Winning Writers

Your Query and I Were Really Hitting It Off... Until I read Your Summary https://giraffelightmedia.substack.com/p/your-query-and-i-were-really-hitting

"To Lallie (Outside the British Museum)", a poem by Amy Levy https://vqa.dickinson.edu/poem/lallie-outside-british-museum Read by Amanda Holmes for The American Scholar https://theamericanscholar.org/to-lallie-outside-the-british-museum-by-amy-levy/

Please enjoy "The Room" by Jillian Grant Shoichet, a fiction honorable mention in our 2026 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest https://winningwriters.com/past-winning-entries/the-room

Deadline: Dec 15: Lit Fox Award. Submit a full-length poetry manuscript (at least 48 pages) to win $1,500 and publication. More details on website. No fee | https://litfoxbooks.com/lit-fox-award/

Choosing the right printing paper for your book https://www.bookbaby.com/resources/printing-paper

Please enjoy "On Personal Geography, Or, On the Love of One's Country" by Xavier Prince, a nonfiction honorable mention in our 2026 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest https://winningwriters.com/past-winning-entries/on-personal-geography-or-on-the-love-of-ones-country

Deadline: Dec 13: Novel Excerpt Prize. Submit an excerpt from your novel in progress up to 5,000 words to win $1,000 and online publication. More details on website. Fee: $20 | https://www.unchartedmag.com/2026-uncharted-magazine-novel-excerpt-prize-judged-by-liz-shipton/

20 Book Promotion Ideas to Boost Your Sales and Reach https://blog.bookbaby.com/how-to-promote-your-book/book-promotion/book-promotion-ideas

Please enjoy "Soon the Light" by Gina Ochsner, a fiction honorable mention in our 2026 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest https://winningwriters.com/past-winning-entries/soon-the-light

“Having Lived a Life so You Can Write About it.” A Chat with Beth Weinhouse & David Galef, Editors of 20 Over 60 https://litmagnews.substack.com/p/having-lived-a-life-so-you-can-write?publication_id=165591&post_id=219290898&isFreemail=true

"In My Dreams I am Carried Inside ", a poem by Dare Williams Early-round judge for the Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest https://www.frontierpoetry.com/2022/12/09/dare-williams/ via FrontierPoetry

Please enjoy "The God That Meets the Eye" by Sena Moon, a fiction honorable mention in our 2026 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest https://winningwriters.com/past-winning-entries/the-god-that-meets-the-eye

Deadline: Nov 15: The Brooklyn Non-Fiction Prize. Submit a non-fiction essay up to 2,500 words centered on Brooklyn and its people to win the $500. No fee | https://www.filmbrooklyn.org/

Q&A: Three Authors Explore How They Build Their Writing Careers Alongside Other Professions https://indieauthormagazine.com/q-a-three-authors-explore-how-they-build-their-writing-careers-alongside-other-professions/

Please enjoy "Reality Is a Hard Master" by Kim McLarin, a nonfiction honorable mention in our 2026 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest https://winningwriters.com/past-winning-entries/reality-is-a-hard-master

Deadline: Nov 30: The White Pine Press Poetry Prize. Submit a poetry manuscript between 60 and 80 pages to win $1,000 and publication. Fee: $20 | https://www.whitepine.org/white-pine-press-poetry-prize

"Primer", a poem by Jessica Jacobs https://rattle.com/primer-by-jessica-jacobs/ via Rattle Poetry

Please enjoy "Coyotes" by David McArthur, winner of an honorable mention for nonfiction in our 2026 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest https://winningwriters.com/past-winning-entries/coyotes

Deadline: Nov 30: Short Story Prize sponsored by Fish Publishing. Submit a short story up to 5,000 words to win €3,000 and publication. Fee: €24 | https://fishpublishing.com/competition/short-story-contest/

Sponsored > Writers, now is the time to save your free seat. Oct 21-22, Writers Summit from Atmosphere Press. Check out the schedule, speakers, then register: https://books.atmospherepress.com/october-writers-summit/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Winning-Writers-2026-10-21

Please enjoy "Hieroglyphics" by Jordan Guevara, winner of an honorable mention for nonfiction in our 2026 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest https://winningwriters.com/past-winning-entries/hieroglyphics

Work for Hire vs. Fiction Contracts https://sfwa.org/2026/09/15/work-for-hire-vs-fiction-contracts/

“Mummy of a Lady Named Jemutesonekh”, a poem by Thomas James https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51710/mummy-of-a-lady-named-jemutesonekh Read by Amanda Holmes for The American Scholar https://theamericanscholar.org/mummy-of-a-lady-named-jemutesonekh-by-thomas-james/

Please enjoy "Unspoken" by Vinod Busjeet, winner of an honorable mention for fiction in our 2026 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest https://winningwriters.com/past-winning-entries/unspoken

