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: [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. Winners and finalists will be invited to read during public, in-person, or virtual events on the dates listed below.
IMPORTANT NOTE
ALL ADULT CONTESTS ARE CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW. Updates for existing contests and the announcement of new ones will be shared below. If you have questions about an upcoming contest, please email zjackson@carnegiecenterlex.org.
Flash Fiction Contest
SUBMISSION WINDOW: June 1 – July 31, 2024, 11:59 pm
PRIZES: $150 for first place; $100 for second place
ENTRY FEE: $10 fee/entry
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.
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.
EVENT FOR THE WINNERS: Winners and finalists will be invited to read their work at the public reading during the Fall.
If you prefer to send your entry via snail mail, send to:
ATTN: Flash Fiction 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.
Harriett A. Rose Legacies Contest
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: To Be Announced
PRIZES: $100 for first place; $50 for second place
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. Entries will be judged by a qualified panel.
HOW TO SUBMIT: Manuscripts should be limited to 1,500 words (about five, typed, double-spaced pages, which may include up to five poems). 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.
EVENT FOR THE WINNERS: Winners will be invited to share their work at a public reading.
If you prefer to send your entry via snail mail, send to:
ATTN: Harriett A. Rose Legacies 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.
Next Great Writers Contest
SUBMISSION WINDOW: To Be Announced
PRIZES: First prize is $150. Second prize is $100.
Writers are invited to submit manuscripts of fiction or nonfiction prose (up to 2,000 words) or poetry (up to five poems). Entries will be judged by a qualified panel.
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.
EVENT FOR THE WINNERS: Winners will be invited to share their work at a public reading.
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.
Octavia Butler Sci-Fi & Speculative Fiction Contest
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: To Be Announced
PRIZES: First prize is $200. Second prize is $100.
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.
HOW TO SUBMIT: Please submit the form found using THIS LINK. 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 submission deadlines listed. Entries will be judged by qualified panels.
EVENT FOR THE WINNERS: Winners will be invited to share their work at a public reading.
If you prefer to send your entry via snail mail, send to:
ATTN: Octavia Butler Sci-Fi & Speculative Fiction 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.
YOUNG WRITERS CONTESTS
GENERAL YOUNG WRITERS CONTEST INFO
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: To Be Young, Gifted & Black
SUBMISSION WINDOW: February 1-29, 2024, 11:59PM. FREE TO ENTER
In recognition of Black History Month, the Carnegie Center is hosting the 3rd annual Young Black Voices Contest. We are accepting submissions from young Black creatives ages 13-19. Eligible entries will include visual artwork, original works of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry inspired by the prompt: To Be Young, Gifted and Black. 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 swag,a Kindle reader, and an annual Youth membership to the Lexington-Fayette NAACP*
2nd - $75 Visa Gift card, books, Carnegie Center swag, a Kindle reader, and an annual Youth membership to the Lexington-Fayette NAACP*
3rd - $25 Visa Gift card, books, Carnegie Center swag, a Kindle reader, and an annual Youth membership to the Lexington-Fayette NAACP*
Prizes made possible in part by the Lexington-Fayette NAACP.
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.
*Lexington-Fayette NAACP Youth Membership Only Valid If:
Winners have the permission and support of their parents to engage the Lexington-Fayette NAACP to proceed with the process of registration and activation.
Winners and/or parents contact the Lexington-Fayette NAACP to provide the necessary information for registration and activation so that we can contact the National NAACP and the National Youth Council to let them know that our Adult unit is paying for the respective member's youth membership (40-45% of all unit membership fees held by the national NAACP to support their work and their support of the individual units).
Winners reach out to the Lexington-Fayette NAACP no later than 3 months following the announcement of their winning. After 3 months, the contest winners and their families are still able to pay for their memberships to join at NAACP.org (3743-B Lexington Youth Council, Ages 20 & under – $10; Adults, Unit 3097-B Lexington (Fayette Co) Branch – $30) for a 1-year membership.
Lexington Youth Poet Laureate Contest
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: To Be Announced
The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning is proud to announce the launch of Kentucky’s first Youth Poet Laureate chapter in Lexington. This prestigious program, in partnership with Urban Word NYC and the Kentucky Arts Council, is designed to honor young writers and leaders in Kentucky between the ages of 13-18, who are committed to making a civic impact through community engagement utilizing the power of their written and spoken words. We strongly believe that when we honor young people and give them this kind of office, the community is more likely to listen to what they have to say.
