Contests
Contest Announcement
Contest submissions open
May 1, 2026
A Collaborative Short Story Contest
Journey Into the Holidays
Submissions for Journey Into the Holidays open May 1, 2026.
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Before submitting, please review the submission guidelines below carefully.
Submissions that fail to meet the guidelines will be automatically rejected. No exceptions.
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Journey Into the Holidays
Submission Guidelines
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Story should be no more than 5,000 words long and must involve the volume’s theme, Journey into the Holidays, in some way. All genre’s welcome.
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Authors may submit up to 3 stories to the contest.
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A panel of judges will score the submissions and determine the winners and honorable mentions. These stories will be published in the anthology and receive their respective additional prizes as applicable.
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The stories will then move to the publication queue, which consists of two phases:
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Revision Phase — Authors will be given an opportunity to work with an editor in a revision consultation. A deadline will be provided for resubmission based on the revision requests.
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Editing Phase — professional copyediting will ensure the work is ready for the public.
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Prizes:
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First prize — $100, plus certificate and a medal
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Second prize — $75, plus certificate and a medal
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Third prize — $50, plus certificate and a medal
Publication in the book will also mean each author will receive a complimentary copy of the volume as well as complimentary entry to the book launch celebration at which the book will be officially released and where all prizes will be handed out.
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Each author will be able to purchase as many copies of the anthology as they wish at 50% off retail price and resell these retaining all profits from said sales
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Retain all rights to their story for any future or concurrent use. No exclusivity is required or requested.
Submission Format:
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Send your submissions as 2 Word Documents to inklingspublishing@gmail.com
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Subject Line: HWG Contest Entry
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First Word Document should be titled "(Your Name) Author Information" and contain the following:
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Title of story
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Author’s name as you wish it to appear in publication
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Author’s legal name
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Contact information for author, including:
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Email address, telephone number, and mailing address
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Author Bio of no more than 500 words that has been professionally edited and is ready for inclusion in the book, should your story make the cut.
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Second Word Document should be titled "(Your Name) + Story Title" and be formatted as follows:
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Typed in 12 pt Garamond font
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Single-spaced
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Header with title of story and page numbering
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Your name should NOT appear anywhere within the document. Do NOT put your name in the header or on the first page of the story proper. Judging is blind, so if your name is within the document, your submission will be disqualified and no refunds will be given.
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If the submission is not sent using the aforementioned formatting requirements, it will be automatically disqualified, and no refund of entry fee will be made in such an event.
Submissions using AI-generated content will be disqualified and no refunds will be issued. Please submit only original stories written by you as a human artist.
Entry Fee and Contest Window for Submissions:
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$30 for nonmembers
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$20 for members
Entries may be submitted starting in May 1, 2026.
Submission window closes on June 30, 2026 at 11:59 pm.
Judging and Production Window:
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Judging will take place during the month of July 2026.
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Results will be sent to participants between August 1 and 15, 2026, along with revision requests if the story placed or received honorable mention and will be published.
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Revision work with an editor for those whose stories make the cut will take place from August 15 to September 1, 2026.
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Final Story for those working with editor will be due September 1, 2026, at which point, the final anthology file will be compiled and sent to copy editing and formatting.
Book Launch Party will be in December 2026; details will be sent closer to the event and posted here as well.
Anthology Submission Payment
To pay for your submission into the writing contest, visit the Journey Into the Holidays anthology event page listed on the HWG Eventbrite by clicking the logo below.
If you are a HWG member, please visit your Member Portal for the discount code!
About the Editor
Rachel Connelly is a freelance developmental editor, born and raised in Houston. For as long as she can remember, writing and reading and storytelling have been her passions. As an editor, it brings her so much joy to help others bring life to the stories inside their heads.
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Outside of work, Rachel is a local community theatre actress, avid painter and crocheter, and mom to four ridiculous cats.
