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• By submitting to any of our contests, you attest that the work is original and unpublished.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work win a contest or be accepted for publication elsewhere, it is your responsibility to notify us so that it can be withdrawn from consideration here.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 applicable 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. This includes name, address, phone number, website, email address, etc.
• 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.” 
• 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.