***Specific Contest Information Below***
Currently Closed for Submissions:
Napkin Microfiction Contest, Summer Speculative Fiction, & Ghost & Horror Short Story, Ghost and Horror Spooky Image, Applaud Art Contest – Contest Rules/Guidelines
Applaud Art Contest – Winners Announced!
1st Place – Rachel Chansler-Djoko with Portrait of the Artist at 30 (and 11) & Bored Now, Oil
2nd Place – Tomas Leventhal with Bucha The witnesses & Ring 3-Canto XV Dante & Virgil Progress Across the Burning Plain, Acrylic on paper, mixed media
3rd Place – Belle Adams – with Poles & Simply Merely Just, Mixed media
Honorable Mentions:
- Gretta Snow with Stargirl, Sculpture
- Sherry Shearheart with The First Woman’s Literature, Painting
- Cory Wyszynski with Endless, Digital Media
- Tiffany Marcum with Wave, Painting
We applaud you! AWARDS INCLUDE:
- 1st place through 3rd place will receive cash awards – TBD based on number of entries.
- Virtual Award Exhibition published on Indie It Press.
- Top 3 Award Video
- Social Media Promotion & Indie Beat Buzz Announcement
- 3 Applaud Art winners – interviewed for a special feature on Indie It Press. (Friday Indie Q&A, Artist edition.)
- Honorable Mentions awarded at the discretion of the jury and amount of submissions.
- All selected artwork published in Courageous Creative Anthology, Volume 2, in 2023. (print & ebook)
Please read the contest rules prior to submitting.
Pen, ink, pencil, charcoal, graphite, markers, mixed media, watercolor, oil, acrylic, fiber/fabric, collage, sculpture, scratchboard, digital art or other.
Inquire with other art mediums.
All subject matter and styles allowed.
Up to two images per submission.
Images must be professionally presented for jury.
Cost: $12.00 – up to 2 submissions
Deadline: November 5th, 2022, at 11:55 PM EST
After you pay $12.00 for the contest email up to 2 Applaud Art submission(s) as an attachment to contests @ indieitpress [dot] com. Please include your bio in the body of the email along with the title of your artwork(s). In the subject line have it read “Applaud Art Contest”. Remove all personal information on your attachment(s).
BEFORE ATTACHING the IMAGES: Please title your artwork with the name of the piece, medium used, and submission number. ex: dragon_ink_sub1.
Ghost & Horror Short Story Contest – Closed for Submissions
WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
1st Place – A Night In El Campo by Clara Olivo
2nd Place – The Witch of Misty Hill by La Rae Randall
3rd Place – Just Like Me by Conner Lee
4th Place – Can You See Me Now? by Kelly Fuller
5th Place – The Invalid by C.L. Walters
Honorable Mention – Secrets of the Queen by Jessica Woehler
CONGRATULATIONS to the winners! THANK YOU to our Judges/Readers Mae Wagner & KC Loesener!
So, what’s your horror story? Enter if you dare to our 2nd annual Ghost & Horror Short Story Contest. Submit your haunting, horror driven, scream of a story! We’re looking forward to it.
Prompt: Ghost, or Horror short story
Words: 1000-4000
Cost: $12
Closes: September 17th, 2022 at 11:55 EDT
Prizes Awarded:
- 1st place $70.00
- 2nd place $40.00
- 3rd place $25.00
- 4th place $20.00
- 5th place $15.00
- All Winners – Ghost, or Horror piece published on Indie It Press
- 5 winners – Interviewed for a special feature on Indie It Press
- Honorable Mentions awarded at the discretion of the judges.
- ALL PRIZES AWARDED THROUGH PAYPAL.
We accept short stories from all writers. We highly encourage new and emerging writers as well as those who identify as LGBTQIA2s+ writers, BIPOC writers, and disabled writers to submit to our contest.
Please read the contest rules prior to submitting.
