Contests
Contest Announcement
Contest submissions are now closed
A collaboration Short Story Contest
Journey into Time
This year's contest is now closed. The judging portion will begin.
Those who are selected as placing or honorable mentions will work with the editor of the volume to enhance their piece for final publication.
We look forward to launching the final anthology on Friday, October 4, 2024 as the kick off event for our Authorpalooza conference.
To join us that evening, purchase tickets here.
Prizes:
-
First prize -- $100 plus certificate, a medal, and complimentary 3Day pass to Authorpalooza Extravaganza Conference
-
Second prize -- $50 plus certificate, a medal, and complimentary 3Day pass to Authorpalooza Extravaganza Conference
-
Third prize -- $25 plus certificate, a medal, and complimentary 3Day pass to Authorpalooza Extravaganza Conference
-
Publication in the book as an honorable mention or winner will also mean a complimentary copy of the volume as well as complimentary entry to the book launch party event on Friday, October 6, 2024 for themselves and a plus one.
​
Additional Contributor Author Benefits:
-
Each author published in the book will be able to purchase as many copies of the anthology as they wish at 50% off retail price and resell these retaining all profits from said sales.
-
Retain all rights to their story for any future or concurrent use. No exclusivity is required or requested.
​
ALL submissions will receive general constructive feedback from judges.
Contest Logistics:
​
-
Submissions will be accepted starting January 8th through April 8th, 2024. Please follow the submission guidelines below.
-
Judging will take place between April 9 through April 30, 2024.
-
Winners and Honorable Mentions will be provided revision requests by the volume’s developmental editor by Monday, May 13, 2024. Authors may choose to have a one-on-one meeting with the editor and gain further insight as well as experience the process of working with a publishing house content editor.
-
Revised drafts will be due by Monday, June 3, 2024 for the final version of the story to be included in the anthology.
-
Release will be Friday, October 4 - Sunday 6, 2024 at the opening evening of the Authorpalooza Extravaganza Conference.
​
Winning authors and honorable mentions whose work is to be included in the final anthology will go through this part of the process so that the final story published is the strongest possible. Word count limit will no longer be important. The focus is on putting the best possible version of the story out to readers.
Submission Guidelines:
​
-
The story should be at least 3000 words AND no more than 7000 words long and must involve the volume’s theme, Journey into Time, in some way. All genre’s and subgenres are welcome.
-
Author’s may submit up to 2 stories to the contest – each story submitted will require a separate entry fee.
-
A panel of judges will score the submissions and determine the winners and honorable mentions – these stories will be published in the anthology and receive their respective additional prizes as applicable.
-
The stories will then move to the publication queue, which consists of two phases:
-
Revision Phase – Authors will be given an opportunity to work with an editor in a revision consultation. A deadline will be provided for resubmission based on the revision requests.
-
Editing Phase – professional copyediting will ensure the work is ready for the public.
Formatting:
Send ONE Word doc which includes ONLY:
-
Title of story and word count
-
author’s name as you wish it to appear in the publication
-
author’s legal name
-
contact information for author including: email address, telephone number, and mailing address
-
a short biography (no more than 500 words) of the author with links to your social media sites and website (if applicable).
Send SECOND word document with:
-
1st page – Title of Story and word count (ONLY)
-
2nd page should begin the short story
-
Story should be in 12 pt Garamond font, single spaced.
-
Your name should NOT appear anywhere in this second word document. Do Not Put Your Name in the header or on the first page of the story file.
​
If the submission is not sent using the aforementioned formatting requirements, it will be automatically disqualified. There will be no refunds of the entry fee should a disqualification occur.​ Any entry that does not strictly adhere to the guidelines provided will be disqualified and monies paid will not be refunded.
​
No exceptions to the guidelines will be made.
About The Judges
Stefanie Fercking is a former high school English teacher. She holds a bachelor’s with a double major in English and philosophy and a master’s in liberal arts. She enjoys writing personal essays and is currently working on a memoir. Her work has appeared in Superpresent, NonBinary Review and Litro Magazine, among others. She and her husband live in Austin.
