Hello gentle reader,
The lovely Natasha M. Heck asked me if I could write a post about writing contests for querying writers. There are many coming up, which I have listed below. Hoping this helps!
NB: The contests I mention here are for unagented writers with a finished/polished manuscript. Their goal is to offer you the chance to get your writing on an agent’s desk.
So without further ado, all your autumn writing contests… in one place!
Contest: Trick or Treat with Agents 2013
Date(s): Submissions on Tuesday 22d October
Organised by: Kimberly P. Chase, Brenda Drake and Dannie Morin
Open to: MG,YA, NA, and Adult. (No Erotica or Memoirs)
How to enter: 3-sentence pitch + first 250 words + answer 2 questions
Cost: Free
More info: http://kimberlypchase.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/trick-or-treat-with-agents-2013.html
Contest: 2013 Baker’s Dozen
Date(s): 29th to 31st October for Adult submissions, 5th to 7th November for YA and MG fiction
Organised by: Miss Snark’s First Victim (aka Authoress)
Open to: MG and YA (all genres) – Adult (all genres except erotica and erotic romance)
How to enter: a logline (= a 1 to 2-sentence pitch that encapsulates your story & makes us want to read it) + first 250 words
Cost: $10 entry fee
More info: http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/the-fourth-annual-bakers-dozen-facts.html
Contest: Mystery Agent
Date(s): 1st of each month
Organised by: Operation Awesome
Open to: Depends on the judging agent
How to enter: one-line pitch or 250 first words
Cost: Free
More info: http://operationawesome6.blogspot.fr/
Contest: Secret Agent contest
Date(s): November (date TBA)
Organised by: Miss Snark’s First Victim (aka Authoress)
Open to: Depends on the judging agent
How to enter: first 250 words
Cost: Free
More info: http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.co.uk/p/secret-agent.html
Contest: Pitch Wars
Date(s): December (date TBA)
Organised by: Brenda Drake
How to enter: TBA
Cost: TBA
More info: http://brenleedrake.blogspot.co.uk/
So tell me: are you going to enter those contests? Are there any other contests this autumn I haven’t heard about? Feel free to leave me a comment below!
EM Castellan 
It sounds like the contests are quite difficult, and I liked the fact that you included both free and paid contests.
These are great! Thanks for the info. In your opinion can an author over saturate the market by entering too many, too often?
I think you can enter too many contests. I’d recommend checking who the judges are and making sure people who will judge your entry haven’t seen it before.