Deadline: Oct 31: The Haunting Season Contest sponsored by Reedsy. Submit a short story (2,000 to 5,000 words) inspired by the prompt to win $1,500 and publication. Fee: $20 | https://reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/monthly-contest/1/

A Writer’s Online Presence: Starting With the Basics https://elizabethspanncraig.com/promo-tips/a-writers-online-presence-starting-with-the-basics/

Please enjoy "The Burnable Seas" by Jonah Walters, the winning essay in our 2026 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest https://winningwriters.com/past-winning-entries/the-burnable-seas

Deadline: Dec 13: 2026 Devotion & Divination Prize sponsored by Frontier Poetry. Submit poetry exploring spirituality and the supernatural to win $3,000 and publication. More details on website. Fee: $20 | https://www.frontierpoetry.com/2026-devotion-and-divination-prize/

‘My Business Is Like a Breathing Organism’: Katie Cross on Following Her Readers https://indieauthormagazine.com/my-business-is-like-a-breathing-organism-katie-cross-on-following-her-readers/

Please enjoy "Black Sky, Blue Earth" by Jaime Gill, the winning story in our 2026 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest https://winningwriters.com/past-winning-entries/black-sky-blue-earth

Deadline: Oct 31: Platform Submissions. Submit your poetry to Platform’s Spring 2027 issue for a chance to be published and receive £300. More details on website. No fee | https://platform.faber.co.uk/submissions

“Before I Had The Words”, a poem by Ezra Fox Early-round judge for the Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest https://www.queerpoems.com/i/214058969/before-i-had-the-words via Queer Poem-A-Day

Our October newsletter features "There Came a Wind Like a Bugle" by Emily Dickinson, from Julian Peters' Nature Poems to See By https://createsend.com/t/d-DCCF18B8C6CB6D222540EF23F30FEDED

Deadline: Nov 30: Anton Chekhov Award for Flash Fiction sponsored by LitMag. Submit short stories between 500 and 1,500 words to win $1,250, publication in LitMag, and an agency review. Fee: $18 | https://litmag.submittable.com/submit

Who Are MFA Workshops *Really* For? https://lithub.com/who-are-mfa-workshops-really-for/

Our October newsletter is out! We found over three dozen excellent free poetry and prose contests with deadlines from now through November 30. https://createsend.com/t/d-DCCF18B8C6CB6D222540EF23F30FEDED

Building an Author Platform When You Can’t Be Out: A Guide for Queer Writers https://authorspublish.com/building-an-author-platform-when-you-cant-be-out-a-guide-for-queer-writers/

Winning Writers Announces the Winners of the 34th Annual Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest Jaime Gill and Jonah Walters each received $3,500 and gift certificates from Duotrope. See our press release and read the winning entries: https://loom.ly/6yl-vlE

"The Blue Hour", a poem by Kuhu Joshi https://www.palettepoetry.com/2026/09/21/the-blue-hour/] via @PalettePoetry

Deadline: Dec 6: The 2026 Ouroboros Prize sponsored by Palette Poetry. Submit poems that explore the many cycles of human experience to win $3,000 and publication. More details on website. Fee: $20 | https://www.palettepoetry.com/2026-ouroboros-prize/

Amazon Metadata Mistakes Every Indie Author Must Avoid https://blog.bookbaby.com/how-to-promote-your-book/book-promotion/amazon-metadata-mistakes-indie-authors

Deadline: Jan 1: The Stern Prize sponsored by American Poetry Review. Submit a manuscript of minimum 48 pages to win $2,000 and publication, open to poets aged 50 and over. Fee: $25 | https://americanpoetryreview.submittable.com/submit

"Abecedarian for God-fearing Men and Real Estate", a poem by Ali Choudhary https://www.frontierpoetry.com/2026/07/24/ali-choudhary/ via Frontier Poetry

What are pressure points in crime, mystery and thriller fiction? https://www.louiseharnbyproofreader.com/blog/what-are-pressure-points-in-crime-mystery-and-thriller-fiction

"They cut off part of my lip today in order", a poem by Ron Riekki https://www.frontierpoetry.com/2026/08/07/ron-riekki/ via Frontier Poetry

Deadline: Oct 15: The Raven Short Story Contest sponsored by Pulp Literature. Submit short fiction up to 2,500 words to win $300 and publication. Fee: $35 (includes a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature) | https://pulpliterature.com/contests/the-raven-short-story-contest/

Most Book Awards Are A Sticker You Paid For https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YRl4srdRX0

Deadline: Oct 31: Literary Awards Competition sponsored by Tucson Festival of Books. Submit poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to win $1,000, plus a scholarship to the 2027 Tucson Festival of Books Masters Workshop. More details on website. Fee: $20 | https://tucsonfestivalofbooks.org/?id=1924