coming-out story.     The dialogue is tight and the story moves quickly.   This play also has a nice ending that circles back around to the beginning.   It mostly focuses on the love of family but how hard truths don't get told to the people you love most.    

About the judge: Brooke O'Harra is a director, artist and performer. Cofounder of the Theater of a Two-headed Calf, O’Harra developed and directed all 14 of Two-headed Calf’s productions, including the OBIE Award-winning  Drum of the Waves of Horikawa  (2007 HERE),  Trifles  (Ontological Hysteric Incubator 2010), and the opera project  You, My Mother  (2012 La Mama ETC, 2013, River to River Festival). O’Harra conceived, directed, scripted, and performed in the Dyke Division’s live serial  Room for Cream  (fur seasons; 28 episodes) at La Mama, ETC 2008-10, and at the New Museum 2017. Brooke and the Dyke Division were also featured in The New Museum’s 40th Anniversary show “Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon.” For several years she has been creating and performing a nine-part directing/performance project,  I am Bleeding All Over the Place: Studies in directing or nine encounters between me and you . Brooke is also the cocreator of a collaborative performance with artist Sharon Hayes called  Time Passes , an 8-hour performance that uses the book-on-tape recording of Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse as its spine. 

The Lilian and Benjamin Levy Award Awarded to the best review by an undergraduate student of a current play, film, music release, book, or performance

Winner: Jessica Bao, “ Me and You and Everyone We Know : The Weirdest ‘Rom-Com’ You Will Watch This Year”

Contest judge Anthony DeCurtis writes: Jessica Bao takes the occasion of writing about Miranda July's first major studio production to discuss the various taboo issues the film addresses. In clear, engaging, unpretentious prose, she works through the movie's themes with insight and sensitivity. No trigger warnings are needed, as Bao makes clear that life is messier, more complex and often lovelier than such easy characterizations would suggest. It's a message worthy of her subject.

Second Place: Lauren Reiss, “ Titus Andronicus in the Text, the East, and the West”

Contest judge Anthony DeCurtis writes: Lauren Reiss coolly explores presentations of Shakespeare’s most blood-curdling play across media and cultures. Her deft analysis reveals how even the most extreme of the Bard’s plays proves endlessly mutable, retaining its powerful essence while artist after artist, and society after society, discovers meaning in them that suits their variable places, times and methods.

Third Place: Beatrice Forman, “ The Nickel Boys : A Novel for the Revolution”

Contest judge Anthony DeCurtis writes: As Colson Whitehead did himself, Beatrice Forman considers his harrowing novel The Nickel Boys squarely within the context of current events. The result is a piece whose understanding of the book is charged with conviction. For Forman, the history limned in the novel is lived and immediate—and, consequently, her writing pulses with animating energy. 

About the judge: Anthony DeCurtis is the author of Lou Reed: A Life  and coauthor of Clive Davis’s autobiography, The Soundtrack of My Life , a New York Times bestseller. He is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and a member of the nominating committee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is a Grammy Award winner and he holds a PhD in American literature. He has taught at Penn since 2002. The Gibson Peacock Prize for Creative Nonfiction Awarded to the best creative nonfiction piece by an undergraduate student

Winner: Andrew Basile, “The Narcissism of the Personal Essay”

Contest judge Marion Kant writes: A remarkable piece that delves into the use of “I.” This “I” is initially a necessary means to examine a state of being but then gains a life of its own: it dictates and unhinges the owner of the “I” who loses control over it. The “I” takes on a male identity, becomes aggressive and colonizes the owner who longs for and needs to find a different way of life. A very well crafted piece that employs a remarkable precision of language that then unleashes a terrifying power of imagination.

Second Place: Wanqi Fang, “Anatomy”

Contest judge Marion Kant writes: It is incredibly difficult to write about the human body, about its anatomy, its physicality, its mechanics and the way it functions, or should function. This essay engages with the beauty of a hand, the texture of skin, and the author succeeds in conveying her fascination with her own obsession and her attempt to capture this beauty on paper, both by drawing as well as writing. The author manages to find ever new ways to write about the tendons and muscles of the hand, and of capturing what makes a body human. It is an unusual choice that departs from the many essays about feelings and feelings about feelings.

Third Place: Jillian Pesce, “CS 200 Spring 2021: Problem Set 4, ​ DUE 11:59 pm March 8th” 

Contest judge Marion Kant writes: A computation exercise in gender equality—or rather inequality—that manages to record and, up to a certain point, entertain (in a sardonic way) and capture the disturbing, touching and also distressing aspects of the constant onslaught of misogyny. It is precise, it follows a distinct format, that of a scientific investigation, and turns it into a literary form. It is successful in transcending the individual experiences as it lays them out as systematic, unthinking remarks as well as conscious insults and denigrations that are intent on undermining the self-confidence of young women.

Honorable Mention: Jessica Bao, “Conflict of Interest”

Contest judge Marion Kant writes: This is the exploration of how to deal with bias, extreme bias, and preconceived ideas in journalism. The writer describes the process of gathering and examining evidence, wanting to be even-handed and fair in a report on the Hong Kong protests—and the difficulty of it all. How does someone who writes for a magazine or newspaper maintain integrity of her own position yet also afford integrity to the opposite side? The problem of open-mindedness, of the depiction and assessment of Chinese politics, is at stake, and the author realizes how difficult and how dangerous it could become, for herself as well as for her interviewees, to reveal which side she and they take. She realizes that she cannot write the article and that “freedom of speech” is an evasive concept. She is not free and goes as far as to question whether she can ever become a real writer.

Honorable Mention: Urooba Abid, “The worst view in the world”

Contest judge Marion Kant writes: An account of traveling to Israel and the Palestinian town of Bethlehem by a Muslim student whose family emigrated to the US only recently. The awareness of fear and anger at the abusive treatment of Palestinians and Muslims more generally in Israel, but also the feeling of displacement and disengagement within the Muslim world is well captured. Can American Muslims hide their identity abroad, are they more or less “Muslim” at home or elsewhere? The essay is driven by discomfort and sadness.