After you pay $12.00 for the contest email your submission as an attachment to contests @ indieitpress [dot] com. Please include your bio in the body of the email along with the title of your story. In the subject line have it read “Ghost & Horror and Story Title”. Remove all personal information on your story attachment.
Feedback
Want feedback on your submission? We love to give Feedback! However, it takes time and energy for our judges to do this and we would like to pay them for their time. If you would like feedback for your piece it will cost an additional $5.00. Purchase $5 Feedback.
Meet our Judges – Ghost & Horror Short Story Contest
Mae Wagner is an author of various works, including a memoir, Girls, Assassins, and Other Bad Ideas, forthcoming August 2022. Mae currently lives in a small lake Erie cottage in Pennsylvania with her husband, their dog, cat, and an unwavering search for adventure, beauty, and light.
Website: rainydayinmay.com
IG: @rainydayinmay
I’m KC Loesener, the creator of The Eve of Darkness trilogy. Proud introvert, bird lover, and a huge horror fan. I serve as a writing coach, currently teaching new writers how to buckle down and write their manuscripts in four short monthsBesides writing horror, I love a good ghost story. The paranormal, vampires, and werewolves exhilarate me. I love punk and grunge, and I desperately miss the 90s. Superhero movies and comics are a necessity. DC and Marvel stories have my heart.
I enjoy creating complex, multifaceted characters that rise to discover themselves and what they are capable of.
I reside with my husband, Wally, who is my greatest supporter.
Coaching with KC website: kcloesener.com
IG: @kcloesener
CLOSED SUBMISSIONS:
Summer Speculative Fiction Contest – Winners Announced!
We announced the winners of our Speculative Fiction Contest this past week. What is exciting is that this was the first time a couple of our winners wrote in the speculative fiction genre! That’s wonderful!
WINNERS:
1st Place – The Seeds of Texas by Rachel Donalson
2nd Place – Birdy by James West
3rd Place – The Watch by Erica Sage
4th Place – The Death Crier by Shannan Chapman
5th Place – Her Feral Figment by M.J. Weisen
Honorable Mention – Landscape with Flowers by Judith Pratt
A special thank you to our Readers/Judges Maci Aurora & Kurtis Hassinger!
Speculative Fiction Currently Closed for Submissions
Write imaginative magical realms this summer about things that do not exist in our present universe. Dive deep into your imagination. Take respite in another world.
Genres under this speculative contest umbrella category include but are not limited to: science fiction, fantasy, horror, superhero fiction, alternate history, utopian and dystopian fiction, and supernatural fiction, as well as combinations. examples: science fantasy; horror super hero; supernatural scifi.
Submissions are open until July 30, 2022 at 11:55 EDT.
Cost $12.00
1000-4000 words.
- 1st place $70.00
- 2nd place $50.00
- 3rd place $25.00
- 4th place $20.00
- 5th place $15.00
- All Winners – speculative fiction piece published on Indie It Press
- 5 winners – interviewed for a special feature on Indie It Press
- Honorable Mentions awarded at the discretion of the judges.
Please read the contest rules prior to submitting.
After you pay $12.00 for the contest email your submission as an attachment to contests @ indieitpress [dot] com. Please include your bio in the body of the email along with the title of your story. In the subject line have it read “Speculative Fiction and Story Title”. Remove all personal information on your story attachment.
Feedback
Want feedback on your submission? We love to give Feedback! However, it takes time and energy for our judges to do this and we would like to pay them for their time. If you would like feedback for your piece it will cost an additional $5.00. Purchase $5 Feedback.
2nd Annual Napkin Microfiction Contest – Winners Announced!
1st Place – We Should Run by R.C. Reyn
2nd Place – Flunge by Michele Merens
3rd place – The Napkin by Madonna Wood
4th Place – Only Whispers by M.J. Weisen
5th Place – Elles Fine by CoRy Wyszynski
Honorable Mentions:
The Rehabilitation of Lou the Devourere by Keema Waterfield
Lonely Ghost At The End of Time by Bobby Corpus
Green Gold by Sherring Dartiguenave
Submissions are now closed until 2023 for the Napkin Microfiction Contest.
