Virtual Writers, Inc.

The Early Bird Gathers the Worm: Feb/Mar Writing Competitions

admin — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:39:26 +0000

The following list consists of links to submission calendars for UK and International writing competitions. These links will be regularly updated.

Please note that none have been verified by Virtual Writers, Inc. and we can, therefore, take no responsibility for them. You are advised to research heavily before applying.

If you can recommend any good competitions we are anxious to hear about them. Just email us through our online contact form and provide full links. Many thanks.

February 2012

1st February, 2012 – Countryside Article Competition

4th February, 2012 – The Imison Award

21st February, 2012 – Norwich Writers’ Circle 41st Annual Open Poetry Competition

28th February, 2012 – Emerald Writing Workshops Flash Fiction

28th February, 2012 – Straid Collection Award 2012

29th February, 2012 – Kelpies Prize

29th February, 2012 – Chapter One Novel Competition

TBC, February, 2012 – Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Award

March 2012

2nd March 2012 – Cardiff International Poetry Competition

5th March 2012 – Windsor Fringe Kenneth Branagh Award for New Drama 2012

10th March 2012 – Northern Writers’ Awards

19th March 2012 – Mslexia Women’s Short Story Competition

20th March 2012 – Fish Prize for Flash Fiction

30th March 2012 – Calderdale Short Story Competition

30th March 2012 – Fish Prize for Poetry

30th March 2012 – Rider Haggard Short Story Competition

21st March 2012 – The Academy of Children’s Writers Write a Story for Children Competition

31st March 2012 – Crystal Magazine Children’s Story Competition

31st March 2012 – Dark Tales Short Story Competition (see entry at December 2011)

31st March 2012 – Exeter Writers Short Story Competition 2012

31st March 2012 – MAG Poetry Prize 2012

March TBC – Michael Marks Award for Poetry Pamphlets

Galaxy Award Books of the Year: 2011

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:29:21 +0000

Audible.co.uk Audiobook of the Year

Winner: My Dear I Wanted to Tell You Louisa Young (HCAudio). Shortlisted: Any Human Heart William Boyd, narrator Mike Grady, Before I Go To Sleep S J Watson, narrator Susannah Harker, My Dear I Wanted to Tell You Louisa Young, narrator Dan Stevens, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece Annabel Pitcher, narrator David Tennant, Snowdrops A.D. Miller, narrator Kevin Howarth, The Player Of Games Iain M. Banks, narrator Peter Kenny.
Specsavers Popular Fiction Book of the Year

Winner: A Tiny Bit Marvelous Dawn French (Penguin). Shortlisted: A Tiny Bit Marvellous Dawn French, Daughters-in-Law Joanna Trollope, Gillespie and I Jane Harris, My Last Duchess Daisy Goodwin, Snuff Terry Pratchett, The Radleys Matt Haig.
Crime & Thriller of the Year

Winner: Before I Go To sleep S J Watson (Doubleday). Shortlisted: Before I Go To Sleep S.J. Watson, The Fear Index Robert Harris, Heartstone C J Sansom, The Family Martina Cole, The Impossible Dead Ian Rankin, Trick Of The Dark Val McDermid.
More4 Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year

Winner: How To Be a Woman Caitlin Moran (Ebury). Shortlisted: A History of the World in 100 Objects Neil MacGregor, How To Be a Woman Caitlin Moran, Madeleine Kate McCann, Map of a Nation Rachel Hewitt, The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex Mark Kermode, Wonders of the Universe Brian Cox.
Galaxy New Writer of the Year

Winner: When God was a Rabbit Sarah Winman (Headline). Shortlisted: Before I Go To Sleep S.J. Watson, Grace Williams Says it Loud Emma Henderson, Pigeon English Stephen Kelman, Rivers of London Ben Aaronovitch, Snowdrops A.D. Miller, When God was a Rabbit Sarah Winman.
National book Tokens Children’s Book of the Year