About the judge: Marion Kant is a musicologist and dance historian (PhD, Humboldt University: Romantic Ballet: an Inquiry into Gender ). From the age of 14 she danced with the Komische Oper under the choreographer Jean Weidt. There she also worked as a dramaturge. She has taught at the Regieinstitut Berlin, Hochschule fuer Musik/Theater Leipzig, the University of Surrey in Guildford, Cambridge University, King's College London, and now at the University of Pennsylvania. She has written extensively on romantic ballet in the 19th century, education through dance in the 19th and 20th centuries, concepts of modern dance in the early 20th century, and dance in exile.

The Parker Prize for Journalistic Writing Awarded to the best newspaper or magazine article, feature story, exposé or other piece of investigative journalism by an undergraduate student 

Winner:  Kylie Cooper, “Searching for the light at the end of the tunnel”

Contest judge Lise Funderburg writes: In this colorful temp-check feature story, Kylie Cooper makes a timely choice to report on the 2020 post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 virus spike and how it affects rail travel. She opens with a richly detailed scene of Amtrak’s 30th Street Station waiting room, artfully focusing and then refocusing the lens of observation until she lands—and lands her reader—in the middle of the pandemic. It would be easy for even a seasoned reporter to be overwhelmed by such an immense subject, but Cooper makes wise choices for establishing the scope of her piece, fluidly folding together well-reported traveler interviews with health statistics, industry responses, and the financial hit that Amtrak has taken.

Second Place: Rachel Winicov, “ My Friend BPD: How a Disease Ruins Friendships, Especially in Young People”

Contest judge Lise Funderburg writes: Health writing can so easily be bogged down by science or made mushy by over-reliance on anecdote, but Rachel Winicov succumbs to neither pitfall in her feature story on Borderline Personality Disorder. In this ambitious, well-structured piece, Rachel opens with an arresting anecdote and then fluidly widens the lens to give readers a larger scientific and psychological context for understanding a particular ramification of the disorder, including the implications of the pandemic. Interviews with mental health professionals and people who have the disorder enrich the piece, as does a survey of current treatment modalities. Rachel’s inclusion of her own experience adds another, welcome dimension that amplifies but does not overwhelm.

Third Place:  Beatrice Forman, “For Safe Injection Sites, COVID-19 Offers a New Beginning”

Contest judge Lise Funderburg writes: For a reported feature on the relationship between social service providers and their communities, Beatrice Forman takes on Philadelphia’s highly controversial issue of safe injections sites, an issue that has become more complicated in the time of COVID-19. Beatrice provides context for her story by looking at local and national addition trends, as well as a longstanding aversion of people with addiction when it comes to engaging with institutions. The choice to focus on community responses to the issue, and the considered questions raised about whether communities are adequately considered, make this a provocative think piece.

About the judge: Lise Funderburg teaches creative nonfiction at the University of Pennsylvania and leads writing workshops around the world. She the author of the bestselling memoir  Pig Candy: Taking My Father South, Taking My Father Home , a contemplation of life, death, race, and barbecue. She also authored the groundbreaking oral history  Black, White, Other: Biracial Americans Talk About Race and Identity , recently released in a 20th anniversary edition. Lise’s latest book is Apple, Tree: Writers on Their Parents , a collection of 25 original essays she commissioned and edited. Lise's essays have appeared in The New York Times , Chattahoochee Review , Cleaver , Broad Street, National Geographic , TIME , and Brevity, among other publications.

Past Contest Winners

2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

Most Read in 2021

Year-End Lists!

We don’t publish a lot of lists. But this year, having launched this new website with nearly complete access to 30 years of magazine archives, we thought it seemed like a good time to look back at the stories that resonated with our readers. 

In that spirit, we’ve compiled the most-read pieces published on our website in 2021, as well as the most-read work from our archives. 

And for good measure, we’ve pulled together a few pieces worth an honorable mention; our favorite Sunday Short Reads ; CNF content that was republished elsewhere; and the best advice, inspiration, and think pieces from some of our favorite publications.

Finally, if you enjoy what follows, please know there’s plenty more! We have a soft paywall on our site, which allows for three free reads a month. To get unlimited access for as little as $4/month, simply subscribe today.

Top 10 Published in 2021

• Almost Behind Us A dental emergency interrupts a meaningful anniversary // JENNIFER BOWERING DELISLE
• El Valle, 1991 An early lesson in strength and fragility // AURELIA KESSLER
• Stay at Home All those hours alone with a new baby can be rough // JARED HANKS
• The Desert Was His Home There are many things we don’t know about Mr. Otomatsu Wada, and a few things we do // ERIC L. MULLER
• Just a Big Cat The dramatic boredom of jury duty // ERICA GOSS
• What Will We Do for Fun Now? Her parents survived World War II and the Blitz just fine … didn’t they? // JANE RATCLIFFE
• Harriet Two brothers and a turtle // TYLER McANDREW
• Rango Getting existential at a funeral for a lizard   // JARRETT G. ZIEMER
• Mouse Lessons from a hamster emergency // BEVERLY PETRAVICIUS
• Roxy & the Worm Box Trying to recapture a childhood love of dirt // ANJOLI ROY

Top 5 from the Archive

• Picturing the Personal Essay A visual guide // TIM BASCOM
• The 5 Rs of Creative Nonfiction The essayist at work   // LEE GUTKIND
• The Line Between Fact & Fiction Do not add, and do not deceive // ROY PETER CLARK
• The Braided Essay as Social Justice Action The braided essay may be the most effective form for our times // NICOLE WALKER
• On Fame, Success, and Writing Like a Mother#^@%*& An interview with Cheryl Strayed   // ELISSA BASSIST

Honorable Mention ( ICYMI Essays)

• Latinx Heritage Month Who do you complain to when it’s HR you have a problem with? // MELISSA LUJAN MESKU
• Women’s Work Sometimes, freedom means choosing your obligations // EILEEN GARVIN
• Bloodlines and Bitter Syrup Avoiding prison in Huntsville, Texas, is nearly impossible // WILL BRIDGES
• Stealth A nontraditional couple struggles with keeping part of their life together private while undertaking the public act of filing for marriage // HEATHER OSTERMAN-DAVIS
• Something Like Vertigo An environmental writer sees parallels between her father’s declining equilibrium and a world turned upside down   // ELIZABETH RUSH

Our favorite Sunday Short Reads from our partners 

from BREVITY

• What Joy Looks Like SSR #128  // DORIAN FOX
• How to Do Nothing SSR #156 // ABIGAIL THOMAS

from DIAGRAM

• At 86, My Grandmother Regrets Two Things SSR #134 // DIANA XIN
• The Seedy Corner SSR #140 // KIMBERLY GARZA

from RIVER TEETH

• Waste Not SSR #131 // DESIREE COOPER
• This Is Orange SSR #141 // JILL KOLONGOWSKI

from SWEET LITERARY

• The Pilgrim’s Prescription SSR #122  // CAROLYN ALESSIO
• Leaves in the Hall SSR #160 // ANNE GUDGER

Our favorite stories from around the internet. 

