We’re heading into summer, and with the longer days, warm sun, and vacations to look forward to, we’re feeling inspired to write. What better way to enjoy summer than with a writing contest?
That’s right: our Summer Writing Contest is now open! This time, we’re doing something new, and I can’t wait to share with you what makes this contest special.
Find out how you can also get a SIGNED copy of Jeff Goins’ latest book, Real Artists Don’t Starve, FREE when you join the contest below.
Or, click here to get all the details and sign up for the Summer Writing Contest.
Get Feedback From a Traditional Publisher!
This contest, we’ve partnered with the publisher JBD Entertainment to judge the writing contest. Every story will be evaluated by JBD Entertainment’s team of writers and editors. Not only will they judge your writing as a standalone short story, but they’ll consider whether your story and writing will work for a novel.
Best of all, if you opt in for judges’ feedback, they’ll share their notes with you and give you tips for how to make your writing stronger.
In everything we do at The Write Practice, we want to help writers grow. What better way to grow than to get a publisher’s critique on your writing?
If that were the only great thing about this contest, it would be well worth entering. But there are so many more reasons to join.
Get a Free, Signed Copy of Jeff Goins’s New Book
In his new book, Real Artists Don’t Starve, bestselling author Jeff Goins debunks the myth of the starving artist. Instead, he shares timeless strategies every artist can employ not just to survive, but to flourish.
It’s a must-read for every creative person who wants to do what they love and live a thriving artistic life.
Best of all, we’re giving away a free, signed copy to the first 100 writers to enter the Summer Writing Contest!
What We Love About Writing Contests
It’s no secret that we love writing contests here at The Write Practice. Here’s why:
A Fantastic Way to Grow
A writing contest challenges you to write a new story within certain parameters (word count, contest theme). Every time, it’s a challenge with a specific focus, stretching your writing skills in a new way. Plus, you have a deadline: you can’t tinker with your story forever; soon, you’ll have to submit it to the judges.
Writing short stories is one of our favorite ways to practice writing, and a contest gives you just the push you need to finish.
A Chance to Get Feedback
Of course, just writing a short story isn’t enough to grow. To deliberately practice writing and become a better writer, you need feedback to show you what’s working, what’s not, and how to improve.
Feedback is one of the best parts of our writing contests. In the Facebook group, writers share our ideas, brainstorm exciting twists, and troubleshoot when we get stuck. In Becoming Writer, we read each other’s stories and offer helpful and encouraging critique.
Plus, when the contest is over, we offer feedback directly from the judges on why your story won or didn’t. This expert critique is invaluable in taking your writing to the next level—but more on that in a moment.
You Can Win Prizes
And who doesn’t love prizes?!
This contest, we’re offering over $1,000 in prizes. The grand prize winner will receive one year of free membership to Becoming Writer. Their story will be featured on the front page of Short Fiction Break, and they’ll be invited to become a monthly contributor to the literary magazine. They’ll also receive a cash prize of $300.
There are prizes for second and third place, too, and five honorable mentions. Check those out here!
If you get stuck writing your story, these prizes might be just the push you need to keep going.
Everyone Gets Published
We love to celebrate good writing. You worked hard on your story, and we believe your writing deserves recognition.
That’s why we publish all the stories entered in the contest, not just the winners. We want to help great stories find great readers.
Meet Amazing Members of Our Community
This is one of my favorite parts of our writing contests: we get to introduce you to some really cool members of our community, people and organizations who share our love of good stories and value helping writers grow.
These amazing sponsors are supporting us in this contest:
JBD Entertainment is a publishing company focused on giving readers and viewers their next great adventure.
Real Artists Don’t Starve, the new book by bestselling author Jeff Goins, debunks the myth of the starving artist and replaces it with timeless strategies for artistic thriving. Preorder this amazing book here.
Short Fiction Break literary magazine deeply values new and emerging writers and is committed to regularly publishing stories by upcoming authors. Often, the stories they share are a writer’s first published piece. You can see their publishing guidelines and submit your story here.
We love working with each one of these people and organizations, and we’re excited to introduce you to them over the course of this contest. I think you’ll like them, too!
Are You Ready to Join the Fun?
Are you ready to enter? Here’s how the contest will work.
Entrants are asked to write a new story up to 1,000 words long based on one of nine writing prompts.
You will then workshop your story within the Becoming Writer community, getting personalized feedback to help you make your story better.
After workshopping your story within the writing group, you can you submit your story to the contest.
Judges from JBD Entertainment will choose the eight winning stories.
Then, all submitted stories will be published on Short Fiction Break literary magazine.
What are you waiting for? Join us as we kick off the summer with an exciting writing contest. I can’t wait to see what you write!
I hope I see you and your story in the contest! Good luck!
What if I’m not interested in writing urban fiction, science fiction, or thrillers? Guess I’ll sit this one out!
No worries if none of these prompts sound interesting to you! We switch up the theme every contest, so hopefully the next one will be more your style. We’ll be sad to miss you in this contest, though!
Sounds interesting. But do we have to pay to be in the contest?
Hi, Haime! Yep, there’s a fee to enter the contest. It’s what allows us to offer great prizes to our winners! We work hard to make it affordable, though. You can find out more about the payment options here.
it has to be the exact theme and characters?
Hi, Lynn! Yep, the judges will be looking for the exact theme and characters from the prompts. Thanks for clarifying!
I totally get being intimidated. This is a fantastic community, though, and a safe space to test out new story ideas and get great feedback. If any of the prompts sound fun to you, I’d say dive in and join us!
I’m so glad to hear that! Can’t wait to see your story inside!
Thank you!
As a member, I am entitled to “free entry” to writing contests (4x per year). I don’t mind paying extra, but where is the differentiation in payment for members vs. non-members? The entry is very vague and seems, to me, to be intentionally so.
Yeah, I have all but chalked this up to a scam. After I posted my last comment, or question rather, I got to reading all the membership blah blah blah and althought they make it sound like non-members can submit entries, I am thinking we would intentionally be singled out and filed under “file 13”. I may be wrong, but there are other groups out there that are just as “helpful” without all the secrecy.
Hi Tabitha. It’s definitely not a scam, but I hear you that it’s good to be on the look out for things like that. Happy to answer any questions you have. We’ve had thousands of writers participate in our contests, and this one alone has 394 people participating. Totally fine if it’s not for you, but if you’re interested we’d love to have you.
Hi, Michael! The contest signup page linked in the post is just for people who aren’t already members of Becoming Writer. I’m sorry the entry process seems vague! We sent a few emails to Becoming Writer members with the payment-free signup link. I’m glad you found your way to the contest!
If we are already a member, are we automatically entered into the contest? It seems that the entry is only for those who need to pay.
Hi, Glenda! As a member, you don’t need to pay anything extra. Joining the contest isn’t automatic, though; there’s a quick signup form in Becoming Writer you’ll need to fill out just to let us know you’re in. I’ll send you an email with the link!
I seem to have missed out on the email for the Summer Writing Contest and can’t find the sign up link. As a Becoming Writer member is it too late for me to sign up? To further complicate matters, my username is wrong. My name is Stewart Ducklow, not Nobody You Know– I use that for my nefarious online deeds, not here.