Contests

All dates listed are postmark, deadlines. Enter your own work only. Type your name, address, phone and the contest category on the first page of the manuscript (no cover sheet). Prepare entries using standard manuscript format. Manuscripts will not be returned so there is no need for SASE. You may send multiple entries to any contest but each entry requires an entry fee. Entries should be unpublished when entered. Cash winners only are notified by mail. A list of winners and HM's in each category will be published in the issue ofByLine dated three months after deadline. Contest winners may be considered for publication.

Mail entries to:
Contests: ByLine Magazine
PO Box 111
Albion, NY 14411

November 2007 Deadlines

NEW TALENT SHORT STORY — Deadline Nov. 4, 2007. Open to any writer who has never won a cash prize in a ByLine fiction contest. Maximum length 3,000 words. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $50, $30, $20.

LIGHT VERSE — Deadline Nov. 16, 2007. Poetry that attempts to be humorous usually through the use of satire, wordplay and punning. Poems should be brief. Any rhyme or alliteration should be used skillfully and with a point. Avoid doggerel. Read Billy Collins, Wendy Cope, and Jonathan Swift as well as Ogden Nash and Shel Silverstein. Entry fee $3. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

GENRE FICTION, ROMANCE — Nov. 22, 2007. Short romance story; 2,000 words max. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $40, $30, $20.

SHORT POEM — Deadline Nov. 30, 2007. Short, concise poem having on any subject.   Do not exceed 25 lines.  Unrhymed or skillfully rhymed (slant rhymes, half rhymes, internal rhymes).  Try to avoid "perfect" end rhymes. Entry fee $3. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

December 2007 Deadlines

PERSONAL MEMOIR — Deadline Dec. 5, 2007. An incident or remembrance from your life that left a lasting impression. Written in first person; 1,000 words max. Entry fee $5. Prizes, $40, $30, $20.

CHILDREN’S POEM OR VERSE — Dec. 15, 2007. Poetry or verse written for a child 10 or under. Think nursery or counting rhymes, jump rope songs, beginning readers. Attend to age-appropriate concepts and vocabulary. Avoid overused themes and doggerel. Strive for delight!  Entry fee $3. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

SHORT ARTICLE — Dec. 20, 2007. Any nonfiction subject suitable for a magazine or newspaper; 1,500 words maximum. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $40, $30, $20.

OPEN POETRY — Deadline Dec. 31, 2007. Poetry in any style, any form, on any subject. Rhymed or unrhymed. Length should not exceed two pages. Entry fee $4. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

2008 Byline Contests

January 2008 Deadlines

NEW TALENT POEM — Deadline January 4, 2008. A New Year, let's see some new names! Any style; any subject. Open to anyone whose poetry has never been published by Byline or who has never won a cash prize in a ByLine poetry contest. Keep length to two pages or less. Entry fee: $3 or $5 for three poems. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

HUMOR SKETCH — Deadline January 11, 2008. Show your sense of humor in 1,000 words or fewer. Put your character is a funny situation and make us laugh. Entry fee: $5. Prizes: $40, $25, $15.

EATING POEM — Deadline January 18, 2008. Poems on any aspect of food, meals, or eating habits. Write about a pear, a holiday meal, the hair you found in your restaurant soup, or how been sprouts make you gag. Anything eating or food-related. 30 lines or less. Entry fee: $3 or $5 for three poems. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ARTICLE — Deadline , January 11, 2008. An article based on the personal experience or the author, which also offers insight or motivation for the reader. Limit 2,000 words. Entry fee: $5. Prizes: $40, $25, $15.

February 2008 Deadlines

MEMORY POEM — Deadline February 2, 2008. Write a poem about a special memory that left a lasting impression or impact on your life or the life of a family or friend. Any style. Keep length to two pages. Entry fee: $3 or $5 for three poems. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

CHARACTER SKETCH — Deadline February 9, 2008. Practice creating believable characters in 500 or fewer words. Show your character in a scene, doing something typical of him or her. Entry fee: $5. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

ODE — Deadline February 16, 2008. Write an ode, that is-- a poem that glorifies or praises a person, place or thing. Both classic and modern forms are fine. (Unfamiliar with ode? Read William Carlos Williams) Keep length to two pages or less Entry fee: $3 or $5 for three poems. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

FILLER — Deadline February 23, 2008. Short prose (up to 500 words) on any topic, from humor to tips, original anecdotes, etc. Entry fee: $5. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

March 2008 Deadlines

FREE VERSE — Deadline March 1, 2008. Poems on any subject written in fee verse, that is verse composed of variable, usually unrhymed lines having no fixed metrical pattern. 30 lines or less. Entry fee: $3 or $5 for three poems. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

CREATIVE NON-FICTION — Deadline March 8, 2008. Nonfiction (either essay or article) that reads like a story, using fiction techniques to present factual information or events. 2,000 words max. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $35, $25, $15.

