Spring into Action: Enter Writing Contests from Saturday Writers and the Arkansas Writers' Conference

The past few days have been gray and dreary, but I don't need to look at the calendar to know that spring is just around the corner. Daylight comes earlier and lasts longer; daffodils are sprouting green leaves out of the brown earth; robins, cardinals, and mourning doves are busy building nests.

What better way to spring into the new season than by entering these writing contests?

The first group of colorful contests is from Saturday Writers.

 

Full disclosure: Although I'm no longer on the board, I am a founding member of SW. The current board has boundless energy and is full of fresh ideas, like their 2013 contests. Each month has a specific theme related to one or more colors. 



Saturday Writers 2013 Contests

Besides being colorful, here's what I like about the Saturday Writers' contests:

Anyone can enter
You don't have to belong to Saturday Writers to submit
The entry fees are modest ($5 for members $7 for non-members)
Although most contests are for short stories, others are for poetry and nonfiction
Judging is blind
Judges are from outside Saturday Writers (so everyone gets a fair shake.)
If you are a winner and want to be published, your work can be published in the Saturday Writers anthology. (Note: I'm not sure what happens if you win and don't want your work published, but I'm sure you can inquire about that.)
Deadlines are monthly
If you miss one month, you can plan ahead and enter another

To learn more about these colorful contests, visit the Saturday Writers website.

The second group of contests are part of the 69th Annual Arkansas Writers' Conference.

 

Several years ago I attended this conference with a friend. The organizers were welcoming and friendly, and the conference was informative, entertaining, and a lot of fun. I even won a few contests--woo hoo! What I like most about this group of contests is the variety of contest categories. Here's what else I like:

Anyone can enter
You don't have to attend the conference to win (although more categories are open to attendees)
One entry fee of $15 allows you to enter more than 20 contests (you can enter as many as 40 if you attend and are from Arkansas)
There are lots of generous prizes
Categories include poetry, essays, articles, and stories (mystery, children, humor, romance)
Categories are judged by sponsors or groups (Variety of judges makes for better chances for winning.)
Deadline is April 25, so there's still time to gather some entries
All entries are to be mailed to one address, so there's no confusion as to where to mail each entry. (Unlike some organizations that require separate checks and entries to be mailed to several different locations.)

To find out more, visit the AWC contest website.

Good luck if you enter. I'm thinking of entering a few contests myself.