Winner: A Monster Calls Patrick Ness (Walker). Shortlisted: A Monster Calls Patrick Ness, Dead Man’s Cove Lauren St John, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece Annabel Pitcher, One Dog and His Boy Eva Ibbotson, Stuck Oliver Jeffers, The Highway Rat Julia Donaldson illus. Axel Scheffler.
Food & Drink Book of the Year

Winner: The Good Cook Simon Hopkinson (BBC Books). Shortlisted: Home Cooking Made Easy Lorraine Pascale, Jamie’s Great Britain Jamie Oliver, Made in Sicily Giorgio Locatelli, Rick Stein’s Spain Rick Stein, The Good Cook Simon Hopkinson, The Vintage Tea Party Angel Adoree.
The Telegraph Biography of the Year

Winner: Charles Dickens Claire Tomalin (Viking). Shortlisted: Charles Dickens Claire Tomalin, The Genius in My Basement Alexander Masters, Hitch 22 Christopher Hitchens, Life Keith Richards, Mud, Sweat and Tears Bear Grylls, Red Dust Road Jackie Kay.
International Author of the Year

Winner: A Visit From the Goon Squad Jennifer Egan (Corsair). Shortlisted: A Visit From the Goon Squad Jennifer Egan, 1Q84 Haruki Murakami, The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern, On Canaan’s Side Sebastian Barry, The Leopard Jo Nesbo, The Tiger’s Wife Téa Obreht.
Waterstone’s UK Author of the Year

Winner: The Stranger’s Child Alan Hollinghurst (Picador). Shortlisted: The Sense Of An Ending Julian Barnes, Jamrach’s Menagerie Carol Birch, The Bees Carol Ann Duffy, The House of Silk Anthony Horowitz, The Long Song Andrea Levy, The Stranger’s Child Alan Hollinghurst.
WH Smith Paperback of the Year

Winner: Room Emma Donoghue (Picador). Shortlisted: Room Emma Donoghue, The Brightest Star in the Sky Marian Keyes, The Postmistress Sarah Blake, The Red Queen Philippa Gregory, When God was a Rabbit Sarah Winman, You’re Next Gregg Hurwitz.

The Early Bird Catches the Worm: December Writing Competitions

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:21:55 +0000

The following list consists of links to submission calendars for UK and International writing competitions. These links will be regularly updated.

Please note that none have been verified by Virtual Writers, Inc. and we can, therefore, take no responsibility for them. You are advised to research heavily before applying.

If you can recommend any good competitions we are anxious to hear about them. Just email us through our online contact form and provide full links. Many thanks.

December

1st December, 2011 – The Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize

31st December, 2011 – Dark Tales Short Story Competition

31st December, 2011 – Fellows’ Poetry Prize

31st December, 2011 – Local Poem Competition

31st December, 2011 – Longworth Editors Short Story Competition

31st December, 2011 – Red Telephone Young Adult Novel Competition

31st December, 2011 – Walkopedia Travel Writing Competition

31st December, 2011 – Writers Bureau Annual Poetry Competition

31st December, 2011 – Writers’ Village Best Writing Award

Book Publishers A-Z

admin — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:24:23 +0000

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The Early Bird Catches the Worm: November Writing Competitions

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:17:47 +0000

The following list consists of links to submission calendars for UK and International writing competitions. These links will be regularly updated.

Please note that none have been verified by Virtual Writers, Inc. and we can, therefore, take no responsibility for them. You are advised to research heavily before applying.

If you can recommend any good competitions we are anxious to hear about them. Just email us through our online contact form and provide full links. Many thanks.

