Writing Competition: CRAFT First Chapters Contest

CRAFT First Chapters Contest

GUIDELINES:

Open May 3, 2021 to June 30, 2021

• CRAFT First Chapters Contest entries are open to all fiction writers; CRAFT is a market for adult literary fiction

• International submissions are welcome

• Excerpts of book-length fiction only—please submit the first chapter or chapters* of your unpublished novels/novellas, completed or in progress

• Please do not submit short stories or nonfiction

• Please submit work in English only

• 5,000 word count maximum*

• We review adult literary fiction, but are open to a variety of genres and styles

• Previously unpublished work only—we do NOT review reprints for contests (previously published includes any form of self-publishing, blogs, personal websites, social media, etc.)

• We allow simultaneous submissions—writers, please notify us and withdraw your excerpt if your work is picked up elsewhere

• We allow multiple submissions—please submit each excerpt as a separate submission accompanied by an entry fee

• $20 entry fee per entry

• All submissions must be made via Submittable

• Please, please, double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 pt font

• Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable), and a summary of your book-length project

• We do not require anonymous submissions

• We do not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, disability, family status, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation, or for any other reason

• Additionally, we do not tolerate discrimination in the writing we consider for publication: work we find discriminatory on any of the bases stated here will be declined without complete review (you will be refunded, less Submittable’s fee)

*Your entry may include more than your first chapter, up to 5,000 words total, but should contain complete sections—please do not leave us hanging mid-paragraph just to maximize word count—and must be the first chapter(s) of your book-length project, as if you were querying agents or publishing houses.


THE FINE PRINT:

• Friends, family, and associates of the judge are not eligible for consideration for the award

• Our collaboration with editorial professionals and agents in the judging and awarding of our contests does not imply an endorsement or recognition from their agencies/houses/presses/universities/etc.

• If you write YA, we recommend checking out the first chapters contest at Voyage

• Check out our 2019 winners for examples of the work we are reading for

• As we only consider unpublished writing, and will publish the winning excerpts in December, anything under contract to publish prior to March 22, 2022 should not be entered

AWARDS:

Winner: $2,000 award and a full manuscript critique of the novel or novella, up to 100K words, by The Artful Editor

Runners-up: $500 and $300 award respectively for the second and third place finalists
Agent query workshop for the winner and runners-up by Beth Marshea of Ladderbird Literary Agency—Beth will offer feedback on the first 5,000 words of the project, the summary, and a query letter

Publication of the top three excerpts in CRAFT, each with an introduction by Masie Cochran

Publication of an author’s note (craft essay) to accompany the excerpt by each of the writers
All entrants will receive an exclusive digital compilation next winter that will include: the winning excerpts with the guest judge’s introductions and the winners’ craft essays; excerpts from the finalists’ entries; excerpts from craft essays; and more 

More information here.