Advice & Inspiration

• In Praise of the Meander Rebecca Solnit on letting nonfiction narrative find its own way (via Lit Hub )
• What’s Missing Here? A Fragmentary, Lyric Essay About Fragmentary, Lyric Essays Julie Marie Wade on the mode that never quite feels finished (via Lit Hub )
• Getting Honest about Om A brief essay on audience (via Brevity )
• Using the Personal to Write the Global Intimate details, personal exploration and respect for facts (via Nieman Storyboard )
• Fix Your Scene Shapes And quickly improve your manuscript (via Jane Friedman’s blog)

The State of Nonfiction

• What the NYT ‘Guest Essay’ Means for the Future of Creative Nonfiction Description (via Brevity )
• How the Role of Personal Expression and Experience Is Changing Journalism On the future of the newsroom (via Poynter )
• 50 Shades of Nuance in a Polarized World An essayist ponders when to write black-and-white polemics that attract clicks, and when to be more considered (via Nieman Storyboard )
• These Literary Memoirs Take a Different Tack Description (via NY Times )
• The Politics of Gatekeeping On reconsidering the ethics of blind submissions (via Poets & Writers )

Search Utah State University:

Arts & Humanities

USU Creative Writing Faculty Win Prestigious Literary Awards

By Andrea DeHaan | April 24, 2024

USU Creative Writing faculty Amber Caron and Jennifer Sinor.

LOGAN — Two Utah State University faculty are among this year’s authors selected for inclusion in 2024 “best of” collections, placing them alongside some of America’s most notable storytellers and essayists.

Assistant Professor of English Amber Caron is the recipient of a 2024 O. Henry Prize for Short Fiction , an honor previously shared by the likes of Jhumpa Lahiri and Stephen King. Caron joined USU’s Department of English in 2022 and teaches fiction writing and contemporary literature.

Caron earned the O. Henry Prize for “Didi,” which first appeared in the literary magazine Electric Literature as part of its Recommended Reading series. The story also provides the conclusion — and anchor — of Caron’s debut short story collection “ Call Up the Waters ,” published in 2023. The story will be included in “ The Best Short Stories 2024: The O. Henry Prize Winners ” collection.

Considered the oldest major award for American short fiction, the prize has been awarded every year since 1919 (except in 2020).

In the announcement of this year’s winners, series editor Jenny Minton Quigley wrote about the important role these stories play in current society: “We are living in a moment when it is crucial to be able to imagine the souls of our fellow human beings, to see past their curated social media personas, their filtered self-portraits, and their polarized allegiances — to part the curtains on the fleeting, momentary, miraculous sight of their secret selves that is essential for empathy and human connection.”

Professor Jennifer Sinor’s essay “The Lives of Bryan” will appear in “ The Best American Essays 2024 ,” a collection edited by The New York Times critic Wesley Morris and award-winning essayist Kim Dana Kupperman. Sinor is a memoirist and essayist who has taught at USU for nearly 24 years.

Sinor’s piece about the death of her brother was first published in The American Scholar . When it appears this fall in “The Best American Essays,” it will become part of a collection that dates back to 1986 and is largely credited for reinvigorating the form of the essay as well as the emergence of creative nonfiction in the academy.

“Best of” collections are more than just a who’s who of contemporary writing. As Jenny Spinner suggests, they are “both recording and writing a chapter” of literary history. Read together, the stories and essays reflect where we are and where we are going.

Inclusion in these kinds of collections is highly competitive. The pieces are chosen from among thousands of submissions made by editors around the country. According to Sinor, to be one of the 20 is akin to winning the lottery.

“Given the odds, it would have been remarkable to have a faculty member receive the award in any given year, but to have two chosen in the same year is unbelievable,” Sinor said.

Both Caron and Sinor’s works focus on a similar theme, asking readers to think about loss. The title character of Caron’s story whose disappearance brings both fear and familiarity for the woman assigned to watch her. The loss of Sinor’s brother who left the world on a full moon with no one to stand witness. Both selections stand as meditations on what can be saved, what can be lost, and how little control we have over either — ideas that are mirrored in national conversations.

Department Head of English Brian McCuskey called the awards a testament to “our amazingly accomplished faculty and USU’s thriving creative-writing program.”

“As well as being brilliant writers, Jennifer and Amber are inspiring teachers, fully dedicated to their craft and deeply committed to their students,” he said.

A cornerstone of Utah State University, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences brings together faculty members engaged in original research and creative activities to teach and mentor students who aspire to be leaders in their professions and communities. Degrees in humanities and social sciences cultivate highly adaptable professional skills in students through teaching effective communication, research, data analysis and creative problem-solving.

Andrea DeHaan Communications Editor College of Humanities and Social Sciences 435-797-2985 [email protected]

Brian McCuskey Professor and Department Head Department of English (435)797-2733 [email protected]

Comments and questions regarding this article may be directed to the contact person listed on this page.

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Creative Writing Reading Series announces 2024-2025 lineup of award-winning writers and poets

By Emily Harnden

As the fall colors and cooler temperatures return to campus, the Department of English is celebrating the arrival of another autumn staple: CSU’s Creative Writing Reading Series .

The series, which is supported by the English department in collaboration with CSU Libraries, welcomes rising literary stars and established voices to campus each semester to share their work and engage with our campus and local Fort Collins communities. In addition to giving public readings, visiting authors often hold audience Q&A sessions, book signings, class visits, and salons. These events are always free and open to the public.

The first reading of the year is set for Thursday, September 19 at the University Ballroom in the Lory Student Center and will feature acclaimed writers Meredith Talusan and Paul Yoon . Both Talusan and Yoon have had breakout hits in recent years; Talusan’s debut memoir Fairest was named a 2020 Lambda Literary Award finalist and a best book of the year by multiple venues, while Yoon was named a finalist for the prestigious Story Prize in 2023 for his latest story collection, The Hive and the Honey .

