Content of this newsletter
- INSTAGRAM TIPS
- SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
- WRITING CONTESTS
- FREELANCE WRITING
- WRITERS RESIDENCIES, FELLOWSHIPS & GRANTS
Welcome to our March Writing and Publishing Newsletter!
March Madness, Spring and Spring-Break - March is known for many holidays, observances, and awareness months, including International Women's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and the start of spring.
"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” ~Audrey Hepburn
The same can be said about “writing is to believe in tomorrow”.
Lets start with some basic Instagram tips (in case you don’t use them already)
Instagram is not patient. Users scroll at lightning speed, and if you don’t grab attention in 3 seconds, they’re gone. Poof. Vanished into the abyss of cute cat videos.
Want to quit Facebook or Twitter, pardon I meant X, and diversify your social media platforms? But where to go?
- Instead of Instagram, there are alternatives like Pixelfed. Bluesky is creating a new platform called Flashes, which is where most people will move
- Instead of WhatsApp, move to Telegram and/or Signal
- Instead of TikTok (which has pushed Trump propaganda), move to Red Note, Tumblr, or Loops
- Instead of Twitter, move to BlueSky
- Instead of Amazon, shop independent and directly from sellers, such as Etsy.
Why Writing Contests are Important
Writers have numerous opportunities in 2025 to showcase their talents through various prestigious writing contests. Participating in these competitions can provide recognition, publication opportunities, and valuable feedback. Below is a comprehensive guide to 25 notable writing contests for 2025, including details on eligibility, submission guidelines, prizes, and tips for prospective entrants. See them all:
https://www.hireawriter.us/creative/writing-contests-in-2025
Prime Number Awards for Poetry and Short Fiction
Open to writers around the world, ages 18 and older, who write in English. Each category will have a First Prize winner, two Runners-Up, and a short list of Finalists. The winning poem and short story, and our runners-up, will appear in Issue 277 of Prime Number Magazine on September 1, 2025. First Prize is $1,000 in each category, and $250 for each Runner-Up (new!). $15 Entry Fee. Deadline March 31
https://www.press53.com/prime-number-magazine-awards
.
BBC National Short Story Award
Open to UK residents or nationals, aged 18 or over, who have a history of publication in creative writing. Short fiction. Prize £15,000 to the winner, £3,000 for the runner-up and £500 for three further shortlisted writers. Deadline March 17
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/Tf3PpXMRWPFtyFRz21QLKl/the-2025-bbc-national-short-story-award-is-open-for-submissions-in-its-20th-year
Booker International Prize
The Booker International Prize for fiction translated into English is awarded annually by the Booker Prize Foundation to the author of the best (in the opinion of the judges) eligible novel or collection of short stories. Prize £50,000 divided equally between the author and the translator. There will be a prize of £2,000 each of the shortlisted titles divided equally between the author and the translator. Deadline For books published between May 1 and Sept 30, 2024 the entry form and physical materials are due by March 31
https://thebookerprizes.com/booker-prize/entering-the-booker-prizes
The Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award
Sponsored by Sisters in Crime. Open to emerging writers of color. An unpublished writer is preferred, although publication of one work of short fiction or academic work will not disqualify an applicant.
Prize $2,000. Deadline March 31
https://thebookerprizes.com/booker-prize/entering-the-booker-prizes
.
The Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction
A book-length work of imaginative fiction written by a single author published in the U.S. in English or in translation to English. Prize $25,000. Deadline March 31
https://www.ursulakleguin.com/prize25
.
Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards
Submit your self-published, printed and bound book in one of seven categories (mainstream/literary fiction, genre fiction, nonfiction/reference, inspirational/self-help, memoirs/life stories, early reader/children's picture books, middle-grade/young adult). A Grand Prize package that includes $10,000, a trip to the Annual Writer's Digest Conference and a feature article about you and your book in the March/April 2026 issue of Writer's Digest. One of seven First Place prize packages that include $1,000 in each respective category and promotion in the March/April 2026 issue of Writer's Digest. The book must have been published between 2020 and January 2025.
Deadline April 1
https://www.writersdigest.com/writers-digest-competitions/self-published-book-awards
.
The Alpine Prize
Awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of Fear. The winner and runners-up will receive financial support in the following amounts: First place: £3,000. No Entry Fee. Deadline April 1
https://alpinefellowship.com/writing-prize
.
Motley Bloom
They are looking for voice-driven pieces that feature lived experiences of neurodivergence, as well as in 500-700 word articles on travel, beauty, home design, work and career, product reviews–anything that falls under the umbrella of Neurodivergent Living. Longer, researched articles are typically commissioned, but if you have a great idea, send it their way. They are also interested in 800-1000 word first-person narratives that showcase the diversity of opinion and experience with neurodivergence. Rates start at $300 for short articles, $500 for longer researched and/or first-person pieces. Motley Bloom is excited for pitches that include photos. Send them to lauren@motley-bloom.com. Be sure to include "PITCH" in your subject line.
https://www.motley-bloom.com/submissions
.
