Writing Contests,
Writing Projects, & Writer Recognition

Open

Take a look at the picture above. 

In 500 words or less, write a story based on the image. The story can be any genre as long as it is based on the picture. You can submit as many entries as you like but we'll only judge your most recent two entries based on posting date. The contest is available free to new TheNextBigWriter Premium members who registered after July 1, 2024.

To help you get into the reviewing mood we are also requiring entrants to provide three quality reviews on the work of other site members to qualify.

Prizes:

• One winner will receive $200.
• Two runner-ups will receive $50.

Good luck!

Requirements:

• Free entry Premium members of TheNextBigWriter.
• Leave at least three quality reviews on the work of other site members.
• Be a Premium member in good standing at the end of the contest period.

Deadline: November 30, 2024

Contest entry is free to new Premium members of TheNextBigWriter. Not a Premium Member? Learn the benefits.

Open to entries

The challenge of this writing competition is to write a story that includes a mythical creature. The creature can be one that already exists in lore and stories or you can create your own. The story can be any genre. Story length should be between 1,000 - 3,000 words. Judging will be based on how creatively the mythical character is incorporated into the story as well as the story's overall entertainment value.

Prizes:

• One winner will receive $100.
• Two runner-ups will receive $25.
• The winner receives their choice of ebooks from the TheNextBigWriter bookstore up to a $10 value.

Good luck!

Contest entry is open and free to Premium Members of TheNextBigWriter. Not a Premium Member? Learn the benefits.

Winner Annoucement:

We're pleased to announce the winners of the flash fiction writing contest.

First Place:

Second Place:

Congratulations to the winners! We'll be announcing a new contest shortly.

In 500 words or less, write a flash fiction story that starts with the sentence: "She picked up the knife." The challenge of flash fiction is to create a thought-provoking story within the tight word constraints of the writing form. 

The story can be any genre as long as it is based on the picture. You can submit as many entries as you like but we'll only judge your most recent two entries based on posting date.

Prizes:

• One winner will receive $100.
• Two runner-ups will receive $25.

Good luck!

Contest entry is open and free to Premium Members of TheNextBigWriter. Not a Premium Member? Learn the benefits.

December 9, 2018

After much deliberation, we're pleased to announce the finalists in the 2018 Strongest Start Competition. They are, in no particular order:

For the Love of Mellie by Marilyn Johnson

Half by Deckland Oz

Death Rights (Contest Edition) by Don Chambers

Maiden SS2018 by Seabrass

Swan for Contest by Ann Everett

The Family Secrets by Suin

Congratulations to all of the finalists! And, as we say every year, congratulations to everyone who entered. Hopefully, whether you made the finals or not, the process has helped you create a better start to your book.

We'll be announcing the winners next week, Saturday, December 15.

We know that writing a compelling start isn't easy. So, for the eighth year, we've put together a motivational competition to help you hone the first three chapters of your book to perfection (if you haven't already).

We're looking for opening chapters that will create a burning need to find out what happens, how the characters turn out, how the novel resolves itself. The kind of start that gets an agent to call back, a publisher to show interest, and a reader to plunk down their hard earned money. Above all, give us three opening chapters that will keep us reading.

As part of the competition, you'll have the opportunity to receive feedback on your submissions, meet and share ideas with other writers, and get motivated to produce the perfect, compelling opening. The winner of the Strongest Start Novel Competition will be the writer who is judged to have the strongest three opening chapters. In addition, two runner-ups will be selected using the same criteria.

Prize Winner receives:

• A critique of the three chapters by star editor Anita Mumm.
• $600 cash.
• One year of free membership on TheNextBigWriter, valued at $69.95.

Two runner-ups will receive:

• $150 in cash.
• Free extra three months of Premium Membership on TheNextBigWriter valued at $21.95.

Everyone receives:

• Feedback on each submitted chapter.
• Motivation to craft the best opening.
• Camaraderie.
• Fun.

Closed

We're pleased to announce the winners of the Winter 2018 Flash Fiction Contest. They are:

Grand prize:  Tragedy Level 9_Flash Fiction by Roxanne

Runner-ups:

Thumbs Up by Ann Everett

What's In A Name by Brian Asher

Take a look at the picture above. 

In 200 words or less, write a flash fiction story based on the image. The challenge of flash fiction is to create a thought-provoking story within the tight word constraints of the writing form. 

The story can be any genre as long as it is based on the picture. You can submit as many entries as you like but we'll only judge your most recent two entries based on posting date.

Prizes:

• One winner will receive $100.
• Two runner-ups will receive $25.

Good luck!

