The Muskegon Writers’ Series and the English and Communications Department are sponsoring the Fall Semester Creative Writing Contest.
There are three categories:
- Creative Nonfiction
- Fiction
- Poetry
A total of four entries per student are permitted and there are monetary prizes for the winners. This contest is open to students registered at MCC in at least, one 1-credit class.
MCC students must follow the eligibility, manuscript and submission guidelines outlined below or their entries will be disqualified from the contest.
Contest Theme
- Now What?
Eligibility
- The contest is open to Muskegon Community College students registered in a credit class during the Fall 2021 semester.
Quantity Limit
- A total of four entries per student are permitted.
Writing Contest Specifications
- Fiction and creative nonfiction must be fewer than 2,000 words in length.
- Poems must be 50 lines or less.
- No previously published work may be submitted.
- Work must be original. Any borrowed ideas or language must be appropriately acknowledged.
- Authors must be willing to have their work published under their own names. No anonymous or pseudonymous work will be accepted.
Format
- Neither the author’s name nor the name of the author’s college should appear anywhere on any entry.
- Entries will be identified by the author’s student number, which should appear in the upper right-hand corner of each page.
- All multi-page entries must be titled and paginated.
- Each poem must have a title.
- All entries must have one-inch margins and page numbers.
- Creative nonfiction must be double-spaced. Fiction must be double-spaced unless alternate formatting is an integral part of the story’s aesthetic effect. Poems may be spaced and arranged according to the poet’s intent.
- All entries must be submitted in .doc or .docx format.
Contest Deadline
- All contest entries must be submitted by midnight on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021.
Judging
- Creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry will be judged on imaginative insight, sensitivity to language, and control of formal elements.
Prizes and Recognition
- A first place prize of $75, a second place prize of $50, and a third place prize of $25 will be awarded for each category.
- Certificates of Achievement will be presented to prizewinners.
- All winners will be published in the 2021 edition of River Voices, unless otherwise indicated.
For more information on submitting your work, please contact Sean Colcleasure at (231) 777-0245, Shauna Hayes at (231) 777-0695, or Kelli Loughrige, Contest Coordinator/Department Support at (231) 777-0371 or email mcccreativewritingcontest@muskegoncc.edu
Please complete the submission form below and attach your entry before clicking on the submit button. Be sure to check that your submission was fully completed and that you did not receive an error message.
