Our Monthly Contests will open on the 1st of each month and close on the last day, with one winner and one runner-up announced the following month. First place winner receives $50. The winner and a runner-up will have works submitted for publication in The Pulse and be considered for publication in our next anthology available next year. (Anthology contributors receive a complimentary copy.) Monthly Contests are available to current members of the Chattanooga Writers’ Guild only, and are free to enter. To become a member, click HERE.
FAQ: How do I submit to the Monthly Contests? Or Enter HERE.
The submission form can be found under the “Members” tab on our website homepage and is accessible only after you have logged in. If you need assistance logging in or finding the form, please email tech-support@chattanoogawritersguild.org. All other contest inquiries may be addressed to contests@chattanooga writersguild.org.
| Month | Genre | Theme (Winners linked) | Final Judge |
| January | Poetry | Trace | Helga Kidder |
| February | Fiction | Cave/cave-in | Alexandria Kelly |
| March | Creative Nonfiction | Drone(s) | |
| April | Poetry | Swansong | Helga Kidder |
| May | Fiction | Knots | Alexandria Kelly |
| June | Creative Nonfiction | Apex | Sherry Poff |
| July | Poetry | Showers | Helga Kidder |
| August | Fiction | Load(ed) | Alexandria Kelly |
| September | Creative Nonfiction | Sweater | Sherry Poff |
| October | Poetry | Uncharted | |
| November | Fiction | Forgotten places | Alexandria Kelly |
| December | Creative Nonfiction | Maps | Sherry Poff |
The Contest Coordinator will process the entries to the month’s listed Final Judge.
Submission Guidelines
- Follow the genre and theme for each month. The Monthly Contests rotate through a pattern of Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction throughout the year.
- Title each entry at the top of your submitted document as well as in the entry form below.
- Do not include any identifying information in the uploaded document as the contest entries are judged blindly.
- Word Limits: for Fiction and Creative Nonfiction, the word limit is 1,500. You may submit up to three stories.
- Line Limits: For Poetry, the line limit is 60. You may submit up to three poems
- Single document: Upload your work as one document with each entry beginning on a new page.
- Limitations: We request first place winners in any genre wait six months before entering in the same category again. For example, a first place Poetry winner in January may enter a contest in another genre, but is asked to skip entering Poetry again until July’s poetry contest.