Tadpole Press
100-Word Writing Contest
We are now accepting submissions through November 30, 2023.
The first-place prize has doubled to $2,000 USD.
Please see details below.
📣 Have you ever wanted some face-to-face time with the judges of a writing contest? Here's your chance! Join us for a community write-in event that includes entry into the Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest!
📜 Get ready to create a winning entry with tips and details about the current contest. Enjoy plenty of quiet writing time to work on your piece during this half-hour online event.
📅 When: Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. MT
🌿 Cost: $15 USD
🤝 See you there!
Details:
Word Limit: 100 words or less per entry. Word limit includes the title and introduction, though these are not required.
Entry Limit: You may submit as many entries as you'd like.
Writers: All ages. All genders. All nationalities. All writers welcome.
Genre / Theme: Any genre.
Prizes: 1st place: $2,000 USD.
2nd place: Writing coaching package valued at $450 USD.
3rd place: Developmental and diversity editing package
valued at $250 USD.
Entry Fee: $15 USD.
Deadline: November 30, 2023.
Winners: Winners will be announced via email a few weeks after the contest deadline. Please subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear the results.
Not ready to write yet? Sign up for our newsletter to gain writing tips and inspiration before the contest deadline:
Additional thoughts:
There is no specific theme for the current contest, so let your imagination run wild. Pieces will be judged on creativity, uniqueness, and how the story captures a new angle, breaks through stereotypes, and expands our beliefs about what's possible or unexpectedly delights us. In addition, we are looking for writing that is clever or unique, inspires us, and crafts a compelling and complete story.
As always:
You can write fiction, nonfiction, poetry, memoir, or a mix of everything. You choose the genre. You choose the words. Put them together in any order, any combination.
The winning submissions will be nonviolent. You may deal with tough themes, but you must move on from there. Don’t dwell in misery. Show growth. If you're going to write about something painful, show how someone was transformed by the experience. Go for something that pulls on our heartstrings rather than breaks our heart.
Judges:
Amber Byers is the founder, CEO, and head judge of the Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest. Her book, Sophie and Spot, won a Gold Medal for Best First Book in the chapter book category from Moonbeam Children's Book Awards in 2019.
Amber has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Washington, a Juris Doctor in law from the University of Arizona, and a passion for diversifying literature.
Amber started reading at the age of three and is still in love with the power and beauty of words. She especially loves words that surprise, delight, and encourage us to support, love, and inspire one another.
Laurel Twitchell has been our regular co-judge since April 2022. Laurel received their Bachelor’s in Creative Writing, with a focus on linguistics, from Colorado Mesa University.
They were an editor for the Pinyon Literary Review in 2013. They’ve competed in the National Slam Poetry Competition in 2017 and worked as a first reader for Pushcart Prize Nominee, Alana Noël Voth. They have taken writing courses from national and internationally known writers such as Megan Falley, Rachel McKibbens, and others.
They are a writer and artist passionate about ending stigmas around mental health and disability. They love art that speaks to connectivity, the healing of trauma, and finding glimmers of joy in unlikely places.
Taylor Morris is our special guest judge for the November 2023 contest. She is an editor and author with twenty years of experience in the publishing industry. Her services include developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading. She is a strong editor with an eye toward manuscript details and overall cohesiveness. Her critiques are thoughtful and honest but always compassionate.
Taylor’s editorial work has spanned genres and fields, having worked on everything from adult fiction to children’s books. Her middle grade novels have been published by both Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House.
She has also written extensively in the women’s romance genre with seventeen novels published under a top secret pseudonym. Taylor is a graduate (cum laude) of Emerson College with a Bachelor of Arts in Writing, Literature, and Publishing. You can find out more about her at www.taylormorris.com.
Policies:
Winners: All writers will automatically be added to the Tadpole Press mailing list. Writers may unsubscribe at any time; however, please note that winners will be announced via the newsletter after the contest deadline. Sign up for our newsletter above or contact us with any questions.
Copyright: By submitting an entry, writers allow Tadpole Press to use their entries as follows: The names and location of the winners and the winning entries may be announced in the Tadpole Press newsletter and/or published on the Tadpole Press website. Writers shall retain copyright of their entries before, during, and after the writing contest, and we encourage writers to resubmit and/or republish their entry in other contests and publications at any time before or after this contest.
Refund Policy: All payments are final and nonrefundable. Writers needing financial assistance may apply for a scholarship up to 1 month before the contest deadline.
Prizes: Prizes will be sent to the email or mailing address provided by the winner after the winners are selected. Prize amounts are in USD.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest! We are honored to have been featured by many wonderful organizations dedicated to writing, such as Reedsy, Anne R. Allen, Almond Press, Kindlepreneur, Creative Writing Ink, and Christopher Fielden.
