CONTEST DETAILS
This year we had more than 400 contest entries — what a great collection. All entries are now in the judges’ hands. Winners will be announced at the Writers Conference. Following the conference, the list of winners will be posted on this page.
Special thanks to all contest sponsors!
2025 WRITING CONTESTS
1. I Was There. First person account of an historic event, real or imagined. (For example: Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, first Mars colony, assassination of JFK, the day Atlantis disappeared.) 1000-2500 words.
Sponsor: Penpoint Writers Group
$75/$35/$15
2. I Want to Win Contest. Open to anyone who NEVER earned First, Second or Third Place in a writing contest. (You may enter if you have received honorable mentions.) Give me your best creative story. Any genre you choose but include a storyteller as one of your characters. Creativity is the key. 1000-1750 words.
Sponsor: Write On!
$50/$30/$20
3. Lost In Space Award. 2500 word max.
Sponsor: RobertsFamilyArk
$50/$30/$20
4. Carl J Iannacone Memorial Award. Newspaper crime story: Who killed the Matchmaker? Give standard details — who, what, when, where, why. 1200 word max.
Sponsor: Brenda Iannacone
$50/$30/$20
5. Song Time Award. Children’s song lyrics. 250 word max.
Sponsor: RobertsFamilyArk
$50/$30/$20
6. I Got This! 26-line Alphabet form poem. The subject is turning calamity into triumph. Humor is encouraged. No sex or graphic violence, strictly PG.
Sponsor: Irene Hunt
$50/$20/$10
7. Winner Takes It ALL. A contest for those with a competitive nature. This competition is open to those who have placed First, Second or Third in previous WCCW competitions. You may choose any genre but your story point of view will be from a six-year-old’s perspective. Creativity is key. 1,250–2,000 words.
Sponsor: Write On!
$100 (One Prize)
8. Del Garrett’s Gimme the Creeps. Prose 2500-5000 words. A mad scientist story, G to PG rated. Indicate at top of Page 1 if you want to be published in the next Vault of Terror.
Sponsor: Del Garrett
$25/$15/$10
9. He Said, She Said. A conflict written only in dialogue. 1000 word max.
Sponsor: Dorothy Hatfield
$25/$15/$10
10. Granny Prewitt Award. A story about a rite of passage that launched you into the next phase of life. 1000 word max.
Sponsor: Anthony Wood
$25/$15/$10
11. A Twist in the Story. Change one major detail in a well-known fairy tale, legend, or story. Example: What if Cinderella didn’t lose her shoe? What if Thor controlled something other than thunder? What if vampires needed to drink something else instead of blood? 2500 word max.
Sponsor: Lindsey Plumbing/Lindsey Pawn & Sales
$25/$15/$10
12. Cliff-Rick. Cliffs Notes meets limerick. Encapsulate a piece of classic literature into a limerick. Please give title and author for the classical work your poem references.
Sponsor: Barry Brown
$25/$15/$10
13. Show Me Mystery Contest. A dead body has been found in a bathroom stall. Death by stabbing. Bathroom may be historical: privy, outhouse, trench, trough. 2500 word max.
Sponsor: Ellen Withers
$25/15/$10
14. Meet Cute. Picked from one of your stories, the moment your romantic couple met: how, why, when, where? You can include their first reactions. 800 words or less.
Sponsor: Gayle Glass
$25/$10/$10
15. Sunrise, Sunset. A Rondel about either sunrise, sunset, or both.
Sponsor: Christine Henderson
$25/$15/$10
16. WHODUNNIT? A murder mystery not previously entered in my contest. 2500 word max. Make it believable. No erotica or profanity.
Sponsor: Gary Breezeel
$25/$15/$10
17. Gin Creek Award. Nonet Reverse — 18 lines (9-1, 1-9) Hourglass figure. Subject: Two different points of view on the same subject. No politics.
Sponsor: Gin Creek Poets
$25/$15/$10
18. Donna Nelson Compose for Shakespeare Award. Create a Shakespearean sonnet. For your theme: Introduce your audience to a person who influenced your life as a child.
Sponsor: Donna Nelson
$25/$15/$10
19. Arts & Crackers. Think outside the box and tell a story about what’s inside the box. 100-300 words.
Sponsor: Arts & Crackers
$25/$15/$10
20. Pet Memories. A 1500 word story regarding a pet memory. Either humorous or nostalgic.
Sponsor: Debbie Archer
$25/$15/$10
21. Blow Me Away. Fictional short story with a tornado. 1500-2200 words and at least three separate scenes. No gore. Help me feel the emotion and see the scene with stronger nouns and verbs. (Too many adverbs and adjectives will count against you.)
Sponsor: Renee LaViness
$25/$15/$10
22. Mama Told Me Not to Come. Creative nonfiction / memoir. 2500 word max.
Sponsor: Harding University English Department.
$25/$15/$10
23. Micro Memoir. A short memoir style story. It can be poignant, funny, heartbreaking, heartwarming, or any great memory that makes a good story, just do it in 500 words or less.
Sponsor: Don Money
$25/$15/$10
24. Point A to Point Z. Write a complete story in 26 sentences. Each complete sentence must begin with a sequential letter of the alphabet from A-Z. The first sentence must begin with the word A or a word beginning with A. The second sentence must begin with a word beginning with the letter B, and so on, so that the 26th sentence begins with a word beginning with the letter Z. 500 word max.
Sponsor: Little Red Writing Hood
$25/15/10
25. Authors Anonymous 2.0 Award. Short story, mixed genre. Max 2000 words. Any subject. Distinctions between genres must be obvious and crucial to the story; without it, the story would fall apart. No explicit sex.
Sponsor: Authors Anonymous 2.0
$25/15/10
26. Solander Press Children’s Book Award. Children’s Book. 900-word limit. Appropriate for 5-8 year olds. Write a modern, compelling story for a young child. No superheroes or adults who solve problems for children.
Sponsor: Solander Press
$25/$15/$10
27. The Place. Short memoir revolving around a childhood neighborhood story. 750 word max.
Sponsor: Ruby Mongno
$25/$15/$10
28. Four More For Fantasy. Fantasy short story, must include all four of the following words: unforeseen, kite, ruby, pulverize. Brief critique given if requested on first page of story. 2500 word max.
Sponsor: Carol Hodges
$25/$15/$10
29. The True Grit Award. Traditional Western featuring an outlaw and/or a hero. 2500 word max.
Sponsor: Gary and Kim Rodgers
$25/$15/$10
30. It Must Have Been Love. A story, memoir, or poem about true love. Whether it’s first love, last love, or somewhere in between … whether it ends happily-ever-after or with a heart torn asunder … tell us how love changed someone’s life. 1200 word max.
Sponsor: Steve May
$25/$15/$10