Matthew Cooperman , poet and professor of English, is directing the series this year and looking forward to showcasing an impressive, talented lineup comprised of writers working across genres and in varying stages of their careers.

“I’m really excited about this year’s series,” Cooperman said. “It’s a nice blend of New York Times best-sellers (Paul Yoon, Laura van den Berg), accomplished alumni (Molly Reid, Kylan Rice) and local luminaries (Laura Pritchett, the Creative Writing faculty). And that faculty reading? It’s a chance to introduce our latest member–creative nonfiction star Sarah Perry–and we’re over the moon for her arrival.”

Perry, who joined the creative writing faculty this fall as an assistant professor, will read alongside professors Andrew Altschul and Sasha Steensen at October’s Writer’s Harvest. Held annually, the Writer’s Harvest is a great chance for students and the literary community to hear fresh work from CSU faculty and give back to the Larimer County Food Bank .

Second-year MFA candidate in poetry Josephine Gawtry, who is serving as assistant director of the series, said she’s especially excited for the opportunity the series provides graduate students in the Creative Writing MFA program :

“Getting to meet and discuss with folks who have made a go of it in creative writing is both informative and encouraging,” she said. “In a discipline that is often overlooked as a professional endeavor, our grad students get to meet dozens of people every year that have succeeded in various ways in the often intimidating ‘writing world.’ Hearing their beautiful words and forming interpersonal connections with them is a huge bonus!”

Programming for the 2024-2025 academic year runs from September to April, and includes the following fall events:

Meredith Talusan and Paul Yoon Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Lory Student Center, University Ballroom

Meredith talusan.

Meredith Talusan received a Creative Capital Award, a MacDowell Fellowship, and a Pushcart Prize Special Mention for fiction in 2023; her stories appear or are forthcoming in Guernica , Kenyon Review , Boston Review , Epoch , The Rumpus , Grand , Catapult , and BLR . Her debut memoir, Fairest , was a 2020 Lambda Literary Award finalist and named a best book of the year by multiple venues. She has contributed to ten other books and written articles for The New York Times , The Atlantic , The Guardian , and WIRED , among many outlets. She has received journalism awards from GLAAD, The Society of Professional Journalists, and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. She is also the founding executive editor and current contributing editor at them. , Condé Nast’s LGBTQ+ digital platform.

Paul Yoon ‘s most recent book is The Hive and the Honey (Simon & Schuster, 2023), a finalist for The Story Prize , a New York Times Editor’s Choice, and a Time Top Ten Fiction Book of 2023. His other books include Run Me to Earth (Simon & Schuster, 2020), longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction; The Mountain (Simon & Schuster, 2017), named a best book of the year by NPR, Publishers Weekly , and Library Journal ; Snow Hunters (Simon & Schuster, 2013), winner of the Young Lions Fiction Award in 2014; and Once the Shore (Sarabande Books, 2009), winner of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Award. His stories have appeared in The New Yorker , The Atlantic, Harper’s , and The Best American Short Stories. A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, he lives in the Hudson Valley, New York, with his wife and dog.  

Brent Ameneyro and Jennifer Soong Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Lory Student Center, University Ballroom

Brent Ameneyro

Brent Amenyro is is the author of A Face Out of Clay (Mountain/West Poetry Series) and the chapbook Puebla (Ghost City Press, 2023). His poetry has been published in Alaska Quarterly Review , the Iowa Review , Ninth Letter , and elsewhere. He earned his MFA from San Diego State University, where he was awarded the 2021 SRS Research Award for Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice. A 2022–23 Letras Latinas Poetry Coalition Fellow at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, he currently serves as the poetry editor at the Los Angeles Review .

Jennifer Soong

Jennifer Soong is the author of several works of poetry, including My Earliest Person (forthcoming with The Last Books), Comeback Death (Krupskaya, 2024), and Suede Mantis / Soft Rage (Black Sun Lit, 2022). Her critical monograph Slips of the Mind: Poetry as Forgetting is forthcoming with the University of Chicago Press. Her essays have appeared or are due to appear in Critical Inquiry, Textual Practice, Modernism/modernity, Post45, and Chicago Review. Originally from New Jersey, she lives and works as an assistant professor in Denver.

Writer’s Harvest Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Lory Student Center, University Ballroom

Andrew altschul.

Andrew Altschul is the author of the novels The Gringa, Deus Ex Machina, and Lady Lazarus. His stories and essays have appeared in publications including Esquire, McSweeney’s, Ploughshares, One Story, FENCE, and anthologies including Best New American Voices and O. Henry Prize Stories. A former Wallace Stegner Fellow and Jones Lecturer at Stanford, and a contributing editor at ZYZZYVA since 2012, this is his tenth year teaching at CSU.

Sarah Perry

Sarah Perry is (she/they) is the author of the memoir After the Eclipse: A Mother’s Murder, a Daughter’s Search , which was named a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers pick. Perry has received a 2020-2022 Tulsa Artist Fellowship, the 2018 Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award, and fellowships from the Edward F. Albee Foundation, VCCA, Playa, and The Studios of Key West. She holds an M.F.A. in nonfiction from Columbia University and is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Colorado State University. Her second book, Sweet Nothings , a collection of 100 flash essays exploring candy as a vehicle of joy, resilience, and memory, is forthcoming from Mariner in February 2025.

Sasha Steensen

Sasha Steensen is is the author of six books of poetry: A Magic Book; The Method; House of Deer  (all from Fence Books);  Gatherest ( Ahsahta Press); Everything Awake (Shearsman Press); and Well (Parlor Press). She also writes long-form essays, two of which can be read online at Essay Press and Tupelo Quarterly . She is currently at work on a hybrid project, Overland: An Incomplete History of Three Acres and all That Surrounds that documents the seizure, and subsequent development, of hundreds of acres of Native American Land in Northern Colorado. She teaches undergraduate and graduate Literature and Creative Writing classes at Colorado State University, where she was named the 2023 Stern Distinguished Professor. Steensen serves on the advisory board for the Test Site Poetry Series, and as a poetry editor for Colorado Review.

The spring 2025 schedule will include the following readings, all of which are to begin at 7:30 p.m. and take place in the University Ballroom of the Lory Student Center. Full author bios can be found on the Creative Writing Reading Series website .