Contest entry is open and free to Premium Members of TheNextBigWriter. Not a Premium Member? Learn the benefits.

The winners of the contest are:

Grand prize:

Twenty-four, seven by Seabrass

Runner-ups:

• Brainwashed by graymartin
• Hot Water and Tide by Marilyn Johnson

Congratulations to the winners!

Take a look at the picture above. 

In 200 words or less, write a flash fiction story based on the image. The challenge of flash fiction is to create a thought-provoking story within the tight word constraints of the writing form. 

The story can be any genre as long as it is based on the picture. You can submit as many entries as you like but we'll only judge your most recent two entries based on posting date.

Prizes:

• One winner will receive $100.
• Two runner-ups will receive $25.

Good luck!

Contest entry is open and free to Premium Members of TheNextBigWriter. Not a Premium Member? Learn the benefits.

Contest Closed

The challenge of this contest is to write a locked room mystery that takes place somewhere other than earth, where one of the main characters is either deaf, dumb, or blind. 

Don't know what a locked room mystery is?  A locked room mystery is one in which the perpetrator commits a crime, usually a murder, under circumstances which seem impossible. For instance, a murder is committed in a room that is locked with no windows. How did the perpetrator get into the room? How could the crime be committed? In locked room mysteries there is usually a crime scene with no indication of how the perpetrator could have entered or exited, or committed the crime. For more of an explanation, as well as examples, please visit the following links:

Wikipedia - Locked-room mystery

TV Tropes - Locked Room Mystery

You can find additional examples by Googling the term.

Criteria:

• Locked room mystery.
• Does not take place on earth.
• One of the characters must be deaf, dumb, or blind.

There is no minimum length. The maximum length is 5,000 words.

Two entries are allowed per member. In the case of more than two entries, the first two entries submitted will be judged.

The first-place winner will receive $100. Two second-place winners will receive $25. We're looking for the most original and entertaining stories. Good luck!

Open to Premium Members of TheNextBigWriter.

Competition Closed

The winner of the competition is "The Master Has to Have It" by dagnee. Congratulations!

Get your keyboards ready! We've kicked off a new competition to get your writing minds juiced this fall. The challenge of this competition is to post the most original, creative short story that contains the following characteristics:

• The opening line must be spoken. It must also connect to an event that just happened or will just happen.
• The story must use the following words at least once: foliage, Corvette, seltzer, Nutella, swan, diamond.

There is no minimum length. The maximum length is 5,000 words.

Two entries are allowed per member. In the case of more than two entries, the first two entries submitted will be judged.

The winner will receive $100. Your story can be any genre. Just make it as original, creative, and entertaining as possible. Good luck!

Open to Premium Members of TheNextBigWriter.

The winners of the 2016 competition are:

Grand Prize Winner:

Founders: Sifter Series Book I by graymartin

Runner-ups:

Beneath the Silver Rose: A Tale of Shadyia, Part 1 by A.T.Schlesinger

Beyond Paradise by denisef

Congratulations! 

Prize Winner receives:

• A critique of the three chapters by star editor Anita Mumm.
• A guaranteed read of the winning manuscript by Lisa Gus, the managing partner of Curiosity Quills Press.
• A guaranteed review on the completed work from Chandler, a Hall of Fame Amazon reviewer.
• $200 cash.
• One year of free membership on TheNextBigWriter, valued at $69.95.

Two runner-ups will receive:

• $100 in cash.
• Free extra three months of Premium Membership on TheNextBigWriter valued at $21.95.

Everyone recevies:

• Feedback on each submitted chapter.
• Motivation to craft the best opening.
• Camraderie.
• Fun.

What is the Contest?

We know that writing a compelling start isn't easy. So, for the seventh year we've put together a motivational competition to help you hone the first three chapters of your book to perfection (if you haven't already).

We're looking for opening chapters that will create a burning need to find out what happens, how the characters turn out, how the novel resolves itself. The kind of start that gets an agent to call back, a publisher to show interest, and a reader to plunk down their hard earned money. Above all, give us three opening chapters that will keep us reading.

As part of the competition, you'll have the opportunity to receive feedback on your submissions, meet and share ideas with other writers, and get motivated to produce the perfect, compelling opening. The winner of the Strongest Start Novel Competition will be the writer who is judged to have the strongest three opening chapters. In addition, two runner-ups will be selected using the same criteria.Can 

Competition Closed

We're pleased to kick-off our fall short story competition. For this competition, we are looking for the best short stories you can write or have already written. We want to read short stories that are original, creative, that tell a full story within the constraints of 1,000 - 5,000 words. We want to meet interesting characters, be taken to interesting places, or see into the thoughts, minds, and emotions of others.

