You are invited to enter the 2023 NFB Writers’ Division contest. See guidelines below.
The annual youth and adult writing contests sponsored by the NFB Writers' Division will open January 1, 2023, and close April 30, 2023. This contest is open to all aspiring writers whether blind or sighted.
Adult contest categories are:
Youth contest categories are short fiction and poetry. The youth contest is divided into three groups, determined by grade level:
In both adult and youth contests, there may be up to three prize winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd), in addition, one or more entries may receive honorable mention. Prize-winning entries may be published within the Writers’ Division magazine, Slate & Style. All contest winners will be announced during the 2023 National Convention in Houston, Texas, at the annual Writers' Division business meeting.
Youth contest winners will receive cash prizes equal to:
Adult contest winners will receive cash prizes equal to:
If you are eighteen years old, or older, you must enter the adult contest. This is a contest for students who use Braille. Entries must be submitted in hand-embossed Braille, either with a slate and stylus or Perkins Braille writer; there are no exceptions. Submissions must be Brailled by the entrant. All submissions, no matter the grade level, must be in contracted Braille. Let us know if you are learning contracted Braille. Additionally, let us know if you have chosen to use UEB, or not.
Send your hardcopy Braille and cover letter to:
Chelsea Cook
901 Englewood Parkway, Apt. J304,
Englewood, CO 80110
Each entrant must provide an identical electronic copy of the cover letter and contest entry as a Microsoft Word file [doc or docx] or as a Rich Text Format [rtf] file. Construct each contest entry as a separate electronic file. Construct your cover letter as a separate electronic file. Attach each separate electronic file to one (1) email and send it to Shelley Alongi, [email protected]. Include your name and title entries in the cover letter only. Each contest entry must contain the title and text only. Example: if you are entering three poems and one story into the contest, attach five files to your email. No entries will be considered unless submitted in the formats listed above. Electronic files submitted in any other format will be immediately disqualified, no questions asked.
Your cover letter must contain the following information: your name, mailing address, phone number, email address. List the titles of all submissions, including the category in which they are being entered, school, and grade level.
We will consider only unpublished original entries. Please do not submit entries that have been previously submitted on a website or blog. Youth short fiction stories submissions cannot be more than 1,000 words and poetry no more than fifty lines. Authors of either poetry or fiction are encouraged to submit multiple pieces.
Are you the best Brailler in the contest? Be sure to double check your work for spelling and grammatical errors. Remember to use Braille paper so the Braille is easy to read. Good luck!
This contest is for everyone eighteen years old or older. One need not be blind to enter. We will consider only unpublished original entries. Please do not submit entries that have been published on a website or blog. Fiction and nonfiction categories can be of any mainstream genre, and cannot exceed 3,000 words. Poetry: We will accept poetry of any length. Adults are required to submit all poetry, fiction, and nonfiction as attachments to an email message. Each entrant must provide an identical electronic copy of the cover letter and contest entry as a Microsoft Word file (doc or docx) or as a Rich Text Format (rtf) file. Construct each contest entry as a separate electronic file. Construct your cover letter as a separate electronic file. Attach each separate electronic file to one (1) email and send it to Shelley Alongi, [email protected]. Note: Only include the title and text of each entry in each contest entry. Example: if you are entering three poems and one story into the contest you must attach five electronic files to your email. No entries will be considered unless submitted in the formats listed above. Electronic copies submitted in any other format will be immediately disqualified, no questions asked. Each separate attachment must be in either Microsoft Word (doc or docx) or a Rich Text Format (rtf). Authors are encouraged to submit multiple pieces. Fiction and nonfiction should be written in a normal prose style, with paragraphs being left justified, lines being single spaced, and having a fourteen-point font of Arial, regular. Be sure to double check your work for spelling and grammatical errors. No hard copy submissions will be accepted.
Along with your entry or entries, include a cover letter providing the following information:
Your name, mailing address, phone number, email address. List the titles of all submissions, including the category in which they are being entered. Method of payment for the entry fee (check or PayPal).
Adult Fees: The fee for each short story is $15.00 for members and $20.00 for non-members. The fee for each nonfiction entry is $15.00 for members and $20.00 for non-members. A member is considered to be one whose dues to the NFB Writers' Division are current for the contest year. A nonmember is one who is not currently a paid member of the NFB Writers' Division at the time of entry into the contest.
*The base fee for poetry will cover up to three poems, if the combined line-count of all three poems does not exceed 108 lines—additional poems require a second fee, following the same fee payment scheme. Base fees are $15.00 for members and $20.00 for non-members.
You may use PayPal from the Writers’ Division website, http://writers.nfb.org/.
Alternatively, you may mail a check made out to NFB Writers’ Division, with a note in the memo line relating to the contest. Send to:
Shawn Jacobson
19541 Olney Mill Rd.
Olney, MD 20832