Cost $12.00
Open prompt, 200-700 words.
Some of the best ideas start out on a napkin! Share with us the fiction you’ve written on napkins when inspiration hits, that yellow sticky note idea, or your cell phone snippet- dust it off and shine it up. Take the time to tighten that micro-fiction piece that didn’t make it into your novel. Maybe you will feel the urge write something brand new. It’s up to you!
- 1st place $70.00
- 2nd place $50.00
- 3rd place $25.00
- 4th place $20.00
- 5th place $15.00
- All Winners – microfiction piece published on Indie It Press
- 5 winners – interviewed for a special feature on Indie It Press
Please read the contest rules prior to submitting.
After you pay $12.00 for the contest email your submission as an attachment to contests @ indieitpress [dot] com. Please include your bio in the body of the email along with the title of your story. Remove all personal information on your story attachment.
Winner of our Courageous Creative Anthology Book Cover Image Announcement
Fred Charles won the $40 cash prize with his whimsical image “Daring” and he also shared that it was drawn on a 3×3 Post It Note!
About the image Fred wrote:
‘Daring’ represents being fearless in your creations and not being afraid to put your work out into the world!
Fred Charles
Thank you Fred for submitting your image ‘Daring’ to our Courageous Creative Anthology Book Cover.
At Indie It Press we discuss a variety of ways to be creative, how to defeat or set aside imposter syndrome in order to live a continuous creative life. Daily, we discover courage in ourselves and see it in our art.
We will be making an announcement soon on written submissions for our Courageous Creative Anthology.
Stay tuned!
SUBMISSIONS CLOSED
- Flash creative nonfiction piece from 200-700 words that pushes the boundaries of what being a courageous creative looks like to you. Reflect on the last couple of years and write your heart out in the flash creative nonfiction genre.
- Poetry piece from 100-700 words that push boundaries of creativity. Enchant us with the spin of your words the embodies courageous creative to you.
- Fiction short story piece from 1000-5000 words that push boundaries of creativity. You my write in any sub genre of fiction. Write a piece that puts everything into question. A fiction piece that’s your bravest writing. Wow us! Allow your readers to dive deep in your fiction creative magic.
- Create an image that evokes ‘courageous creative’ to you! Use your imagination and bring a still image to life.
- We will choose one image that will be the cover of Courageous Creative: An Anthology for the Creative Artist In You. The chosen image will receive $40 payment for the book cover work. We will add additional visual art to the inside of the anthology as well.
Furthermore, we seek still images submissions from any fine art medium: watercolor, ink, pencil, chalk, oil painting, decoupage, graphic art, photography, and photo collage. This must be submitted in JPG/JPEG, or PNG form that projects Courageous Creative.
Cost: $12 – You can submit up to one, two, or three submission(s)!
All submissions will be considered for the Courageous Creative Anthology to be published June 2022. Pieces chosen to be placed in the Courageous Creative Anthology from this submission will receive one anthology for free.
Closes: January 14th, 2022 at 11:55 EST
Before submitting please read the rules from the link below:
Indie It Press – Contests Rules/Guidelines – Writing & Visual Arts
Image & Story Titles:
Make the filename of your entry the same as your title of your image, or story not a number. We like titles.
Entry title ex: forestgrove
Announcing the Winners of the Ghost & Horror Story Contest
We are please to announce the winners of our Ghost & Horror Short Story Contest. The competition was tight as many of you ranked so close to one another. YIKES! Way to dish out fear and screams! The judges, Willow Ford and Tyler Schanck, were pleased with the submissions calling them “gothic, frightening, unique, and terrifying.”
A special thank you to our judges who offered extensive feedback on your stories. They LOVED your work and eager to let you know how they felt about each and every single story. WOW! They truly went beyond expectations. THANK YOU WILLOW AND TYLER!
