The Franklin County Arts Council (FCAC) Writers’ Guild is sponsoring its 8th-annual Carolina Prize for Writing Contest. The contest is open for previously unpublished works (this includes online publication) in two categories:
- Poetry — up to 30 lines per poem, single spaced (maximum five poems per contest entry)
- Prose — short story, essay, or creative non-fiction up to 1,500 words (one per contest entry, maximum three entries)
Two prizes will be awarded: one for prose and one for poetry. Each prize will be $100 US, plus publication in the 2021 issue of County Lines: A Literary Journal, and two copies of the journal.
Up to five honorable mentions may also be named. Honorable mentions will receive publication in County Lines and one free copy.
One Cover Art prize will also be awarded a prize of $25. Submissions of paintings, drawings, and photographs are being accepted, with one to be chosen as the Cover Art for this year’s literary journal, and others selected for inclusion in the journal. Submission for Cover Art should reflect the title, “County Lines.” An artist may submit up to five entries. The same fee and deadline apply. Note that Art entries must be submitted as a jpeg attachment in high resolution via email.
There are no restrictions on age or residence of persons submitting to the Carolina Prize for Writing Contest. The contest is open to writers outside Franklin County, and outside North Carolina. Membership in FCAC or the Writers’ Guild are not required.
County Lines: A Literary Journal is an annual literary anthology compiled by the FCAC Writers’ Guild. The 2021 journal is expected to be printed by December 2020; just in time for holiday gift giving. To check out, or purchase, County Lines: A Literary Journal issues from prior years, visit Amazon.com.
Entries will be judged by Alice Osborn and Ware Wilkins during Fall 2020.
The Franklin County Arts Council is based in Louisburg, North Carolina. Hours are restricted due to coronavirus, and the FCAC Gallery on the Hill is currently closed. For updates, visit www.fcacarts.org or Follow FCAC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Prose/Poetry Contest Submission Guidelines
All submissions must be in Word documents (prose double-spaced, poetry single-spaced), font size 12-pt, and be emailed as attachments. Only email submissions will be accepted, and only those received on or before the August 15, 2020 submission deadline.
Contest entries must have a cover page (first page of the Word document) that includes: title, author name, and contact information. Ideally, submissions should also include a short writer’s bio on the cover page.
Name and contact info must not be on the body of the work, not typed nor included in page headers.
Works cannot contain erotica, violence, hate, political editorial, or excessive profanity.
Contest entries will be considered and sent to the judges only if they adhere to these guidelines.
The $10 entry fee for emailed submissions may be paid by mail or online:
- Mail checks to Franklin County Arts Council, PO Box 758, Louisburg, NC 27549. Make check payable to Franklin County Arts Council with “Contest entry” in the memo. Payment envelopes must be postmarked on or before the deadline of August 15, 2020.
- Pay online via the fcacarts.org/events.aspx (scroll to Carolina Prize for Writing Contest and click Pay Entry Fee to pay online, via PayPal).
There will be no refunds. Contest proceeds are used to pay prizes and support the FCAC.
With questions, contact the Franklin County Arts Council via email or call 919.497.6920.
Note: If you wish a Carolina Prize contest entry to also be considered for publication in County Lines: A Literary Journal in the event that the entry does not win the prize, separately submit the entry — by the August 15, 2020 submission deadline — via email. There is no additional fee to submit a contest entry directly for consideration for the County Lines issue.
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Ed. Note: Originally published July 23, 2020. Updaed August 2, 2020 with addition of font size requirement per the Writers’ Guild.