• Thursday, Feb. 20 : Laura van den Berg and Laura Pritchett
• Thursday, Mar. 6 : Mary Crow Alumni Reading featuring Molly Reid and Kylan Rice
• Thursday Apr. 10 : Nicholas Gulig and Tishani Doshi

About the Creative Writing Reading Series

The CSU Creative Writing Reading Series is made possible by the Organization of Graduate Student Writers , the CSU Department of English , the College of Liberal Arts , the Lilla B. Morgan Memorial Endowment , the donor sponsor of the Crow-Tremblay Alumni Reading Series, CSU Libraries and other generous support.

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2020 creative writing prize winners.

Image by Karl Blossfeldt (1928).

This year's creative writing awards were judged by the poet   Carlos Andrés Gómez. Carlos Andrés Gómez is the author of two celebrated collections of poetry,   Fractures   and   Hijito , and a memoir,   Man Up . He is also a performer, appearing on HBO's   Def Poetry Jam   and TV One's   Verses and Flow , and in the Spike Lee film   Inside Man .

About the selection process, Gómez wrote: " I would be grateful if in the announcement you could mention that I found the quality of the writing to be astounding – there were many more pieces that are worthy of recognition, but these were the ones I ultimately chose. Deciding which submissions deserved to be selected as the winners and runners-up was a painstaking and, at times, excruciating task…. I am extremely grateful to have had the chance to read their stunning submissions. There are many writers whose work I encountered that I expect to see on my bookshelf someday."

Below is a list of the prizes and winners. If you wish to read a selection of the winning work, you may do so here .

For the Sidney Cox Memorial Prize ,   offered annually for that piece of undergraduate writing which most nearly meets those high standards of originality and integrity which Sidney Cox set for himself and for his students in his teaching and in his book,   Indirections for Those Who Want to Write :

C.C. Lucas, for "Multiplayer"

The Academy of American Poets Prize, for the best poem or group of poems:

James King, for "Our Respective Squares"

Honorable Mention:

Kieran Householder "Metacognition"

Mia Nelson "Frida Kahlo Takes a Rib from Diego Rivera"

Jacobson-Laing Award in Poetry for the best manuscript of original poems:

Karen Zheng, for   Steeping

Julia O'Sullivan, for "untitled"

The Mecklin Prize,   for creative nonfiction or journalism:

Kaijing Janice Chen, for "laai geen"

Maeve Fairbanks, for "Joe"

Shaphnah Mishal McKenzie, for "Countryside Calling"

The Grimes Prize,  for any form of writing by a senior except plays:

Julia O'Sullivan, for a short story, "The Unmaking"

The Lockwood Prize , for any form of writing by a junior except plays:

William C. Spengemann Award in Writing,   for a work of prose or poetry distinguished by its formal precision, as well as its original, innovative, or iconoclastic approach to its subject matter:

Raena R. Roman, for a poem, "Pobres Gringos"

Erskine Caldwell Prize,   for a short story:

Jordan McDonald, for "Discretion"

Betty Junghyun Kim, for "The Princess Bride vs. Superman"

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Best Writing Contests in 2024

Showing 425 contests that match your search.

The Reedsy Prompts Contest

Genres: Fiction and Short Story

Every Friday, Reedsy sends out five writing prompts. Enter your response within a week for a chance at $250. Winners may also be included in a future issue of Reedsy’s literary magazine, Prompted.

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$25 credit toward Reedsy editorial services

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National Poetry Competition 2024

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Genres: Poetry

The competition, run by The Poetry Society since 1978, is one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for a single unpublished poem. Judged by Stephen Sexton, Romalyn Ante, John McAuliffe. Open to all poets worldwide aged 18+.

Runners-up receive £2,000 and £1,000. Commended entries receive £500

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The Heartland Review Open Calls

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Genres: Poetry and Fiction

The Heartland Review publishes fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. The contest is open to established and emerging writers. Submissions are free, and the next open calls will begin in December 2024. A contributor copy is provided to published authors.

Publication in The Heartland Review. 1 contributor copy for published works

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Jim Martin Memorial Story Contest

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The Jim Martin Memorial Adult Story Contest invites submissions of mystery, suspense, or thriller stories from adults aged 18 and over. It honors Jim Martin, a long-time member of Arizona Mystery Writers, supported by his family's generous contribution to the organization.

2nd Place: $100 3rd Place: $75 Winning stories will be published on the AMW website.

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: August 01, 2024 (Expired)

"Matter" Poetry Contest

Oprelle Publications

Any topic or style is acceptable. Even though this anthology will be called Matter, all that is expected is that your poetry reflects emotions and thoughts coming from the depths of you. You need not write about a particular word. We just want you to know that your talent with words can matter to others.

2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50 | Publication in anthology

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FanStory.com Inc.

Share your Western story for this writing contest. Share your story that has a clear western theme. Your old west story can earn you a cash prize.

Winning stories will be features on the FanStory.com welcome page.

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TWFest Fiction Contest

Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival

Genres: Fiction

The TWFest Fiction Contest aims to showcase new works by emerging writers. It invites original, unpublished short stories up to 7,000 words. The contest provides a platform for creative expression and awards significant prizes to winners.

Runner ups will receive a LitPass ($100 value) for the Festival. Domestic airfare (up to $500) & French Quarter accommodations for the Festival, All-Access Festival pass ($600 value), public reading, publication & interview in French Quarter Journal

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: October 01, 2024

The Fountain Essay Contest

Fountain Magazine

Genres: Essay and Non-fiction

“Home” holds a special place in our lives. Our earliest memories form inside its walls; we utter our first words and take our first steps there. Does everyone feel the same about home? Is it where you were born or where you earn your bread? Is home a physical place? In a world that moves faster than ever and is confined to small screens, how do perceptions about "home" change? Where is home for people who are forced to leave their homes? Where is your home?

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2024 (Expired)

3-6-9 Poetry Contest

This poem has three stanzas. Each stanza has three lines that follows the 3-6-9 syllable count. The first line has 3 syllables, the second line has 6 syllables and the last line 9 syllables. The subject can be anything.

📅 Deadline: November 15, 2024

4th Annual Wine Country Writers' Festival Writing Contest

Wine Country Writers' Festival Society

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The contest is open to writers over 18 worldwide and includes categories for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Each submission must adhere to specific formatting guidelines and word limits. Winners are selected through blind judging, and results are announced during the festival.