Feedback is inside your Ghost & Horror Short Story submission portal in the DASHBOARD. You can login to your account to see your feedback on your stories. You should have also been emailed the feedback if you receive notifications from us.
CONTEST WINNERS!
1st Place: Zira MacFarlane, FLY BAIT – $100 Prize Winner
2nd Place: The Gathering, FALSE MOON RISING – $70 Prize Winner
3rd Place: M.C. Rodrigues, CHOPIN IN CANDLELIGHT – $40 Prize Winner
4th Place: Ellis Morten, HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN? – $25.00 Prize Winner
5th Place: Matt Micheli, THE LOCKET – $20 Prize Winner
Honorable Mentions in no particular order:
NIGHT ON THE HIGH DESERT by Joseph Hopkins
SEVEN by Bibiana Krall
THE SCENT OF THE SCATTERED by Ted Morrissey
IT’S BETTER THAT WAY by Catherine Peacock
TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW by Megan Speece
OVERCOOKED by Sophia Therriault
Spooky Image Contest
We only received one entry on the Spooky Image contest and we LOVED the one entry! We will feature it announcing our winners of the Ghost & Horror Short Story Contest. We paid the submitter for use of her image. Please consider submitting images to our next submission for our Courageous Creative anthology.
Sasha Snow was paid for use of her image ‘Horror’. Thank you, Sasha for submitting your incredible image!
Again, Congratulations to all of our winners!
Ghost & Horror Short Story Statistics below:
Submissions Total = 32 Submitters – 31 Ghost & Horror short story Submissions – 1 Ghost & Horror Scary Image submission.
Amount of submission money collected at $12 per submission = $384
Total amount money paid out to winners via Paypal = $255.00 (Still waiting on some Paypal email addresses in order to pay.)
Total amount money paid to readers via Paypal at $1 per story, plus $1 per story for feedback = $62 to each Reader/Judge x 2 = $124
Image Contest – 1 submission – Indie It Press paid submitter $40 to use the image for contest winner promotions.
Amount money Indie It Press donated to fund the contest – $35.00 (this does not include fees charged by third party payment vendors or advertising for the contest – aka administration fees.)
How To Submit
Please read the contest rules prior to any submission.
Click on the submission button to the contest you’d like to enter. You’ll be directed to the page to pay. Scroll to the bottom and pay for the contest. After payment goes through, and is considered complete, you will then be emailed a link that will direct you to the upload page. Click on that link. This page will require you to login to the DASHBOARD, your contest should be inside your dashboard. Click on the contest, scroll down to where it says submission upload, click on that and follow the direction to upload your submission.
If payment is not approved, and does not go through, you will not be sent a link to submit.
Where does my payment go?
Our charges for the contests go directly to the listed prize money, to pay for our readers, and administration costs connected to the contest. We do not profit off of our contests. If any funds are left over, the funds roll over to the next contest prizes. In full transparency, I’ve listed under each contest, on this page, how many submissions we had and the amount that was covered by prize money, and the amount that was covered out-of-pocket by Indie It Press.
If you have any questions feel free to email me at leisa@indieitpress.com.
Thank you, Leisa
Ghost & Horror Short Story & Spooky Image Contests now CLOSED for Submissions.
Short Story:
Enter if you dare to our Ghost & Horror Short Story Contest. Submit your haunting, horror driven, scream of a story! We’re fingers spread over our eyes, sinking into our couch, looking forward to it.
Prompt: Ghost, or Horror story, anything spooky.
Words: 1000-4000
Spooky Image:
Get your fright on- Bring the scare to us! Indie It Press is hosting our first image contest. Get your creativity sparked with scary images. Graphic images, photography, as long as it’s an image in still form JPG/JPEG, or PNG and stays within the contest theme, you’re in!
Witches, ghouls, goblins, scary clowns, dark woods, spooky buildings anything that fits into the spooky genre can be submitted!
