Showcase Awards (for a pdf. click here )

1. Grand Showcase Award - 3 Prizes ($200/$100/$50) 

• Short story or essay. Limit 2500 words. 

• Sponsor: Ozark Creative Writers Board of Directors. 

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 2. Oxbow Award in Memory of Dusty & Pat Richards - 3 Prizes  ($200/$100/$50) 

• Western short story. 

• Limit: 2500 words. 

• Sponsor: Ozark Creative Writers Board of Directors

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3. Founding Member Award in Memory of Arkansas Poet Laureate Peggy Vining - 1 Prize ($100) 

• Poem about change, any style. Limit: 24 lines. 

• Sponsor: Ozark Creative Writers Board of Directors. 

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4. Mike Willis Inspiration Award - 1 Prize ($100) 

• An inspirational short story about sibling rivalry.

• Limit: 2000 words. 

• Sponsor: Chrissy Willis in memory of her late husband, Mike Willis

 

5. Published Newspaper Column/Blog Award -1 Prize ($50) 

• ​Best opinion essay or column published in a newspaper, online news outlet, or blog for the 12 months preceding August 1, 2023. Columns or blogs may be on any subject or theme, including reviews or humor.​

• Limit: 2500 words.

• Sponsor: Max McCoy

 

Grand Conference Awards- 3 Prizes ($50/$30/$20)

6. Search for Excellence Award  

• Nonfiction memoir or essay.

• Limit: 2500 words. 

• Sponsor: Leon Combs  

7. Native American Short Story Award ​

• Short story with a Native American theme. 

• Limit: 2500 words.

• Sponsor: Clouse Literary Arts and Theater

8. Flash Fiction

• Must have a beginning, middle, and end.

• Limit: 99 words. 

• Sponsor: David Kirkland

9. Haiku Award​

• Write a haiku

• Limit: Traditional 5-7-5 syllables

• Sponsor: David Kirkland

10. A Fish Out of Water Tale​

• A short story that includes someone or something in unusual surroundings. Examples: A 12-year-old enrolls at Harvard, a wolf finds himself appointed king of a lost colony of highly intelligent rabbits, a car mechanic travels back or forward in time, a New Yorker is stranded at the Midland/Odessa airport, etc. Make it zany or believable but write to entertain.

• Limit: 1000 words.

• Sponsor: Micki Fuhrman

11. Birthday Party Romance Contest ​

• While at a painting party for a friend's birthday, the protagonist feels an immediate, undeniable connection with the artist in charge.

• Limit: 1500-2000 words.

• Sponsor: Ozark Romance Authors, Springfield, MO

12. "Steamy" Romance Contest ​

• Write a steamy romance. Must use the words escape and delicious.

• Limit: 1000-4000 words

• Sponsor: Delicious Escape Publications

13. Sleuths' Ink Contest 

• A vigilante in Cancun. Must include a crime. 

• Limit: 500 words

• Sponsor: Sleuths' Ink, Springfield, Mo

14. From Dusk To Dawn​

• Tell a spooky tale of a monster that prowls the night from dusk to dawn.

• Limit: 2000 words

• Sponsor: Homegrown Books

 Conference Awards- 3 Prizes ($25/$15/$10)

15.  Goddesses of Poetic License Challenge

• Write a short story, any genre including all the following words: trajectory, pragmatic, fish, sunflower, and ice cream.

• Limit: 1000 words.

• Sponsor: The Goddesses of Poetic License (Linda Apple, Chrissy Willis & Ruth Weeks)

​16. Senior Moments​

• Write a story, any genre, where the protagonist is over 50. Limit: 1500 words.

• Sponsor: Betsy Gray

17. A Scream in the Night​

• A horror short story. Limit: 3000 words.

• Sponsor: Tahlequah Writers

18. Tales from the Trip​

• Write about a memorable trip (fact or fiction). Examples: family vacation, honeymoon, car buying trip, stagecoach ride in the old west or a trip to the moon. Impress us with your writing and wow us with you story.

• Limit: 500 words.

• Sponsor: Coffee and Critique Writers of O’Fallon, MO

19. Middle-Grade Fiction for Boys Ages 9-12​

• Write a story that will appeal to boys. Limit: 1500-2500 words.

• Sponsor: Renee LaViness

20. Historical Romance Contest

• Historical Romance short story. Limit: 3000 words.

• Sponsors: The Deadline Dames (Joy Keeney & Rhonda Harvey)

21. Hometown Nostalgia  Column​

• Write a nostalgic article about the Ozarks that is suitable for a newspaper column. The article should have a headline (title) and give your column a name. Limit: 500-1000 words.

• Sponsor: Lonnie Whitaker

22. Funeral Mystery

• While attending a funeral you notices someone secreting a piece of paper into the coffin. What do you suppose it says and why? May be sad, funny, poignant...you decide. Edit carefully.

• Limit: 500 words (short story) or Up to 24 lines (poem).

• Sponsor: Marcia Gaye

23. Space Journey​

• Science fiction genre in the style of 50’s Sci-Fi movies. Limit: 2000 words.

• Sponsor: Tahlequah Writers

24. Winston's Quotable Quote Blog

• Choose a favorite quote and blog about it . Limit: 500 words.

• Sponsor: Linda Apple

25. ​Travel Article

• Write it as if you were sending it to a reputable magazine. No photos, please. Limit: 1500 words.

• Sponsor: Johnny D. Boggs

26. Things That Go Bump In The Night!​

• Paranormal short story (No Horror). Limit: 3000 words.

• Sponsor: Ruth Weeks

27. Give Us The Best of Friends 

•  Humorous short story, any genre, about best friends on a cross-country trip. Must include the following words: dachshund, magic, mystery, and pinto beans.

•  Limit: 2500 words.

•  Sponsors: Joni Cogbill and Betsy Gray

28. My Favorite Day in Nature​

• Free Verse Poem

• Sponsor: Linda Sartin in memory of her late husband, Gary

29. Best First Paragraph

• Hook us with your best first paragraph from a novel or short story.

• Sponsors: Margarite Stever and Bonnie Tesh

30. A Drop In The Bucket​

•  A Short Story about checking off an item from your bucket list (can be fact or fiction). Make it exciting and entertaining.

• Limit: 1500 words.

• Sponsor: Little Red Writing Hood

31. CW Indie Press Children's Book Award​

• Children's Book suitable for ages 3-7.

• Limit 750 words.

• Sponsor: CW Indie Press 

 

 On-The-Spot Contest- One Prize $25

• Open only to those attending the OCW Conference in October

• Details to be announced at the conference

• Entries are due by noon Saturday

• Must be present at Awards Banquet Saturday Evening to win

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