Each of the three winners will receive $100 and their stories will be featured on the homepage of the newly relaunched Booksie.com, where they will be read by hundreds of thousands of hungry readers. This is your chance to submit a story that can earn you money as well as significant exposure. Your story can be any genre. It just needs to be something that will grab a reader and keep them entertained.

Open to Premium Members of TheNextBigWriter. Premium Members may submit unlimited entries to the contest.

 Competition Closed 

 Competition Closed

The winner of the Apple Drabble Competition is mswriter for her Drabble: Transitioning.

Congratulations!

Apples play a special part in many cultures, from Adam and Eve to Greek Mythology to the United State's own Johnny Appleseed. Incorporated into religion, popular culture, and even as the name of one of the largest companies in the world, apples dominate our fruity conscious. Now it's your turn. Write a Drabble that includes an apple in the storyline. You can draw from mythology, religion, or culture or create an entirely new apple storyline. But you must do it in exactly 100 words.

What is a Drabble? A Drabble is a story with a beginning, middle, and an end that is exactly 100 words long (excluding the title).

So go for it. Get your inspiration on and let's see what kind of apple stories you can come up with. And, you might win a $100 writing grant.

Open to Premium Members of TheNextBigWriter. Premium members may submit unlimited entries to the contest.

Competition Closed

This competition is awaiting judging results. 

Write a story in any genre but it must revolve around a crime. For example, it may be mystery, romance, sci-fi, historical, fantasy, humorous, etc., as long as a crime is prominently featured in the story.

• The entry must be a short story (no more than 7500 words)
• The entry may not have been posted in the past on the TNBW site or published anywhere else.
• The story must be a work of fiction. 
• Contestants may enter more than one story.

Contest Judge

Janice Singleton is a former correctional officer turned convicted felon. She fell hard, but much of what the media portrayed was one-sided. Janice wrote her own story to set the record straight. Caught is that story. She has plans for a second chronicling life after prison. Janice currently writes and works for Goodwill Industries of Mississippi.

You can learn more about her book here.

Competition Closed

The winner of the Fantasy Short Story Big Power Moment is Adrian Lankford for his story Rosebud Lives. Congratulations!

Write a fantasy short story with a maximum of 1,000 words. The material must include a big 'power moment.' Make my jaw drop. For those of you doing historical fiction, this can include a battle, or an example of physical prowess. No sex...sorry to those of you thinking along those lines. You may use pre-established characters from your books. I want these short stories to be useful in later works.

Competition Closed

The winner of the What It Means To Be Brave Contest is Johnnie Ruffin, M.sc for Thank God And Be Grateful. Congratulations!

Write a short story real/fiction about an act of bravery. Maximum word count of 2,500.

Competition Closed

The winner of the 7-line poetry competition is Dagnee for  A Gentleman of Verona.

As always, there were many excellent entries. Congratulations to Dagnee and everyone who submitted an entry!

Take a look at the picture below. Write a poem in seven lines that describes the scene. If you've never written poetry before, give it a shot. If you're a poetry master, let's see what you've got. So, take a look, let your imagination go, and let the words flow.

The winner will be the writer who creates the most evocative, original poem based on the picture.

Competition Closed

Winner Announcement

I'm happy to announce the winners of the 2015 Strongest Start Novel Competition. The grand prize winner is:

The Laundromat at the Edge of the Universe by Ronald Quark

The two runner-ups are:

The Fringers by Leanne Joseph

Vitares by Penang

Congratulations!

We also want to thank BookBaby and Pubslush for helping to sponsor the competition this year.

The 2015 finalists are, in no particular order:

- The Fringers by Leanne Joseph

- Jewel by Lesley Weston

- Journey Through The Eyes of Zhou - Part One by Temple Wang

- PURGATORY, a place Down Under by Susan Stec

- Vitares by Penang

- The Laundromat at the Edge of the Universe by Ronald Quark

The winner will be announced on or around June 1, 2015.

We know that writing a compelling start isn't easy. So, for the fifth year we've put together a motivational competition to help you hone the first three chapters of your book to perfection (if you haven't already). We're looking for opening chapters that will create a burning need to find out what happens, how the characters turn out, how the novel resolves itself. The kind of start that gets an agent to call back, a publisher to show interest, and a reader to plunk down their hard earned money. Above all, give us three opening chapters that will keep us reading. As part of the competition you'll have the opportunity to receive feedback on your submissions, meet and share ideas with other writers, and get motivated to produce the perfect, compelling opening. The winner of the Strongest Start Novel Competition will be the writer who is judged to have the strongest three opening chapters. In addition, two runner-ups will be selected using the same criteria.