$200 CAD per category

Second place: $100 Third place: $50 Winner also gets anthology publication, entry to next year's festival

Science Fiction Writing Contest

FanStory.com Inc

Genres: Fiction, Science Writing, and Science Fiction

Share a Science Fiction themed story to enter this writing contest with a cash prizes. Let your imagination fly and enjoy sharing your writing.

Winning entries will be features on the FanStory.com welcome page.

💰 Entry fee: $9

📅 Deadline: April 12, 2023 (Expired)

Creative Writing Award for Short Fiction

Aesthetica Magazine

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, and Poetry

The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is an international literary prize open to poetry and short fiction entries. Since its launch, it has celebrated outstanding writing talent and has evolved into a prominent platform for writers to showcase their work. Winning pieces have received critical acclaim and recognition at major literary awards.

£2500 for winners, publication in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual, courses from Arvon, subscriptions to literary magazines, and memberships to literary societies.

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📅 Deadline: August 31, 2024 (Expired)

Horror Writing Contest

Genres: Fiction, Horror, and Short Story

Share a horror or thriller story to enter this writing contest. Write about anything but the object is to terrorize or thrill your reader. Cash prize!

📅 Deadline: November 12, 2024

CWA Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition

Crime Writers' Association

Genres: Mystery and Short Story

Every year since 2014, the CWA and the Margery Allingham Society have jointly held an international competition for a short story of up to 3,500 words. Our mission is to find the best unpublished short mystery, and not only that, but one which fits into Golden Age crime writer Margery Allingham’s definition of what makes a great story. Entries are invited from all writers, published or unpublished, writing in English.

Two weekend passes to CrimeFest

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📅 Deadline: February 29, 2024 (Expired)

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Black Caucus of ALA (BCALA)

Genres: Fiction, Non-fiction, Novel, and Poetry

The BCALA Self-Publishing Literary Awards honors the best self-published ebooks by African American authors in the U.S. across fiction and poetry genres. The awards focus on the cultural, historical, and sociopolitical aspects of the Black Diaspora.

Formal recognition at the NCAAL conference, BCALA Literary Award Seal.

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Writers Alliance of Gainesville

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

The Bacopa Literary Review is an annual international print journal seeking engaging and original submissions across multiple genres. The contest includes various categories with specific guidelines to encourage diverse forms of writing.

$100 Honorable Mention in each of six categories

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Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers

University of Tulsa

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Short Story

The Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers honor the work of writers at the beginning of their careers. $500 prizes will be awarded in both the fiction and poetry categories, and the winning manuscripts will appear in the spring issue of Nimrod. Winners will have the chance to work with the Nimrod board of editors to refine and edit their manuscripts before publication.

Publication

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📅 Deadline: July 15, 2024 (Expired)

Memo'd AI-assisted Writing Contest

Memo'd Technologies, LLC

Genres: Non-fiction

The Memo'd AI Writing Contest invites participants to create popular Memos using their AI content creator. Participants can enter by generating Memes through the Memo'd app and publishing them. The contest encourages creativity, allowing users to leverage AI and their own insights to produce Memos.

Second Prize for second most unique views: $250 Best AI Prompt Prize for most creative and useful prompt: $250

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Vocal Challenges

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, and Short Story

Enter themed storytelling contests to put your creativity to the test and be in with a chance of winning cash prizes and more. To submit, you'll need to sign up for a monthly fee of $9.99, or $4.99/month for 3 months.

$1,000 — $5,000

📅 Deadline: March 07, 2024 (Expired)

Avenue Writing Contest

Blake Chasen and Emma Needell

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, and Romance

The Avenue Writing Contest invites participants to create interactive narratives in four categories: Romance, Fantasy, Progression Fantasy + LitRPG, and D&D. Entries are crafted using the Avenue Creator Studio, where participants develop episodes that allow reader choices to influence the story.

2nd: $150 3rd: $100 Winners will also be featured on Avenue’s app, website, and social media. Prizes apply for each category.

📅 Deadline: May 22, 2024 (Expired)

Inspiring Fiction's Special Edition Short Story Contest

Inspiring Fiction

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller

The contest invites participants to explore the theme of freedom through crime, speculative, and fantasy fiction. Winning entries will be published in a special bumper issue of Tangled Web Magazine and Mirk Fantasy Magazine.

Winner published in a special issue.

💰 Entry fee: $6

📅 Deadline: July 31, 2024 (Expired)

F(r)iction Poetry Contest

The F(r)iction Poetry Contest invites submissions of poetry that are narrative-driven with strong imagery and a coherent structure. It encourages experimental and nontraditional works.

Up to five finalists will also be considered for publication.

📅 Deadline: November 01, 2024

The Scribes Prize

Fairfield Scribes

The Scribes Prize invites entries for flash fiction or creative nonfiction of 90-110 words. The contest aims to highlight great writing and offers monetary prizes with the winners published in the ScribesMICRO magazine.

Silver: $125 Bronze: $60 15 Honorable Mentions: $20 each Publication in ScribesMICRO and digital award seals for winners

📅 Deadline: September 01, 2024 (Expired)

J. Michael Samuel Prize for Emerging Writers Over 50

Lambda Literary

Genres: LGBTQ

The J. Michael Samuel Prize honors emerging LGBTQ writers over the age of 50. This award is made possible by writer and philanthropist Chuck Forester, who created it out of the firmly held belief that “Writers who start late are just as good as other writers, it just took the buggers more time.” The prize will go to an unpublished LGBTQ writer over 50 working in any genre.

📅 Deadline: February 16, 2024 (Expired)

HG Wells Short Story Competition

HG Wells Competition

The HG Wells Short Story Competition, founded by Reg Turnill, promotes writing and celebrates HG Wells' literary legacy. It encourages entries based on this year’s theme: 'The Fool.'

Under 21: £1,000 Over 21: £500

All shortlisted entries will be published in an anthology. Shortlisted authors receive a copy of the anthology and a certificate.

📅 Deadline: July 08, 2024 (Expired)

Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize

University of Pittsburgh Press

The Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize, established in 1981, is awarded for a first full-length book of poems. The prize includes a cash award and publication as part of the Pitt Poetry Series.

Publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press

BBC National Short Story Award

BBC Radio 4 and Cambridge University

The BBC National Short Story Award encourages submissions of short stories up to 8,000 words. The contest promotes the art of storytelling and awards notable literary contributions.

