SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Submissions are now closed for 2024

Winners will be announced March 29, 2024


Editing

Entries for the 2024 competition will open on Thurs, Feb 1, 2024 and close at 5:00 PM (17:00) (Eastern Time) Friday, March 1, 2024. Please check this time zone converter to convert the deadline into your own time zone in order to avoid disappointment and inability to enter.

Elements

Only entries received and paid for by the entry deadline will be considered. The entry fee for each entry is $20.00 in US dollars.

Fast

Entries that are not paid for, are incomplete, formatted incorrectly or submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

Templates

Please submit only the complete first chapter of your unpublished novel-in-progress (fiction only). Please do not include title pages, dedications, prologues, introductions or any other opening pages—submit only your complete first chapter. There is no page limit or word count limit. 

Elements

Format your submission as follows (this is industry standard for manuscript submissions)

– 8.5” x 11” or A-4 page

– 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins all around

– 12-point font (use your preferred font)

– Double-spaced (not 1.5 or 1.15 spacing) with no extra spaces between paragraphs (extra space for section breaks is allowed). NOTE: If you're working in Word, there's a setting that sometimes automatically puts an extra space between paragraphs, and you can change that in your Word settings to get rid of that extra space. Click here for a 45 second video that shows you how.)

Submittable accepts the following types of documents (when in doubt, save your chapter as a PDF to preserve the formatting): .doc, .docx, .odt, .pdf.

Please note: if your formatting is not exactly as specified above, your entry won't be considered and you'll forfeit your $20 submission fee. 

Blogging

Your name should not appear anywhere on your pages or in the name of your document, but you're welcome to include the novel's title if you wish (there's a place to enter the title in the submission form, too).

Customers

By entering this competition, each entrant agrees that if they win first, second, or third prize, or an honorable or notable mention, they are agreeing to share their winning chapter on the prize website so that others may read their winning chapter. All rights remain with the author.

Flexible

No alterations may be made to the entry once it is submitted.

Speed

Each entry must be accompanied by the $20 (USD) entry fee. 

Writers are welcome to submit more than one entry—each entry needs to be submitted and paid for as a separate entry.

Optimization

Please read through the terms & conditions before you submit your entry. 

New

All entries must be made through Submittable.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Entries that do not precisely follow these guidelines will be disqualified without refund of the entry fee

Have questions? Read our FAQs.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

By entering the competition you agree to the following terms & conditions.

Optin

Entries must be your original work (fiction only).

Elements

Entries must be written in English.

New

Entries must not infringe upon the copyright of any person or entity, and must not include AI-generated text. If you've used AI, please do not submit.

Customers

Copyright remains with the author.

Conversion

No entry will be returned or kept after the winners have been announced.

Cloud

Entries will be acknowledged upon submission.

Modern

Cash awards will be paid via PayPal within 15 days of prize announcement.

Editing

Prizes are not transferable.

Sections

By entering, entrants accept that their email address is added to the Gutsy Great Novelist mailing list. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Freedom

Entrants may submit more than one entry. Each entry needs to be submitted and paid for as a separate entry.

Optimized

By entering this competition, each entrant agrees to be bound by the competition guidelines, terms and conditions. 

Fast

By entering this competition, each entrant agrees that if they win first, second, or third prize, or an honorable or notable mention, they are agreeing to share their winning chapter on the prize website so that others may read their winning chapter. All rights remain with the author.

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