Writing contests are often great ways to get started for writers. The Society of Southwestern Authors (SSA) runs its Annual Writing Contest from January 01 through May 31 – this year, entries may be postmarked no later than June 1, 2009 as the 31st falls on a Sunday.
Content must be previously unpublished and length varies per category. Four categories are available: Memoir/Personal Essay, Short Story, Poetry, and Short Stories Appropriate for Children Ages 6-12.
Full rules and requirements as well as entry forms are available for download on SSA’s website: http://ssa-az.org/contest.html.
Each category awards a First, Second, Third, and Honorable Mention monetary prize. All winning entries will be published in SSA’s yearly publication, The Storyteller.
What’s different about this contest? Well, it’s only $10 USD per piece entry fee and you will receive comments from the judges. You may also request a more in-depth "appraisal" – aka critique – for $25 per piece.
You do not have to be a member of The Society of Southwestern Authors to enter, nor does your work have to be about or set in the Southwest. You don’t even have to live in the United States. You DO, however, have to use snail mail. NO EMAIL SUBMISSIONS are accepted. Check it out, think about it, give it a go. You might just win!