NICOLE BLIZZARD SHORT STORY CONTEST NO ENTRY FEE Radical Arts for Women encourages writers to write and sponsors the Nicole Blizzard Short Story Contest, open to all women living in Alaska. The fiction pieces must be between 250 and 5,000 words and contain some lesbian content. The grand prize is $500. Deadline March 15, 2013. Visit the website for details:...

LOOKING@DEMOCRACY CONTEST FOR CREATIVE MEDIA NO ENTRY FEE Tired of partisan bickering? Feel your voice is left out of our democracy? Have a great idea about how we can all work together? Deadline April 30, 2013. Create and send us short digital media content that either: (a) Tells a story about why government is important to our lives, or (b) Tells how we might together strengthen American democracy. Your submission can come in many formats...

DIANA WOODS MEMORIAL AWARD IN CREATIVE NONFICTION NO ENTRY FEE Creative nonfiction authors are invited to submit an essay of up to 5,000 words on the subject of their choice to be considered for the Diana Woods Memorial (DWM) Award in creative nonfiction. Winners will receive $250 and their work will be featured in the next issue of Lunch Ticket. Each award recipient must submit a 100-word biography, current photo, and send a brief note of...

JAMES JONES FIRST NOVEL FELLOWSHIP $25 ENTRY FEE The 22nd Annual James Jones First Novel Fellowship will be awarded to an American author of a first fiction novel-in-progress, in 2013, by the James Jones Literary Society. Novellas and collections of closely linked short stories may also be considered for the competition. $10,000 award with two runner-up awards of $750each. A two-page (maximum) outline of the entire novel and the first 50 pages...

INDIANA REVIEW’S POETRY PRIZE $20 ENTRY FEE – includes one-year subscription Deadline April 1, 2013. The winner of our contest will receive $1,000 and publication in Indiana Review. All entries are considered for publication. All entries are considered anonymously. Send no more than three poems per entry, eight pages maximum.  Judge: Nikky Finney. Visit the website for details:...

THE FOURTH ANNUAL NORMAL PRIZE IN FICTION, NONFICTION, & POETRY $20 ENTRY FEE Deadline March 15, 2013. Fiction Prize: $1,000 & Publication Nonfiction Prize: $1,000 & Publication Poetry Prize: $1,000 & Publication All fiction and nonfiction submissions must be 10,087 words or less. Poetry submissions should not exceed five pages or five poems total. Visit the website for details:...

The Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security is pleased to announce its 6th Annual Essay Competition. ESSAY THEME: What is a dangerous idea you have about homeland security, and why is it dangerous? Your response may be general or focus on a specific aspect (organizational, policy, strategy, practice, technological innovation, social impact, etc.) or discipline/field, (emergency management, public health, law...