November

1st November, 2011 – Second Light Poetry Competition for Short and Long Poems

10th November, 2011 – Yorkshire Open Poetry Competition, 32 Spey Bank, Yorkshire, YO24 2UZ

14th November, 2011 – Iota Shots Poetry Pamphlet Awards

15th November, 2011 – Countryside Tales Winter Poetry Competition

18th November, 2011 – Bedford Open Poetry Competition

29th November, 2011 – Poetry Business Book & Pamphlet Competition

30th November, 2011 – Cafe Writers Open Poetry Competition

30th November, 2011 – Chapter One Children’s Book Competition

30th November, 2011 – Cinnamon Press Writing Awards

30th November, 2011 – Fish Prize for Short Stories

30th November, 2011 – International Aeon Award Short Fiction Contest

30th November, 2011 – Leaf Books First Chapter Competition

30th November, 2011 – Inktears Short Story Competition

30th November, 2011 – Magma 50th Issue Poetry Competition

30th November, 2011 – Mary Gornall Memorial Short Story Competition

30th November, 2011 – The New Writer Prose and Poetry Prizes

30th November, 2011 – The Plough Prize

30th November, 2011 – St. Andrews Day Short Story Competition

30th November, 2011 – Betty Trask Prize and Awards

General Writing Competitions (International, US and UK)

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:10:59 +0000

The following list consists of links to submission calendars for UK and International writing competitions. These links will be regularly updated.

Please note that none have been verified by Virtual Writers, Inc. and we can, therefore, take no responsibility for them. You are advised to research heavily before applying.

If you can recommend any good competitions we are anxious to hear about them. Just email us through our online contact form and provide full links. Many thanks.

General Writing Competitions

UK Short Story Competitions

Prize Magic’s List of UK Writing Competitions

National Literary Trust

Ask About Writing

Sally Quilford’s Writing Calendar

The Bridport Prize

University of East Anglia

University of New Orleans

Japan-United Status Friendship Commission

The Madison Review

International Writing Competitions

3-Day Novel Contest

Rockway Press

Writer’s Digest

International Songwriting Competition

The UK Songwriting Contest

Sentinel Literary Quarterly

Stanford University Press

Salem College

US Contests

Bronx Council on the Arts

Massachusetts Cultural Council

The Poetry Center of Chicago

The Chattahoochee Review

Glimmer Train Press

Goeth-Institut Chicago

Iowa Review

Main Street Rag

The Ohio State University Press

Southern Illinois University

Workshops

Writers’ Digest Online Webinars

The Early Bird Catches the Worm: October Writing Competitions

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:43:33 +0000

The following list consists of links to submission calendars for UK and International writing competitions. These links will be regularly updated.

Please note that none have been verified by Virtual Writers, Inc. and we can, therefore, take no responsibility for them. You are advised to research heavily before applying.

If you can recommend any good competitions we are anxious to hear about them. Just email us through our online contact form and provide full links. Many thanks.

October

1st October, 2011 – Spilling Ink Fiction Prize

10th October, 2011 – TRYangle Project Competitions

15th October, 2011 – Hastings International Poetry Competition

15th October, 2011 – Sentinel Annual Poetry Competition

17th October, 2011 – Troubadour International Poetry Prize

30th October, 2011 – Fiction Garden International Ghost Story Competition

28th October, 2011 – Write a Story for Bedtime Competition

31st October, 2011 – Chapter One Children’s Story Competition

Quarterly Competition – Debut Quarterly Competition

31st October, 2011 – Earlyworks Press Short Story Competition

31st October, 2011 – Chapter One Young Illustrator’s Competition

31st October, 2011 – Eric Gregory Award

31st October, 2011 – Flash Stories

31st October, 2011 – Haiku Presence Award 2011

31st October, 2011 – Leaf Books Memoir Competition

31st October, 2011 – The First NAWG Open Short Story Competition

31st October, 2011 – McKitterick Prize

31st October, 2011 – Newark Poetry Society Open Poetry Competition

31st October, 2011 – RTE Radio Short Story Competition

31st October, 2011 – Southport Writers’ Circle Open Short Story Competition

31st October, 2011 – The Speakeasy Open Creative Writing Competition 2011

31st October, 2011 – WF and FG Froud Annual Children’s Short Story Competition

Writers’ News: New Online Venture from Penguin

admin — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:46:12 +0000

Book Country is a new free online venture from the Penguin Group. Although currently in beta mode, it looks promising. According to the website, “Book Country is a place where readers and writers of genre fiction come together to read original fiction, post work or comments, and make a name for themselves. Our free community is a creative and supportive space where fiction writers and readers can give and receive constructive criticism, discover new and entertaining books, discuss and share tips and experiences, and learn about the publishing industry.”