4x shortlisted stories: £600

📅 Deadline: March 18, 2024 (Expired)

Dream Quest One Writing Contest

Dream Quest One

Write a short story, 5 pages maximum length, on any subject or theme, fiction, non-fiction, creative nonfiction (including essay compositions, diary, journal entries, short stage plays, screenplays, and screenwriting). All entries must be either typed or legibly hand printed. Multiple and simultaneous poetry and short story entries are accepted.

2nd: $125 | 3rd: $50

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2024

Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

Ayn Rand Institute

Genres: Essay

The Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest is open to all high school, college, and graduate students worldwide. Participants write essays based on prompts related to Ayn Rand's novel _Atlas Shrugged_. The contest has seasonal entry rounds with unique prompts, and essays must be between 800 and 1,600 words. The winning essays demonstrate a strong grasp of the book's themes.

Annual Grand Prize of $25,000 Seasonal prize winners: 1st place: $3000 2nd place: $2000 3rd place: $1000

📅 Deadline: June 14, 2024 (Expired)

AWP Prize for Creative Nonfiction

Association of Writers & Writing Programs

AWP sponsors the Award Series, an annual competition for the publication of excellent new book-length works. The competition is open to all authors writing in English regardless of nationality or residence, and is available to published and unpublished authors alike.

Publication by the University of Georgia Press

💰 Entry fee: $30

📅 Deadline: February 28, 2024 (Expired)

Goldilocks Zone

Sunspot Literary Journal

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Novel, Novella, Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story

The contest invites short stories, novel excerpts, graphic novels, and poems that showcase excellence in craft with reader appeal. It accepts literary or genre works without restrictions on theme.

Publication for the winner; publication offered to runners-up and finalists.

CWA Margery Allingham Short Story Competition

Crime Writers Association

Our mission is to find the best unpublished short mystery — one that fits into legendary crime writer Margery’s definition of what makes a great story: “The Mystery remains box-shaped, at once a prison and a refuge. Its four walls are, roughly, a Crime, a Mystery, an Enquiry and a Conclusion with an Element of Satisfaction in it.”

Two passes to Crimefest & a selection of books

Fish Flash Fiction Prize

Fish Publishing

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The Fish Flash Fiction Prize is an opportunity to attempt one of the most interesting and rewarding tasks – to create, in a tiny fragment, a completely resolved and compelling story in 300 words or less. The top ten stories will be published in the FISH ANTHOLOGY 2022.

2nd: €300 + Online Writing Course | 3rd: €300

💰 Entry fee: $14

The Caledonia Novel Award

Alice Lutyens, literary agent at Curtis Brown

Genres: Fiction, Novel, and Young Adult

The Caledonia Novel Award aims to support unpublished and self-published novelists across all genres for adults and young adults. The 2025 competition encourages diverse submissions, offering significant prizes to help cultivate new talent.

Exclusive framed award designed by Edinburgh artist Lucy Roscoe. Highly Commended prize: £500 Special prize: a free place on a writing course at Moniack Mhor Creative Writing Centre

💰 Entry fee: $28

📅 Deadline: October 15, 2024

Season Themes

HAVOK Publishing

Genres: Fantasy, Flash Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller

HAVOK is a constant flash fiction contest, with rolling deadlines. Each season is split into monthly competitions with thematically connected prompts in a range of genres.

Publication in an anthology. Potential for larger gift card wins.

📅 Deadline: August 30, 2024 (Expired)

Discover the finest writing contests of 2024 for fiction and non-fiction authors — including short story competitions, essay writing competitions, poetry contests, and many more. Updated weekly, these contests are vetted by Reedsy to weed out the scammers and time-wasters. If you’re looking to stick to free writing contests, simply use our filters as you browse.

Why you should submit to writing contests

Submitting to poetry competitions and free writing contests in 2024 is absolutely worth your while as an aspiring author: just as your qualifications matter when you apply for a new job, a writing portfolio that boasts published works and award-winning pieces is a great way to give your writing career a boost. And not to mention the bonus of cash prizes!

That being said, we understand that taking part in writing contests can be tough for emerging writers. First, there’s the same affliction all writers face: lack of time or inspiration. Entering writing contests is a time commitment, and many people decide to forego this endeavor in order to work on their larger projects instead — like a full-length book. Second, for many writers, the chance of rejection is enough to steer them clear of writing contests. 

But we’re here to tell you that two of the great benefits of entering writing contests happen to be the same as those two reasons to avoid them.

When it comes to the time commitment: yes, you will need to expend time and effort in order to submit a quality piece of writing to competitions. That being said, having a hard deadline to meet is a great motivator for developing a solid writing routine.

Think of entering contests as a training session to become a writer who will need to meet deadlines in order to have a successful career. If there’s a contest you have your eye on, and the deadline is in one month, sit down and realistically plan how many words you’ll need to write per day in order to meet that due date — and don’t forget to also factor in the time you’ll need to edit your story!

For tips on setting up a realistic writing plan, check out this free, ten-day course : How to Build a Rock-Solid Writing Routine.

In regards to the fear of rejection, the truth is that any writer aspiring to become a published author needs to develop relatively thick skin. If one of your goals is to have a book traditionally published, you will absolutely need to learn how to deal with rejection, as traditional book deals are notoriously hard to score. If you’re an indie author, you will need to adopt the hardy determination required to slowly build up a readership.

The good news is that there’s a fairly simple trick for learning to deal with rejection: use it as a chance to explore how you might be able to improve your writing.

In an ideal world, each rejection from a publisher or contest would come with a detailed letter, offering construction feedback and pointing out specific tips for improvement. And while this is sometimes the case, it’s the exception and not the rule.

Still, you can use the writing contests you don’t win as a chance to provide yourself with this feedback. Take a look at the winning and shortlisted stories and highlight their strong suits: do they have fully realized characters, a knack for showing instead of telling, a well-developed but subtly conveyed theme, a particularly satisfying denouement?

The idea isn’t to replicate what makes those stories tick in your own writing. But most examples of excellent writing share a number of basic craft principles. Try and see if there are ways for you to translate those stories’ strong points into your own unique writing.

Finally, there are the more obvious benefits of entering writing contests: prize and publication. Not to mention the potential to build up your readership, connect with editors, and gain exposure.