Story & Image Contest Details:
Cost for each contest: $12.00
Both Contests Close: September 19th, 2021 at 11:55 MDT
Please read contest rules prior to submission – Contest Rules
Prizes Awarded in Story & Image Contests:
- 1st place $100.00
- 2nd place $70.00
- 3rd place $40.00
- 4th place $25.00
- 5th place $20.00
- All Winners – Your short story/image will be published on Indie It Press during the month of October! 1st prize posted live on the Hallowed Halloween week. A countdown from 5th place winner to 1st place all through the month of October.
- Top 5 winners – interviewed for a special feature on Indie It Press.
- ALL PRIZES AWARDED THROUGH PAYPAL.
There will also be 5 honorable mentions in both the short story and image contests.
We accept short stories & creative still images from all writers. We highly encourage new and emerging writers/artists as well as those who identify as LGBTQIA2s+, BIPOC, and disabled artists to submit to our contests.
How To Submit
Please read the contest rules prior to any submission.
Click on the submission button to the contest you’d like to enter. You’ll be directed to the page to pay. Scroll to the bottom and pay for the contest. After payment goes through, and is considered complete, you will then be emailed a link that will direct you to the upload page. Click on that link. This page will require you to login to the DASHBOARD, your contest should be inside your dashboard. Click on the contest, scroll down to where it says submission upload, click on that and follow the direction to upload your submission.
If payment is not approved, and does not go through, you will not be sent a link to submit.
Our charges for the contests go directly to the listed prize money, to pay for our readers, and administration costs connected to the contest. We do not profit off of our contests.
Indie It Press Summer Short Story Contest – Winners Announced!
Submissions Total = 21 Submitters
Amount of submission money collected at $20 per submission = $420
Total amount money paid out to winners via Paypal = $675.00
Total amount money paid to readers via Paypal at $1 per story equals $21.00 and Indie It Press made it an even $25 to each reader = $50
Amount money Indie It Press donated to fund the contest – $305.00 (this does not include fees charged by third party payment vendors or advertising for the contest – aka administration fees.)
Thank you to all those that submitted to this contest. It was a TIGHT one!
1st Place: Erica Sage, STARLING – $300 Prize Winner
2nd Place: Jordan Nishkian, IN THE VOID – $200 Prize Winner
3rd Place: Shannan Chapman, TWO BRIDGES – $100 Prize Winner
4th Place: Zira MacFarlane, BLACK WATER – $50 Prize Winner
5th Place: Leanne Su, BLUE RASPBERRY – $25 Prize Winner
Honorable Mentions:
6th Place: Stephen Mills, THE GRASSMARKET BUTCHER
Four Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):
BLUE LAKE by Clara Olivo
BROWN OWL by Michelene Esposito
SNAPSHOT by Thomas Leventhal
THE LIVING BUILDINGS by E.M. Barker
Summer Short Story Contest Guidelines
Summer is here. Can you feel it? Let’s heat it up even more with our Indie It Press Summer Short Story Contest. Dust off your short story you placed in a drawer, pull out your inspiring notes, or write something brand new. It’s up to you!
We accept short stories from all writers. We highly encourage new and emerging writers as well as those who identify as LGBTQIA2s+ writers, BIPOC writers, and disabled writers to submit to our contest.
Open Prompt
Words: 1000-4000
Closes: July 31st, 2021 at 11:55 PDT
Cost: $20
Prizes Awarded:
- 1st place $300.00
- 2nd place $200.00
- 3rd place $100.00
- 4th place $50.00
- 5th place $20.00
- All Winners – Your short story will be published on Indie It Press.
- Top 5 winners – interviewed for a special feature on Indie It Press.
- ALL PRIZES AWARDED THROUGH PAYPAL.
Please read the contest rules prior to submitting.
Thank you to our Judges of the Summer Short Story Contest!
