2026 Annual Writing Contest

SouthWest Writers 2026 Contest
By Human Hands

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No one wants to hear an artificial story imitating the work of someone else, no matter how smart it might be. We want to hear you, your voice, your story, your passion, by your own hands!

The 2026 SouthWest Writers Writing Contest opens on May 1, 2026 and closes at midnight on June 8, 2026. This year’s contest includes 18 writing categories with cash prizes available in all and an opportunity to be included in the SouthWest Writers Contest Anthology to be published later this year.

SouthWest Writers (SWW) encourages aspiring and experienced writers of all cultures and backgrounds to enter. We welcome a diversity of creative expressions and points of view. Writers do not have to be a member of SWW or live in the Southwest to enter. We recommend you read through the rules below before entering.

Entries will be accepted through the Zealous Platform beginning May 1.

 

Key Dates:

  • Early Entry: May 1 – May 7
  • Normal Entry: May 8 – May 30
  • Late Entry: June 1 – June 8
  • Judging: June 8 – July 15
  • Results announcement: finalists will be informed of finalist status after judging has been completed.
  • Awards/showcase event: October 10, 2026

 

Entry Fees:

  • Prose, Free Verse Poetry, Short Screenplay
    • Early (May 1 – May 7): $20
    • Normal (May 8 – May 30): $25
    • Late (June 1 – June 8): $45
  • Poetry — Limerick and Haiku
    • Early (May 1 – May 7): $5
    • Normal (May 8 – May 30): $10
    • Late (June 1 – June 8): $15

 

Awards:

At least 5 entries are required in a given category for the top three prizes to be awarded. Two prizes will be allowed if there are only 4 entries and only one prize will be given if there are 3 entries. If any category receives less than three entries, the writers will be contacted to see if they wish to move the entry to a different category. Prizes will be awarded as follows in each category:

  • 1st Place: $50
  • 2nd Place: $25
  • 3rd Place: $15
  • Honorable Mention

Categories

Prose Categories:

• Opening Chapter, up to 2,500 Words, of an Unpublished Fiction Novella/Novel
There are three subcategories that will be eligible for prizes. Entries may include up to 2,500 words but should end in a logical place (ex. End of chapter or scene). This does NOT include front matter before the opening chapter (e.g., table of contents, acknowledgements pages, copyright pages.)

  • General
  • Mystery/Crime/Thriller
  • Speculative Fiction

• Opening Chapter, up to 2,500 Words, of Unpublished Nonfiction
There are two subcategories that will be eligible for prizes. Entries may include up to 2,500 words, but should end in a logical place (ex. end of a chapter, scene or section). This does NOT include front matter before the opening chapter (e.g., table of contents, acknowledgements, pages, copyright pages.)

  • Memoir
  • General Nonfiction

• Flash Fiction
Flash Fiction entries should be 200 words or fewer, any genre.

• Short Fiction
Short fiction of up to 2,500 words that tells a story.

  • General
  • Mystery/Crime/Thriller
  • Science Fiction/Fantasy
  • Speculative/Horror/Paranormal/Etc.
    • Stories that contain horror elements should refrain from excessive gore.
  • Young Reader/Middle Grade
    • Stories intended to be read by young readers aged 8–12.
    • This category will be judged by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) standards.
  • Young Adult
    • Stories intended to be read by young adults ages 12 and up.
    • This category will be judged by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) standards.

• Short Nonfiction
There will be two subcategories eligible for prizes. These should be complete pieces up to 2,500 words, not part of a larger work of writing.

  • Short Memoir
  • Article/Essay/General Nonfiction

 

Poetry Categories:

Poetry focuses on the use of unique phrases and words to create moods and/or express feelings and ideas. Each poem must be one submission. Entries will be judged by members of the New Mexico State Poetry Society according to their contest standards.

• Free Verse:
Any theme, any form within a 40-line limit. Line limit includes every line, both printed and blank. A one-line title and its following space is not counted in line limit

• Haiku
Not titled, lower case, no punctuation. One haiku per entry.

• Limerick
Five-line stanza. May be titled. One limerick per entry.

 

Short Screenplay Category:

This is a category that we haven’t seen in the last few years! Short screenplays are intended to be complete screenplays, up to 10 pages (plus a title page), in industry-standard format. Entries in this category will be judged by accomplished screenwriters.

General Contest Rules

NOTE: Entries received that do not conform to these stated requirements will be disqualified from judging. Submitter will not receive notice of the disqualification and no refund will be given. It is up to the submitter to read and understand the rules.

The general requirements of submissions are as follows, though individual categories may state exceptions or additional guidelines:

  • No entry will be accepted that has been created through the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
  • No prose or poetry entry may contain more than 2,500 words. Specific lengths for individual categories are listed above.
  • No short screenplay entry may exceed 10 pages of content with an additional page for the title of the screenplay. (11 pages maximum, but one of these MUST be the title page.)
  • The author’s name must not appear anywhere in the entry. This includes the file name, title, header, footer, or within the body of the story, article, poem, or screenplay.
  • A submission may be entered in only one category. If a submission is entered in more than one category, it will be disqualified.
  • Submitters may enter multiple entries in one category, or any other category, as long as the appropriate entry fee is paid for each entry.
  • All submissions must be in English, although words in other languages may be included to enhance the story.
  • In all categories, SouthWest Writers does not allow pornography, politically charged commentary, or excessive violence. Acceptance of any entry is at the discretion of the SouthWest Writers Writing Contest Committee.
  • Entries cannot have won or placed in any SouthWest Writers contest.
  • All entries must be submitted online through the submission platform Zealous. No paper entries will be accepted.
  • No endnotes, graphs, footnotes, citations, or artwork should be included with the prose/poetry entries.
  • Entries must be unpublished (see definition below*).
  • Entries may not include song lyrics or other copyrighted material.
  • Entries in the short screenplay category must not be produced and/or published as a film prior to submission.

As this is a contest to encourage writers, industry standards in formatting will be followed:

• For Poetry and Prose:

  • The submission must be formatted as a Microsoft Word .doc or .docx.
  • Body of text — 12pt Times New Roman.
  • Titles — 14pt Times New Roman.
  • Double line spacing for all prose and nonfiction with no extra line spacing between paragraphs.
  • Poetry categories may be single or double line spaced.
  • Prose categories must use one-inch margins and have the first line of each paragraph indented.

• For Short Screenplay:

  • The submission may be formatted as a .pdf or Microsoft Word .doc or .docx.
  • Short Screenplays must be formatted as industry-standard screenplays. You may use Final Draft or Movie Magic to format your screenplay. You DO NOT have to buy professional screenwriting software, but submissions MUST be formatted in the industry standard.
  • Short screenplay submissions must be in 12pt Courier typeface.
  • You may include a title page that DOES NOT contain your name. This title page may be in addition to 10 pages of screenplay (roughly 1,500 words), but no screenplay will be accepted that the substance of which exceeds 10 pages.

 

Judging Criteria:

Click here to read the Judging Criteria.

*Published vs. Unpublished: “Published” is defined as offering for distribution or actually distributing copies of a work to the public whether or not it was offered for sale. SouthWest Writers has determined this includes, but is not limited to, the following venues: newsletters, eBooks, blogs/websites, magazines, traditionally published (HarperCollins, etc.), self-published books, or short films which have been released for sale to the general public. Material is considered unpublished if it was not intended for public distribution or if only a few copies were created and distribution was limited.