GHAZAL — Deadline March 15, 2008. Write a ghazal (pronounced guzzle) a specific arabic form poem, written in couplets. (If you are not familiar with the form, look it up on line or at the library. It is not difficult and is becoming quite popular) Stick to the traditional form of between 5 to 15 couplets. Entry fee: $3 or $5 for three poems. Prizes: $35, $20, $10. (Winner will also receive a three-month subscription or extension to a current subscription).

NEW TALENT SHORT STORY — Deadline March 22, 2008. Open to any writer who has never won a cash prize in a ByLine fiction contest. Maximum length 3,000 words. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $40, $30, $20.

April 2008 Deadlines

POEM OF GUILT — Deadline April 5, 2008. Yours, someone else's, or the feeling itself. Think creatively; be original-fanciful even. Keep your poems to no more than 2 pages. Any style. Entry fee: $3 or $5 for three poems. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

OPENING LINE — Deadline April 12, 2008. Story of 3,000 words or fewer, any genre that opens with the line: "There was a knock at the door and…" Entry fee $5. Prizes: $40, $30, $20.

GENERAL POETRY — Deadline April 19. 2008. Any style, subject or length. Just remember that shorter poems more likely to be published. Entry fee $4. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

PERSONAL MEMOIR — Deadline April 26, 2008. An incident or reminiscence from your own life that left a lasting impression. Written in first person, 1,000 words maximum. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $35, $25, $15.

May 2008 Deadlines

NEW TALENT FORM POEM — Deadline May 3, 2008. Any form poem from an acrostics, haikus and limericks to sonnets, ballads, or pantoums. Any poem that has a specified form in terms of rhyme, syllables, or repeated lines. Open to anyone whose poetry has never been published by Byline or who has never won a cash prize in a ByLine poetry contest. Keep length to that specified in form's guidelines. Entry fee: $3 or $5 for three poems. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

COLUMN/OP-ED — Deadline May 10, 2008. Suitable for a newspaper column. Topic and style of your choice (humor, political, satire, slice of life). 500 words max. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

HEAVENLY POEM — Deadline May 17, 2008. Write a poem about Heaven, whether that is the concept of an afterlife used by many religions and spiritual philosophies or a personal place/condition of utmost happiness without any religious associations at all. Do not exceed 30 lines. Unrhymed or skillfully rhymed (slant rhymes, half rhymes, internal rhymes). Try to avoid "perfect" end rhymes. Entry fee: $3 or $5 for three poems. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

JUVENILE SHORT STORY — Deadline May 22, 2008. Fiction for ages 5-8; 9-12; or 13-16. State targeted age group on ms; 2,000 words max. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $40, $30, $20.

June 2008 Deadlines

WATER POEM — Deadline June 7, 2008. Poetry or verse that is about or contains a strong water image whether as a tear, ocean, rain, river, flood or bead of sweat. No more than 30 lines. Entry fee: $3 or $5 for three poems. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLE — Deadline June 13, 2008. An uplifting nonfiction piece aimed to motivate or inspire. Includes but is not limited to spiritual topics. Limit 1,500 words. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $40, $30, $20.

TIME TO RHYME! — Deadline June 21, 2008. Rhymed poetry on any topic. Use rhyme skillfully avoiding the predictable (e.g. one syllable perfect end rhymes). Try for multi-syllabic rhymes, slant rhymes, internal rhymes, etc. Length should not exceed two pages. Entry fee: $3 or $5 for three poems. Prizes: $35, $20, $10.

NEW TALENT FLASH FICTION STORY — Deadline June 28, 2008. Open to any writer who has never won a cash prize in a ByLine fiction contest. Maximum length, 2,000 words. Entry fee $5. Prizes: $40, $30, 20.