Elizabeth Copps, Literary Agent
Elizabeth is drawn to fresh takes on timeless plots; stories that are thought provoking and discussion spurring. She loves complex characters who are brimming with personality and burst off the page. Who are irreverent and dark. Smart and sarcastic. Creative and wise.
For the past decade, Elizabeth Copps has dedicated herself to the care and management of author careers. Her business philosophy is simple: to foster relationships across the industry that are equitable, transparent, and long-lasting.
She continues to build her agency, Copps Literary Services, and her list of award-winning and eclectic authors from her current home of Denver, Colorado.
She specializes in middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction in the following genres: contemporary with a literary bent, historical, horror, magical realism, thriller/mystery/suspense, book club, and women’s fiction. In nonfiction, she seeks platform-driven memoir and biography.
Website: www.coppsliterary.com
Twitter: @escopps and @coppsliterary
Announcing the Winners of the Napkin Microfiction Writing Contest
WINNERS:
1st Place: Sasha Snow, Le Table – $300 prize winner
2nd Place: Maggie Friedenberg, Shoes – $200 prize winner
3rd Place: Rick Hansard, The Oak – $100 prize winner
4th Place: Ednor Therriault, Sprinkles – $50 prize winner
5th Place: Sophia Therriault, English Ivy – $50 prize winner
6th Place: Elaine May Smith, Fantaisie Française – $20 prize winner
7th Place: Mae Wagner, Slow Motion Crash – $20 prize winner
8th Place: Ariel Kay, Swim or Sink – $20 prize winner
9th Place: Darren Faughn, Free Fall – $20 prize winner
10th Place: Shannon Chapman, A Twinkle in the Dark – $20 prize winner
Honorable Mentions:
- The Carpenter’s Daughter, by Jacqueline Ernst
- You Sneak In, by Ania Ray
- Unrude Awakening, by Donna Rhodes
- A Strange Encounter, Heather Scarberry
- Glass, by Christy O’Callaghan
- Piloting Memories, by S. Salazar
- Sea Monsters, by Mike Kloeck
- Red Looming Giant, by Laura Ansara
- The Devil’s Daughter, by Heather Scarberry
- The Perfect Birthday Cake, S.V. Brosius
Thank you to all submitters to our first contest and to our Judges Chantal Roché, and Willow Ford. We couldn’t have asked for a more solid team of Judges. With 32 total submissions, they told us it was difficult to bring the list down to 20 finalists because all stories were entertaining, and solid work. To bring it down to 10 was even more difficult.
Congratulations to all submitters to this contest! Way to go working toward defeating imposter syndrome!
Over the next few weeks, we will be publishing the winning Top Ten Microfiction pieces so keep an eye out for each one as they are fantastic!
Napkin Microfiction Contest Guidelines
Submissions are open until April 30, 2021!
This contest is an open prompt with 200-700 words only. Share with us the fiction you’ve written on napkins when inspiration hits, that yellow sticky note idea, or your cell phone snippet- dust it off and shine it up. Take the time to tighten that micro-fiction piece that didn’t make it into your novel. Maybe you will feel the urge write something brand new. It’s up to you!
- 1st place $300.00
- 2nd place $200.00
- 3rd place $100.00
- 2 runners up $50 each
- 5 honorable mentions $20 each
- All Winners – microfiction piece published on Indie It Press
- Top 5 winners – interviewed for a special feature on Indie It Press
We are also offering a micro-course in conjunction with this contest where we look at four different author’s microfiction pieces and learn something from each of their pieces. We will study the writings of Margaret Atwood, H.P. Lovecraft, Paulo Coelho, and David Foster Wallace.
Cost for micro-course and Napkin Microfiction Writing Contest submission is $15.00.
Please read the contest rules prior to submitting.
At Indie It Press we believe in supporting indie artists of all mediums. Everyone has the right to create, and the right to be seen and heard. Our contests will help support indie artists of all backgrounds. We plan to have contests in creative writing, fine art, photography, film, comics, podcasts, media branding, music, graphic design and more