John Simons is a novelist, script writer, language nerd, and small press publisher under the imprint of Rinth Press. His degree from UH is in English Literature, but he has spent most of his professional life selling pop-culture and pop-culture experiences.
Max Regan a teacher, an internationally published poet and writer, and the founder of Hollowdeck Press, LLC. He has taught poetry, prose and creative writing to various groups for the past 30 years. Max has worked as a journalist for publications around the country, and has taught and lectured at the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, Rose Medical Center and Naropa University.
Our Books
Journey Into Art
Embark on a journey into art as thirteen talented authors invite us into their worlds, and give us their unique takes on how a piece of art can change everything. Tasked with writing a short story in any genre that incorporates a work of art in some way, our authors present to you this collection spanning from gritty noir to heartfelt tales of love and loss. Soul-search at the Taj Mahal, solve the grisly murder of an eccentric abstract artist, and attend the liveliest all-ghost theatre performance there ever was.
Riding the Waves
Sinful passion and uncontrollable lust flow endlessly in this collection of ten erotic LGBTQ tales: revenge of a seductive nature; the secret life of the girl next door; a torrid love triangle; stolen kisses on the high seas; dirty little secrets exposed; the dangers of a family affair; when the teacher becomes the student; tumultuous storms bring the unlikeliest of lovers; the sexy seductive escapades of one woman; the art of seduction and the cat and mouse game that ensues.
Out of Many One
Collected from the winning entries of the Houston Writers Guilds’ Out of Many, One: Celebrating Diversity contest, these short stories and poems capture the vulnerable truth of what it means to be human and celebrate the beauty of being unique.
We hope you have a laugh or even shed a tear while reading them, but we especially hope that they provide some food for thought to help bring positive changes and acceptance to the world we live in.
Waves of Passion
The tide is high…
Passion and uncontrollable lust flow endlessly in this collection of ten erotic tales: rekindled flames; new found love in the unlikeliest of places; romance in the digital age; a torrid love triangle; forbidden relationships exposed; sinful secrets found; pillow talk on a Sunday afternoon; one last tango in Paris with a mysterious stranger; one woman’s reclaiming of her body and spirit; the art of seduction and the cat and mouse game that ensues. This exclusive collection contains the top winning entries of the Houston Writers Guild Press Waves Anthology Series.
Waves of Suspense
Mysteries ebb and flow in this collection of ten suspenseful stories: a dilapidated mansion with an ominous presence; an illicit love affair gone horribly wrong; four young men faced with the deadly consequences of their actions; a wall mural purposely hidden under layers of wallpaper; an employee gone missing at a farm harvest; a murder tied to domestic abuse; a series of unexplained deaths, all fashion models; a fatal car accident welcomed by a small town; a terrible storm and the cat that comes to visit and a hypnotic painting of a cherry bowl.
This exclusive collection contains the top winning entries of the Houston Writers Guild’s annual Fall writing contest.
HWG Press
The HWG Press is the arm of the Guild that focuses on the Houston Writers Guild’s mission to help authors build successful careers.
The Houston Writers Guild offers opportunities for members to enter contests judged by agents, publishers, editors, and other prominent members of the writing community. Winners and honorable mentions are compiled into our anthologies which are produced by our in-house small press, HWG Press.
The HWG Press is a 501c3 small publisher. HWG Press compiles anthologies of award-winning work from the Guild’s annual Fall contest. It actively sells these books by purchasing table space at various selling events and via online social media and other marketing venues. It also provides opportunities for published Guilders to sell their own works at these venues at reduced costs.
The Guild seeks to help all authors be successful by modeling excellence in the quality of book production. From the work with revision editors to make the already wonderful stories even more so to the cover, formatting, and copy editing, the Guild’s books exceed industry standards.
All proceeds from the sale of the HWG Press’ books go to support the programs of the Houston Writers Guild.
Check out our books below.