Kitchen Work
Writing about markets, cafes, urban picnics, tiny kitchens, and big dinner tables in your favorite city. Payment $0.20 per word. Illustrators are paid $100 per accepted illustration.
Deadline: March 15
https://www.kitchenwork.com/submissions
.
Epoch
Poetry, prose, art and comics. Payment $100 - $500 for poetry, prose, and comics, depending on length, and $350 for cover art. Deadline March 15
https://www.epochliterary.com/submit
.
New Orleans Review
Fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Payment $300 for prose, $100 for poetry. Deadline March 31
https://www.neworleansreview.org/submit/
.
Escapees Magazine
Compensation varies depending on the quality of the article and if accompanying images are acceptable to include. Payment is typically $100 to $200 for feature submissions, and $50 to $100 for short fillers. Maximum feature article length is 1,500 words. Short filler-type submissions ranging from 100 to 500 words are also considered. Escapees magazine contributors are RVers interested in sharing the RV lifestyle.
https://escapees.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/7531-wg-0717.pdf
.
The Outdoor Journal
Subjects include athletes/adventurers/climbers/surfers, undiscovered trails and places, national and wildlife parks, fitness, ecotourism, wilderness conservation, outdoor gear, adventurous experiences, outdoor education and training institutions, trips and expeditions. Pieces range from 800 to 2000 words. If it is an exceptional story, it could run up to 6000 words, or possibly even more. Blogs are never more than 400 words.
https://www.outdoorjournal.com/contribute/
.
Southern Living
Their team of editors and writers are constantly seeking out what's new and exciting in the South from travel to recipes from decoration to events. Pays well but negotiates with each writer.
https://www.southernliving.com/about-us-6502349#toc-editorial-guidelines
.
Chicken Soup - Funny Stories
This new book is scheduled to be published in 2026.
Tell that hilarious thing that happened when your relatives did and most importantly, that embarrassing thing that you did. Laughing at ourselves is the best! Limit 1200 words. Pays $250 and ten copies.
Deadline Aug 30
http://www.chickensoup.com
.
Chicken Soup: Stories About Pets
Our pets give us a reason to get up in the morning and a reason to come home at night. In return for our care, pets provide us with unconditional love, affection and loyalty. Plus lots of laughs and entertainment! Send us your inspirational, heartwarming, powerful, funny, and silly stories about your pets. Payment $250 and 10 free copies of the book. Deadline May 30
http://www.chickensoup.com
.
Narratively
We’re looking for stories about the weirdest things you or someone you know has gotten into and how it turned your life upside down, brought unexpected joy or changed the path of their career forever. Theme: My Secret Obsession. These can be first-person pieces about your own experience or reported stories. Pay starts at $750. Looking for stories around the same length as our typical features, between 3,000 and 6,000 words. Deadline February 13
https://www.narratively.com/p/call-for-pitches-my-secret-obsession
- WRITERS RESIDENCIES, FELLOWSHIPS, & GRANTS
Edward F. Albee Foundation Residencies
Founded in 1967 by Edward Albee, after proceeds from his play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? proved abundant, the Edward F. Albee Foundation has maintained the William Flanagan Memorial Creative Persons Center (better known as "The Barn") in Montauk, on Long Island in New York, for almost 60 years, which exists to serve writers and visual artists from all walks of life, by providing time and space in which to work without disturbance.
Deadline March 16
https://www.albeefoundation.org/guidelines--submitting.html
.
American Library in Paris Visiting Fellowship
There are two one-month Fellowship periods a year in fall and spring.
A $5,000 stipend will be paid before start of a Fellowship period. Researchers, journalists, writers (both fiction and non-fiction), poets, screenwriters, playwrights, directors, and documentary filmmakers are welcomed to apply. Deadline April 1
https://americanlibraryinparis.org/about-the-visiting-fellowship/#1737641643103-e2c5e2dc-549c
.
The Kerouac Project Residency
It provides six residencies a year to writers of any stripe or age, living anywhere in the world. Each residency consists of approximately a two-month stay in the cottage where Jack Kerouac wrote his novel The Dharma Bums. While at the Kerouac House, each writer stays free with their utilities covered and a $600 food and supplies stipend to use during their residency. Categories are Poetry, Play, Screenplay, Fiction/Short Story, and Nonfiction. Location Orlando, FL.
$50 Application Fee. Deadline April 14
https://www.kerouacproject.org/
.
Writer’s Colony Fellowship
The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH) is pleased to announce the "Real People, Real Struggles, Real Stories" Fellowship, designed to support a writer working on a short or long-form non-fiction project that explores personal experiences with mental illness. The fellowship winner will be awarded a two-week residency at WCDH, providing the recipient with an opportunity to focus entirely on their writing. Location Eureka Springs, AR. Deadline April 21
http://www.writerscolony.org/sponsor-a-fellowship
.
We hope you found lots of ideas in this March newsletter. Enjoy the upcoming Daylight Savings Time next weekend, Women’s History Month, and certainly St Patrick’s Day.
<><><><><>
.
.
.
.
.
.