The emphasis is on “genre fiction” which includes subgenres of romance, mystery, thriller, science fiction, and fantasy.

Book Country, LLC is a subsidiary of Penguin Group, a Pearson company. Though owned by Penguin Group it is a completely separate entity with its own full-time staff run by community manager Collen Linday and editorial coordinator Danielle Poiesz.

Sounds good, but don’t place much hope on catching an editor’s eye through the venture, according to the website, “although Penguin editors and other staff members may choose to occasionally participate in the community (just as staff members from any publishing house could participate if they want to), Book Country is not a channel for the submission of unsolicited manuscripts to Penguin editors”. Darn.

Click for Book Country FAQs

Website: www.bookcountry.com

UK Digital Books Sales

admin — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:37:16 +0000

According to the Publishers Association, UK digital book sales in 2010 increased from £4m to £16m from total book sales of £3.1bn.

Free Online Short Story Workshop

admin — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 20:38:39 +0000

This intensive, month-long workshop, devised to toss participants head first into the process of writing a short story (1k – 10/20k words), begins Wednesday 4th May at 5pm PST and continues every Wednesday until month’s end.

Each week we will tackle a different ingredient so participants learn how to construct a short story, much like baking a cake.

Areas Covered

the differences between a short story and novel (and the similarities)
the ingredients of a good story
beginning hooks
characterization
plot
character/story motivation
endings

Participants are encouraged to bring their short fiction ideas but they can also develop them during the first week.

The workshop is free of charge to members of Virtual Writers, Inc.

To participate please join Second Life® (which is also free to join) and click on the following link to be taken to our online writing camp. You can then join Virtual Writers, Inc. by searching for the group through the Second Life® search facility.

Instructor

Rae Lori

Throughout her writing career, Rae has written comic book and film related articles which have appeared in online publications such as Comic Stack, Suite101, CinemaGap and Dark Moon Rising. Her manuscript, Hotel Sunset, won an Honorable Mention award in the 73rd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. Under various pen names, she has written books, novellas and short stories that run the genre gamut of science fiction, fantasy, short romance noir and paranormal romance and many more waiting to drip onto the page.

As an avid reader and viewer of science fiction, romance and fantasy since she was young, Rae enjoys merging the genres to create an adventurous reading experience in her own work. Throughout her writing career, she has garnered credits writing movie reviews, fiction and articles on the comic book and film industry.

Currently she is writing the Ashen Twilight Trilogy, the Cimmerian Duology and a few standalone stories and books. She also leads a novel writing class in Second Life® and a short story workshop for both aspiring and veteran authors alike.

NB. Please note the workshop time is now 7pm PST and not 5pm.

Virtual Writers, Inc.

The Early Bird Gathers the Worm: Feb/Mar Writing Competitions

Galaxy Award Books of the Year: 2011

Audible.co.uk Audiobook of the Year

Specsavers Popular Fiction Book of the Year

Crime & Thriller of the Year

More4 Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year

Galaxy New Writer of the Year

National book Tokens Children’s Book of the Year

Food & Drink Book of the Year

The Telegraph Biography of the Year

International Author of the Year

Waterstone’s UK Author of the Year

WH Smith Paperback of the Year

The Early Bird Catches the Worm: December Writing Competitions

Book Publishers A-Z

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

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J

K

L

M

N

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X

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Z

The Early Bird Catches the Worm: November Writing Competitions

General Writing Competitions (International, US and UK)

The Early Bird Catches the Worm: October Writing Competitions

Writers’ News: New Online Venture from Penguin

UK Digital Books Sales

Free Online Short Story Workshop