ADULT WRITERS CONTESTS
GENERAL CONTEST INFO
For contests with an entry fee, please use the registration link provided to submit a $10 reading fee per entry. Once you have registered, submit your entries via email to INFO@CarnegieCenterLex.org.
In the email, please include the writer’s name, address, e-mail address, phone number, and date of birth; names and contact information should NOT appear on the manuscript itself. Entries must be received by submission deadlines listed.
If you prefer to send your entry via snail mail, send to:
ATTN: [Contest Name]
Carnegie Center
251 W. Second Street
Lexington, KY 40507
Please include a cover sheet with the required information and ensure postmark by submission deadline. Entries will be judged by qualified panels. A public reading event celebrating contest winners and finalists will be held in Fall 2025, details to come.
Harriett A. Rose Legacies Contest – Not accepting submissions at this time.
Writers over age 55 are invited to submit poems, stories, essays, or memoirs drawn from the writer’s personal history. This contest is named in honor of former Carnegie nonfiction class participant Harriett Rose who, while in her upper 70s, started a 16-year career as a local newspaper columnist and then at age 95 published her autobiography; she died in 2021 at age 100. Her accomplishments remind us it is never too late to pursue your writing dreams.
Next Great Writers Contest
SUBMISSION WINDOW: March 3, 2025 – April 4, 2025, 11:59 pm
PRIZES:
$150 for first place
$100 for second place
Writers are invited to submit previously unpublished manuscripts of fiction or nonfiction prose (up to 2,000 words) or poetry (up to five poems).
HOW TO SUBMIT: Please use the registration button below to submit a $10 reading fee per entry. Once you have registered, submit your entries via email to INFO@CarnegieCenterLex.org. In the email, please include the writer’s name, address, email address, phone number, and date of birth; names and contact information should NOT appear on the manuscript itself. Entries must be received by Friday, April 4, 2025, 11:59 pm.
FEE: $10 fee/entry
EVENT FOR THE WINNERS: A summer reading will be hosted for winners. The date will be announced after the contest concludes.
If you prefer to send your entry via snail mail, send to:
ATTN: Next Great Writers Contest
Carnegie Center
251 W. Second Street
Lexington, KY 40507
Please include a cover sheet with the required information and ensure postmark by the submission deadline.
Flash Fiction Contest – Not accepting submissions at this time.
Writers have been producing very short fiction for hundreds of years. From Aesop to Hemingway, they’ve written stories with a protagonist, plot, and resolution–all in 500 words or fewer. Now it’s your chance to say it in 500 words.
Octavia Butler Sci-Fi & Speculative Fiction Contest – Not accepting submissions at this time.
The Octavia Butler Sci-Fi and Speculative Fiction Contest is sponsored by The Kentucky Black Writers Collaborative. All are welcome to submit. There is no entry fee. Submissions are limited to two entries (maximum of 1500 words) per person.
YOUNG WRITERS CONTESTS
All Young Writers Contests are free to enter. Submit your entries via email to JHall@CarnegieCenterLex.org. In the email, include your full name, age, and the name of the school you attend. Entries must be received by submission deadlines listed. If you prefer to send your entry via snail mail, send to: [Contest Name], Carnegie Center, 251 West Second Street, Lexington, KY 40507. Please include a cover sheet with the required information and ensure postmark by submission deadline. Entries will be judged by qualified panels.
Young Black Voices Contest: A Story Only You Can Tell
SUBMISSION WINDOW: March 1-20th, 2025, 11:59PM
FREE TO ENTER: The Carnegie Center is hosting the 4th annual Young Black Voices Contest. We are accepting submissions from young Black creatives ages 13-19. Eligible entries will include visual artwork, original fiction, nonfiction, or poetry inspired by the prompt: A Story Only You Can Tell.
Contestants may only submit material to one contest (visual art OR writing).
All qualifying entries have the opportunity to be published in a digital chapbook, which will contain entries for both visual art and writing. The winning entries will receive a copy of the digital chapbook at no charge.
PRIZES FOR EACH CONTEST:
1st – $150 Visa Gift card, books, Carnegie Center
2nd – $75 Visa Gift card, books, Carnegie Center
3rd – $25 Visa Gift card, books, Carnegie Center
Winners are to be announced at the Young Writers Conference taking place on March 29th.
HOW TO SUBMIT: Email your submission to Jhall@CarnegieCenterLex.org. Include your full name, age, and the name of the school you attend in the email.
Teen Ten Minute Play Contest
SUBMISSION WINDOW: March 1-20th, 2025, 11:59PM
FREE TO ENTER: The Carnegie Center is hosting our first-ever TEEN 10-Minute Play Contest. We are accepting submissions from teens ages 13-19. Eligible entries will need to be no more than ten pages of dialogue.
SUBMISSION CRITERIA:
• Times New Roman
• Character Names above dialogue (not to the side)
• Additional Formatting Guidelines support:
PRIZES FOR EACH CONTEST:
1st – $150 Visa Gift card, books, Carnegie Center swag
2nd – $75 Visa Gift card, books, Carnegie Center swag,
3rd – $25 Visa Gift card, books, Carnegie Center swag,
Winners to be announced at the Young Writers Conference taking place on March 29th.
HOW TO SUBMIT: Email your submission to Jhall@CarnegieCenterLex.org. Include your full name, age, and the name of the school you attend in the email.
