Contest Rules and Submission Guidelines
Eligibility:
- With the few exceptions noted on the contest page, our contests are open to all CWC members and to non-members over the age of 18 who reside in or attend school in North or South Carolina. Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia. Members of the CWC Executive Board and the Contest Chairs are not allowed to enter. The previous year’s winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place) in each of our contests are not allowed to enter the same contest in the following year. They are free, however, to enter in other genres.
- Only one entry per contest is allowed.
- By submitting to any of our contests, you attest that the work is original and unpublished. "Publication" means not only print, but digital media: Facebook, Substack and any other website.
- We allow simultaneous submissions. Should your work win a contest or be accepted for publication elsewhere, it is your responsibility to notify us so that it can be withdrawn from consideration here. Please remember that entry fees are not refundable.
- We do not allow AI-generated works. All submission are screened using public tools. Such work will be disqualified without a reply or explanation. Consider screening your work before submitting it.
Entry Fee/Submission Process:
- The entry fee for each contest is $15 for members, $20 for non-members.
- Entry fees for submissions that do not meet the eligibility requirements are not refundable. We will work with you if you make a mistake, but please read the requirements closely.
- The “Submit” button for any of our contests will open Submittable, the online submissions management software we use to accept entries. We do not accept entries via any other method. Entry fees must be paid through Submittable at the time of your entry.
- Submittable asks you for the title of your work. In the "cover letter" box please include your name, phone number, active email address, and mailing address.
Prizes:
- First Place: $125 Second Place: $75 Third Place: $50
- Winners will be recognized, and awards presented at the monthly meeting of the CWC specified for each contest. Each winner will be allowed 5 minutes to read from their work.
Deadlines:
- Each of our contests has a different deadline. Please see the description of the contest you plan to enter.
MANUSCRIPT FORMAT:
- Do not include any identifying information on your manuscript. - Including the header and footer.
- Prose entries must use the standard industry format: 12 pt. Times New Roman, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, left-justified.
- The pages of your manuscript should be numbered.
- Title and word count (or lines of poetry) must appear in the upper-left-hand corner of the first page of the manuscript.
- Poetry may be single-spaced; margins for poetry are “open style.” Must include line count below the Title.
- For both prose and poetry, white background only: no color, no patterns, no photos.
Questions about submissions should be sent to: Susan Bulloch, sbullochauthor@gmail.com, or CWC President Barbara "Bay" Yager, President@charlottewriters.org.
Please read the details at this site: Poets Table
You MUST be a Charlotte Writers Club Member to apply - Click here to join.
Applicants must:
- Be current Charlotte Writers Club members.
- Maintain their membership through May 8, 2027.
- Have a substantial body of approximately 30–60 poems.
- Be able to attend all six sessions in person.
- Be working toward publication of a chapbook or full-length poetry collection.
Non-members are not eligible to apply.
Seminar Schedule
Poets Table will meet from 10:00 a.m. to noon on:
- April 3, 2027
- April 10, 2027
- April 17, 2027
- April 24, 2027
- May 1, 2027
- May 8, 2027
Applicants may submit up to three original poems for consideration.
Each poem must:
- Be the applicant's original work.
- Follow the Charlotte Writers Club Contest Submission Guidelines.
- Be submitted anonymously with no identifying information anywhere in the manuscript.
- Be written in English.
The Selection Committee will evaluate each submission as a body of work rather than ranking individual poems.
Submission Requirements
Applicants may submit up to three poems in one document. Previously published poems are permitted.
Each poem must:
- Be the applicant’s original creative work.
- Be written in English.
- Be no longer than 75 lines, excluding the title and intentional blank lines.
- Include the poem’s title and line count.
- Contain no identifying information.
The submission document must:
- Use 12-point Times New Roman type.
- Use a white background.
- Have numbered pages.
- Contain no photographs, graphics, colors, or decorative borders.
- Contain no name, email address, biography, publication credits, headers, footers, or other identifying information.
Poetry may be single-spaced, and open-style poetry margins are acceptable.
Use of Artificial Intelligence
All submitted poems must be the applicant’s original creative work. Submissions containing AI-generated creative content will be disqualified.
Ordinary spelling, grammar, and proofreading tools are permitted.
· Short fiction of up to 1000 words.
· Open to all CWC members. (Member Entry Fee $15) Also, non-member residents of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. (Non-Member Entry Fee $20)
· Entries must be original.
- Please be aware that we screen for AI usage. We suggest you pre-screen your submission using public tools.
· Entries must be unpublished.
- This includes Substack, Medium, Facebook, websites, and all other digital media.
· One entry per contest is allowed.
· Entry Fee: CWC Members: $15.00, Non-members: $20.00
· Prizes: First Place: $125.00, Second Place: $75.00, Third Place: $50.00
· Prizes will be awarded in December at the CWC general meeting.
· You must follow the guidelines for General Manuscript Requirements, Eligibility & Submission Information.
· Include your submission title and word count in the upper left corner of the document.
- Do not put any identifying information in headers or footers.