Tennessee Mountain Writers Student Contest

Eligible writers: Tennessee High School Students
Submission Deadline: December 1, 2022

 

There are two contest categories: Prose and Poetry. You may submit only one piece of original work into a contest category; however, you are able to enter both the prose and poetry categories with separate submissions. Your entry must be your own original, unpublished work; it cannot have appeared previously in print, online, or in social media. Entries will be judged blindly (the judge will not know who the writer is or have any identifying information). Email all entries (as a .doc or .docx attachment) to tmwcontests@gmail.com. Entries must be received no later than 11:59 pm on December 1, 2022. There is no entry fee.

Winners will be awarded at the annual TMW conference banquet at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge, TN, on April 1, 2023.

Category Rules and Prizes

Prose Contest: you may enter one piece of prose. Your prose piece may be a short story, a short story or novel excerpt, a character sketch, or an essay. It should be no longer than 10 pages.
Poetry Contest: you may submit one poem of any form, formal or free verse. Your poem may be no longer than 40 lines.

** Each piece must be titled. Do not put your name or any other identifying information on the piece itself.**

Prizes: will be awarded in each category. Banquet tickets will be provided for each winner and a guest.

First Place: $50 and a plaque
Second Place: $30 and a certificate
Third Place: $20 and a certificate

Formatting Your Submission

Entries should be typed in Times New Roman 12-point font and double spaced with one-inch margins on all sides (top, bottom, left, right). As the first page of your entry, include a cover sheet with all of the following information:

  • Title of the piece
  • Your full name
  • Name of your High School
  • Grade level (9-12)
  • Name of your language arts teacher
  • Contest category (prose or poetry)
  • Your email address
  • Your phone number
  • Your mailing address with zip code

Remember, do not put your name on any of the pages of the entry itself, only the cover sheet.

Download and consult this checklist to be sure you have included all required information with your entry.