Writing 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.

Flash Fiction Contest

SUBMISSION WINDOW: May 1 – July 16, 2023, 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. Winners and finalists will be invited to read their work at the public reading over the summer, alongside winners and finalists of the spring Next Great Writers Contest.

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 Sunday, July 16, 2023, 11:59 pm.

EVENT FOR THE WINNERS: Join us for a reading by winners of the Harriett A. Rose Legacies Contest, the Next Great Writers Contest, and the Flash Fiction Contest on August 22 at 6:00 pm. Light refreshments will be served.

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: Friday, February 3, 2023, 11:59 pm
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. Entries must be received by Friday, February 3, 2023, 11:59 pm.

EVENT FOR THE WINNERS: Join us for a reading by winners of the Harriett A. Rose Legacies Contest, the Next Great Writers Contest, and the Flash Fiction Contest on August 22 at 6:00 pm. Light refreshments will be served.

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: December 5, 2022 - April 30, 2023, 11:59 pm
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. Entries must be received by Sunday, April 30, 2023, 11:59 pm.

EVENT FOR THE WINNERS: Join us for a reading by winners of the Harriett A. Rose Legacies Contest, the Next Great Writers Contest, and the Flash Fiction Contest on August 22 at 6:00 pm. Light refreshments will be served.

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: Friday, October 28, 2022, 11:59 pm 
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.

GENERAL YOUNG WRITERS CONTEST INFO

All Young Writers Contests are free to enter. Submit your entries via email to  Contest@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.

Lexington Youth Poet Laureate Contest

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Tuesday, October 31, 2023 11:59 pm 
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. The submission period for Lexington Youth Poet Laureate applications is from August 1 through October 31, 2023.

Young Black Voices Contest

SUBMISSION WINDOW: February 1-28, 2024, 11:59PM. FREE TO ENTER
PRIZES: 1st - $100 Visa Gift card, books, Carnegie Center swag, and a Kindle reader; 2nd - $50 Visa Gift card, books, Carnegie Center swag, and a Kindle reader; 3rd - $25 Visa Gift card, books, Carnegie Center swag, and a Kindle reader.

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 or nonfiction, or poetry inspired by the prompt: Black Joy.

HOW TO SUBMIT: Email your submission to Contest@CarnegieCenterLex.org. Include your full name, age, and the name of the school you attend in the email. 

"Letters To . . ." Writing Contest

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Monday, September 30, 2024 11:59 pm
PRIZES: 1st PRIZE - $100 Visa Gift Card, 2nd PRIZE - $50 Visa Gift Card, 3rd PRIZE - $25 Visa Gift Card

September 1st is World Letter Writing Day. The day is all about paying tribute to this age-old form of communication. In observation of this day, the Carnegie Center is accepting letter submissions from young writers to any person or entity they choose.

Letters allow students to put their thoughts and feelings into words that might typically be tough to express. With the “Letters To . . .” Writing Contest, teens are invited to write letters to themselves, family, teachers, mentors, peers, bullies, future children, etc., on the subject of race, ethnicity, and identity.

HOW TO SUBMIT: Send letter to Contest@CarnegieCenterLex.org. Include your full name, age, and the name of the school you attend in the email. 

WINNING LETTERS: The 3 winning submissions will be published in a virtual book on the Carnegie website and social media pages.