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Non-Fiction Contests – How to make the Truth Dance

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Written by Grace Tierney
2005-05-31
Non-Fiction Contests – How to make the Truth Dance by Grace Tierney ‘I find the contest, you write the entry.’ Non-fiction writing is one of those topics that I reluctantly raise with other writers. Some fiction-writers see it as the poor cousin of fiction. Others enjoy writing it, but mainly for the greater financial rewards and publication chances it can bring. Meanwhile there’s a quiet body of non-fiction writers scribbling away in the shadows, who simply love finding and presenting facts to readers in a creative, informative, and entertaining manner. As for me, where do I stand? Well, this column is non-fiction and so are many other pieces that I’ve written and published. I enjoy writing them as much as I enjoy writing fictional works; so I’m happy to wear both hats. I’d like to believe that I write what is known as creative non-fiction because I always strive to combine facts with elegant prose and humor. Creative non-fiction is defined by Lee Gutkind (editor of www.creativenonfiction.org) as “Dramatic, true stories using scenes, dialogue, close, detailed descriptions and other techniques usually employed by poets and fiction writers about important subject — from politics, to economics, to sports, to the arts and sciences, to racial relations, and family relations. Creative non-fiction heightens the whole concept and idea of essay writing. It allows a writer to employ the diligence of a reporter, the shifting voices and viewpoints of a novelist, the refined wordplay of a poet and the analytical modes of the essayist.” That sounds kind of fun, doesn’t it? Well creative non-fiction writing should be. It also isn’t the easiest genre in the world to master, but it’s worth the effort. While searching for non-fiction venues, something crystallized for me as I waded through lakes of non-fiction contests to fish out the mere 27 challenges. These you will find below. Many top-shelf literary magazines run non-fiction contests alongside their short fiction contests, so don’t automatically ignore those publications if you’re a non-fiction-only writer. Mr. Gutkind has also written several books on the topic including “The Art of Creative Nonfiction: Writing and Selling the Literature of Reality” (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0471113565/002-1732383-9380013?v=glance), which will be particularly useful for those writers venturing into this genre for the first time. You can even study for a degree in creative non-fiction if you’re totally dedicated to this field of writing. A cheaper way to improve your skills is to take a copy of your favorite non-fiction publication (newspaper, Web site, newsletter, theater program, glossy magazine, or even breakfast cereal packet) and analyze how the writer made you enjoy its information. Did they give examples and sidebars, unusual anecdotes, quirky comparisons to other fields of interest, or simply arresting prose? Did they use short or long sentences? How often did they quote statistics and experts? Was it written in the passive or active voice? What kind of verbs lurk between the facts? How did they generate the newsman’s beloved “human interest angle?” All these things can be extracted from any good article and should teach you a thing or two about your own work. Other tips which I’ve gathered from editors over the years include; avoid the words “nice” and “interesting” when describing something, because those words mean little; use the active voice; eschew verbs like “to be” and “to have” as they are boring; and if possible, use short sentences. Getting your spelling, grammar, and facts right should all go without saying. But hey, so should the avoidance of clichés, and I just fell into that trap myself! The sources of topics for your non-fiction are equally abundant. You can write about what you already know or choose to research a new topic. Many of the contests listed here provide the topic for you. Write about food, travel, personal lives, politics, career, hobbies, etc. Anything goes from a reference-heavy academic essay on the mating habits of the greater-spotted-toad, to a review of a good movie, an interview with a local celebrity, or even a humorous essay about your child