Contest Submissions
Dr. Monic Ductan teaches creative writing and African American literature at Tennessee Tech University. Her debut short story collection, Daughters of Muscadine, won the Weatherford
Award from Berea College. Daughters of Muscadine also won the Tennessee Book Award. She’s the editor of a forthcoming anthology of personal essays and poems entitled, Hand to Mouth: Southern Writers on Poverty (Loblolly Press, 2027). Her poem, “Mama Took Grandma to Vote for Kennedy” won the 2025 Tennessee Williams New Orleans Literary Festival contest. Monic has been granted residencies from Arthurdale Heritage in West Virginia and the
Orchard Keeper Writer’s Residency in east Tennessee. Her work has been supported with an artist grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission and a Walter E. Dakin Fellowship from the
Sewanee Writers’ Conference. She’s at work on a novel about a 9-1-1 operator uncovering police corruption in a small Georgia town.
2026 SHORT FICTION CONTEST SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
The Knoxville Writers Guild is accepting submissions during September, 2026 for the annual
short fiction contest.
Submissions must be received electronically by 11:59 p.m. on September 30.
Please direct questions regarding the contest to knoxvillewritersguild.org/contact and choose
Contest Questions.
General Contest Guidelines
Please read the guidelines carefully.
Who can submit?
Anyone EXCEPT KWG Board members and Contest Committee members and last year’s first-prize winner. Winners from prior years other than last year are eligible.
Is there a limit on submissions?
No, but there is a separate submission fee for each entry. See the “Submission Fees” section below.
What is a submission?
An unpublished work of fiction 5,000 words or less. Submission of previously published
works will result in disqualification from the contest and forfeiture of the submission fee.
How do I submit my submission?
On-line at: Insert Link. Submissions must be made on-line at this link. No submissions
by electronic mail or regular mail will be accepted.
a. Each submission must be entered separately as an individual submission with the
applicable fee.
b. You will receive an automated email confirmation that the committee has
received your submission. Please send a follow-up inquiry if you do not receive
an email confirmation for receipt of your submission.
Deadline for Submission: All submissions must be posted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 2026, through this on-line submission process.
Identifying Information: The title of your attachment should match the title of your submission.
SUBMISSIONS MUST NOT CONTAIN YOUR NAME OR ANY IDENTIFYING INFORMATION OTHER THAN THE TITLE OF THE SUBMITTED STORY. INCLUSION OF YOUR NAME IN THE TITLE OF THE ATTACHMENT OR IN THE SUBMITTED DOCUMENT WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION.
Format: Black text on a white background, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman or Courier font.
AGAIN, DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME, PEN NAME, OR ANY OTHER IDENTIFYING INFORMATION IN THE TITLE OR IN THE BODY OF THE SUBMISSION ITSELF. DOING SO WILL RESULT IN YOUR SUBMISSION BEING REJECTED AND FORFEITURE OF YOUR SUBMISSION FEE.
What are the submission fees?
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For members, the first submission is free; each additional submission is $10.
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For nonmembers, the fee for each submission is $15. If you’d like to become a KWG member, you may join at knoxvillewritersguild.org for only $35/year ($20/year for students).
Submit your electronic payment via the online submission process. Payment by check or
cash is not allowed.
Prizes
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First Place Prize, $300.
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Second Place Prize, $100.
Prizes may not be awarded if an insufficient number of eligible submissions are received. Prize checks will be mailed to the address connected to the submission unless a different payment address is provided.
Winners will be notified by phone and/or email in early November, 2026.
The First Place winner in each category will be invited to read a selection from the
winning submission at the November 5, 2026 meeting of the Knoxville Writers Guild,
when the winners will be publicly announced.
The Knoxville Writers Guild will publish the first and second place submissions on its website, unless a prize winner requests otherwise.
FAQs
What types of services do you offer?
We offer a variety of workshops, critique groups, and networking opportunities that cater to writers of all levels. Our focus is on fostering creativity and collaboration.
How can I join your guild?
You can join our guild by completing the membership sign-up form available on our website. We welcome writers of all genres and experience levels.
What events do you host regularly?
We host monthly workshops, guest speaker sessions, and writing competitions to provide our members with opportunities to grow and showcase their work.