Resources to help you win writing competitions in 2024

Every writing contest has its own set of submission rules. Whether those rules are dense or sparing, ensure that you follow them to a T. Disregarding the guidelines will not sway the judges’ opinion in your favor — and might disqualify you from the contest altogether. 

Aside from ensuring you follow the rules, here are a few resources that will help you perfect your submissions.

Free online courses

On Writing:

• "How to Craft a Killer Short Story" ( Click here )
• "The Non-Sexy Business of Writing Non-Fiction" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Novel" ( Click here )
• "Understanding Point of View" ( Click here )
• "Developing Characters That Your Readers Will Love" ( Click here )
• "Writing Dialogue That Develops Plot and Character" ( Click here )
• "Stop Procrastinating! Build a Solid Writing Routine" ( Click here )

On Editing:

• "Story Editing for Authors" ( Click here )
• "How to Self-Edit Your Manuscript Like a Pro" ( Click here )
• "Novel Revision: Practical Tips for Rewrites" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Novel: Steps From a Bestselling Writer" ( Click here )
• "How to Write a Short Story in 9 Simple Steps" ( Click here )
• "100 Literary Devices With Examples: The Ultimate List" ( Click here )
• "20 Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft" ( Click here )
• "How to Write Fabulous Dialogue [9 Tips + Examples]" ( Click here )
• "8 Character Development Exercises to Write 3D Characters" ( Click here )

Bonus resources

• 200+ Short Story Ideas ( Click here )
• 600+ Writing Prompts to Inspire You ( Click here )
• 100+ Creative Writing Exercises for Fiction Authors ( Click here )
• Story Title Generator ( Click here )
• Pen Name Generator ( Click here )
• Character Name Generator ( Click here )

After you submit to a writing competition in 2024

It’s exciting to send a piece of writing off to a contest. However, once the initial excitement wears off, you may be left waiting for a while. Some writing contests will contact all entrants after the judging period — whether or not they’ve won. Other writing competitions will only contact the winners. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind after you submit:

Many writing competitions don’t have time to respond to each entrant with feedback on their story. However, it never hurts to ask! Feel free to politely reach out requesting feedback — but wait until after the selection period is over.

If you’ve submitted the same work to more than one writing competition or literary magazine, remember to withdraw your submission if it ends up winning elsewhere.

After you send a submission, don’t follow it up with a rewritten or revised version. Instead, ensure that your first version is thoroughly proofread and edited. If not, wait until the next edition of the contest or submit the revised version to other writing contests.

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Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we’ve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests database, the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.

Find a home for your poems, stories, essays, and reviews by researching the publications vetted by our editorial staff. In the Literary Magazines database you’ll find editorial policies, submission guidelines, contact information—everything you need to know before submitting your work to the publications that share your vision for your work.

Whether you’re pursuing the publication of your first book or your fifth, use the Small Presses database to research potential publishers, including submission guidelines, tips from the editors, contact information, and more.

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Every week a new publishing professional shares advice, anecdotes, insights, and new ways of thinking about writing and the business of books.

Find publishers ready to read your work now with our Open Reading Periods page, a continually updated resource listing all the literary magazines and small presses currently open for submissions.

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Our series of subject-based handbooks (PDF format; $4.99 each) provide information and advice from authors, literary agents, editors, and publishers. Now available: The Poets & Writers Guide to Publicity and Promotion, The Poets & Writers Guide to the Book Deal, The Poets & Writers Guide to Literary Agents, The Poets & Writers Guide to MFA Programs, and The Poets & Writers Guide to Writing Contests.

Find a home for your work by consulting our searchable databases of writing contests, literary magazines, small presses, literary agents, and more.

Poets & Writers lists readings, workshops, and other literary events held in cities across the country. Whether you are an author on book tour or the curator of a reading series, the Literary Events Calendar can help you find your audience.

Get the Word Out is a new publicity incubator for debut fiction writers and poets.

Research newspapers, magazines, websites, and other publications that consistently publish book reviews using the Review Outlets database, which includes information about publishing schedules, submission guidelines, fees, and more.

Well over ten thousand poets and writers maintain listings in this essential resource for writers interested in connecting with their peers, as well as editors, agents, and reading series coordinators looking for authors. Apply today to join the growing community of writers who stay in touch and informed using the Poets & Writers Directory.

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Search for jobs in education, publishing, the arts, and more within our free, frequently updated job listings for writers and poets.

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Find information about how Poets & Writers provides support to hundreds of writers participating in literary readings and conducting writing workshops.

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Creative Writing Award

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Two prizes of £2,500 (approximately $3,171) each and publication in Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual are given annually for a poem and a short story. In addition, the winner in poetry receives a membership to the Poetry Society in London, a course from the arts organization Poetry School, and two online master classes from the London-based creative writing nonprofit Arvon. The winner in short fiction receives a five-day course from Arvon and a consultation with the literary agency Redhammer Management. Both winners receive subscriptions to Granta , London Magazine , and Mslexia ; membership to Litopia; and a six-week writing course from Curtis Brown Creative (a writing school led by authors and literary agents) in their respective genre. Each awarding organization offers online and in-person course options. Using only the online submission system, submit a poem of up to 40 lines with a £12 (approximately $15) entry fee or a short story of up to 2,000 words with an £18 (approximately $23) entry fee by August 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Aesthetica , Creative Writing Award, 21 New Street, York, YO1 8RA, England.

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World Creative Rankings: this year’s most-awarded copywriters

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By Sam Bradley, Journalist

April 8, 2021 | 12 min read

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The World Creative Rankings is our annual study of the brands, agencies and people behind the world’s very best creative work . In this instalment, we reveal the world’s top copywriters for award wins.

Lili Jiang and Tatiana Lee’s work for Cheil Hong Kong and Chupa Chups earned them a berth in the Rankings

Each year, The Drum’s research team analyzes the data from all of the advertising industry’s major awards schemes to find out which companies created the most award-winning work in the previous calendar year. This year, that meant examining 1,768 campaigns from 1,295 clients working with 964 agencies, including 1,061 copywriters and wordsmiths.

Below, you can see the ranked list of the world’s best-performing copywriters. We’re also celebrating this year’s standout performers, and their work, in a special series of editorial features collected on our World Creative Rankings hub .

The most-awarded copywriters of 2020

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