learning to walk. Please beware that the scam-artists lurk in the shadows of the non-fiction world just as much as they do for fiction. They tend to play on writers’ natural love of telling their own life story so check contests for personal essays or memoirs particularly carefully. But of course with your non-fiction research hat on; that should be no problem for you. Now get out there, stand up and be counted as a non-fiction writer; write creatively, and go win some contests! Don’t forget to scroll down for my regular contest round-up for the coming month. Happy Writing! Late-Breaking Contest Details Kore Press First Book Award June 2 poetry collection - book-length poetry manuscript by a woman www.korepress.org ** Unless otherwise noted, contests are annual and open to all writers. TooWrite non-fiction writing competition non-fiction/personal essay www.toowrite.com run regularly Byline Contests Various categories, often non-fiction http://www.bylinemag.com/contests.asp run regularly New Millenium Awards http://www.mach2.com/books/NewMillenniumWritings/awards.html fiction, poetry, and non-fiction June 17 Pilgrimage Writing Award creative non-fiction on the theme of hope http://pilgrimagepress.org/award.html July 1 Cat Writers' Association Contest 40 fiction, non-fiction, and graphics categories for feline-oriented articles and columns, short stories, poetry, books, photography and video/audio tapes published in magazines, newspapers, newsletters and online www.catwriters.org July 1 Richard J. Margolis Award non-fiction essay which combines warmth, humor, wisdom, and concern with social justice http://www.margolis.com/award/index.html July 1 Writers Notes Fiction and Non-Fiction Writing Contest Fiction and non-fiction http://www.WritersNotes.com July 31 Bellevue Literary Review Prizes writing related to themes of health, healing, illness, the mind, and the body in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction forms. http://www.blreview.org/ August 1 Surrey International Writers' Conference Contests short fiction, non-fiction, poetry http://www.siwc.ca/contest/ September 9 Preservation Foundation Competition for unpublished writers non-fiction stories – categories are general and travel http://www.storyhouse.org/contest.html September 30 Rogers Communication Literary Non-fiction Contest literary non-fiction http://prism.arts.ubc.ca/contests/index.htm September 30 FundsForWriters Annual Essay Contest essay / non-fiction about writing life http://www.fundsforwriters.com/annualcontest.htm October 31 Random House Contest - Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/20by20contest/index.html Non-fiction essays about, but not limited to, the following subjects; family, career, sex, society, and self. November 24 Write a Gripe Contest http://www.writeagripe.com/ short non-fiction of the complaining variety November 30 True Life Story Contest http://www.truelifestorycontest.com/ creative non-fiction November 30 Rosalie Fleming Memorial Essay and/or Creative Non-fiction Prize http://www.soulmakingcontest.us/ creative non-fiction November 30 Praire Fire Writing Competitions http://www.prairiefire.mb.ca/contests.html creative non-fiction November 30 The Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards Self-published book in various following categories, many of them non-fiction http://www.writersdigest.com/contests/ December 15 Heyward Broun Award non-fiction published or broadcast during 2004 in print media, web sites, magazines, radio, TV http://www.newsguild.org/awards/display.php?storyID=906 January 28 Grain Magazine Contests Dramatic Monologue, Postcard Story, Prose Poem, and Long Grain of Truth (creative non-fiction) http://www.grainmagazine.ca/contest.htm January 31 Lamar York Prize for Non-Fiction Essay, non-fiction http://www.chattahoochee-review.org/ January 31 Columbia Contests fiction, non-fiction, poetry http://www.columbia.edu/cu/arts/journal/ February 1 Caketrain Non-Fiction Competition creative non-fiction essay or memoir http://www.caketrain.org/ February 22 CNW/FFWA Florida State Writing Competition fiction, non-fiction, children’s literature, and poetry http://www.writers-editors.com/Writers/Contests/Contest_Guidelines/contest_guidelines.htm March 15 Flint Hills Review Non-Fiction Contest non-fiction http://www.emporia.edu/fhr/nonfict.htm March 16 GCWA's "Let's Write" Literary Contest Fiction, poetry, and non-fiction http://gcwriters.org/contest.html April 15 Event Creative Non-Fiction Contest creative non-fiction - writers are invited to submit manuscripts exploring the creative non-fiction form http://event.douglas.bc.ca/contest.html April 15 Coming Soon to the Writing Contest Department Forthcoming features will focus on no-fee contests, humor writing, short story contests, travel writing, writing for children, speculative fiction, contests with unusual prizes, mystery writing contests, and romantic writing contests. I’m always looking for new contest types to research so if you’re looking for a particular type of contest for your writing, just drop me a line. I’d also love to hear from you if you win a contest you read about here or if you have a contest to suggest for inclusion. Please note that I will only include contests that are open to writers anywhere in the world as our readers are geographically dispersed. Contest Deadlines from July 1 to 31 July 1 Pilgrimage Writing Award creative non-fiction on the theme of hope http://www.pilgrimagepress.org July 1 Cat Writers' Association Contest 40 fiction, non-fiction, and graphics categories for feline-oriented articles and columns, short stories, poetry, books, photography and video/audio tapes published in magazines, newspapers, newsletters and online, plus awards for fiction and for new writers. www.catwriters.org July 1 Arizona Authors Association Literary Contest various categories including unpublished novel http://www.azauthors.com/contest.html July 1 Jerry Jazz Musician Fiction Prize short fiction http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/mainHTML.cfm?page=fictioncontest.html July 1 Richard J. Margolis Award non-fiction essay http://www.margolis.com/award/index.html July 1 Santa Barbara Summer Poetry Workshop Poetry Contest Poetry http://www.communityofvoices.com/poetry_contest.html July 1 The Sara Henderson Hay Prize Poetry http://www.city-net.com/~tpq/ July 1 Sex with Style Contest erotic flash fiction http://www.triskelionpublishing.com/contest.html July 4 The Dabbling Mum Free Essay Writing Contest Essay http://thedabblingmum.com/contests/essay.htm July 10 Tall Tales Press Contest short fiction from an existing starting point http://www.telltalepress.net/contest.html July 12 West Virginia Poetry Society Poetry Contest poetry of various types http://www.wvpoetrysociety.homestead.com/Contestpage.html July 15 Quercus Review Poetry Prize Poetry http://www.quercusreview.com/QR%20POETRY%20BOOK%20AWARD.htm July 21 Inkspotter's Finding the Right Words Flash Fiction Conte flash fiction http://inkspotter.com/contest.htm or http://inkspotter.com/contests.htm July 23 WritersWeekly Summer 24-Hour Short Story Contest short fiction http://www.writersweekly.com/misc/contest.html July 30 Barestage Theater Contest theater play www.barestage.com July 30 Ozarks Writers League Contests short fiction and essay / non-fiction contests http://www.ozarkswritersleague.org/contests.htm July 30 The James Still Short Fiction Award short fiction http://www.wind.wind.org/ July 30 Screenwriter Showcase Screenwriting Contest Screenplay http://www.screenwritershowcase.com July 30 Leaf Press Prize love / romantic poetry http://www.leafpress.ca July 31 The Gerald Brady Memorial Awards haiku style poetry http://www.hsa-haiku.org/res-hsa-contests.htm July 31 Wells Festival of Literature Competition short fiction/poetry www.somersite.co.uk/storyrules.htm July 31 A Woman's Write short fiction, essay, memoir, or book chapter http://www.awomanswrite.com/ July 31 Reading Writers Query Letter Contest query letter http://www.readingwriters.com/contest.htm July 31 The Writers Bureau Poetry and Short Story Writing Competition poetry and short fiction http://www.writersbureau.com/competition/index.htm July 31 Spire Short Story Contest short fiction http://www.spirepress.org/spire.html Grace Tierney** is a freelance writer who lives in Ireland. When she’s not researching writing contests, she enjoys gluttony, reading, gardening, and travel. Her short stories have been published internationally in magazines, books, and online media. Her non-fiction has been published in Ireland, the UK, America, and Australia. She is a staff writer with Writer Online, Netsurfer Digest, and The Good Book Guide. Contact Grace via www.gracetierney.com

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