Our Books
Journey Into Hope
Embark on a journey into hope as ten talented authors invite us into their worlds, and give us their unique takes on how hope can change everything. Tasked with writing a short story in any genre that incorporates hope in some way, our authors present to you this collection as a testament to the power of healing, courage, and transformation. These powerful tales illuminate the many paths we take toward renewal. Whether grounded in gritty realism or tinged with the surreal, each story pulses with emotional truth and the promise of change.
Journey Into Time
Embark on a journey into time as thirteen talented authors invite us into their worlds, and give us their unique takes on how time can be a powerful agent for change. Tasked with writing a short story in any genre that incorporates the idea of time in some way, our authors present to you this collection of stories each with a unique take on time and spanning a vast array of genres.
Out of Many One
Collected from the winning entries of the Houston Writers Guilds’ Out of Many, One: Celebrating Diversity contest, these short stories and poems capture the vulnerable truth of what it means to be human and celebrate the beauty of being unique.
We hope you have a laugh or even shed a tear while reading them, but we especially hope that they provide some food for thought to help bring positive changes and acceptance to the world we live in.
Waves of Passion
The tide is high…
Passion and uncontrollable lust flow endlessly in this collection of ten erotic tales: rekindled flames; new found love in the unlikeliest of places; romance in the digital age; a torrid love triangle; forbidden relationships exposed; sinful secrets found; pillow talk on a Sunday afternoon; one last tango in Paris with a mysterious stranger; one woman’s reclaiming of her body and spirit; the art of seduction and the cat and mouse game that ensues. This exclusive collection contains the top winning entries of the Houston Writers Guild Press Waves Anthology Series.
Journey Into Art
Embark on a journey into art as thirteen talented authors invite us into their worlds, and give us their unique takes on how a piece of art can change everything. Tasked with writing a short story in any genre that incorporates a work of art in some way, our authors present to you this collection spanning from gritty noir to heartfelt tales of love and loss. Soul-search at the Taj Mahal, solve the grisly murder of an eccentric abstract artist, and attend the liveliest all-ghost theatre performance there ever was.
Riding the Waves
Sinful passion and uncontrollable lust flow endlessly in this collection of ten erotic LGBTQ tales: revenge of a seductive nature; the secret life of the girl next door; a torrid love triangle; stolen kisses on the high seas; dirty little secrets exposed; the dangers of a family affair; when the teacher becomes the student; tumultuous storms bring the unlikeliest of lovers; the sexy seductive escapades of one woman; the art of seduction and the cat and mouse game that ensues.
Waves of Suspense
Mysteries ebb and flow in this collection of ten suspenseful stories: a dilapidated mansion with an ominous presence; an illicit love affair gone horribly wrong; four young men faced with the deadly consequences of their actions; a wall mural purposely hidden under layers of wallpaper; an employee gone missing at a farm harvest; a murder tied to domestic abuse; a series of unexplained deaths, all fashion models; a fatal car accident welcomed by a small town; a terrible storm and the cat that comes to visit and a hypnotic painting of a cherry bowl.
This exclusive collection contains the top winning entries of the Houston Writers Guild’s annual Fall writing contest.
HWG Press
The HWG Press is the arm of the Guild that focuses on the Houston Writers Guild’s mission to help authors build successful careers.
The Houston Writers Guild offers opportunities for members to enter contests judged by agents, publishers, editors, and other prominent members of the writing community. Winners and honorable mentions are compiled into our anthologies which are produced by our in-house small press, HWG Press.
The HWG Press is a 501c6 small publisher. HWG Press compiles anthologies of award-winning work from the Guild’s annual Fall contest. It actively sells these books by purchasing table space at various selling events and via online social media and other marketing venues. It also provides opportunities for published Guilders to sell their own works at these venues at reduced costs.
The Guild seeks to help all authors be successful by modeling excellence in the quality of book production. From the work with revision editors to make the already wonderful stories even more so to the cover, formatting, and copy editing, the Guild’s books exceed industry standards.
All proceeds from the sale of the HWG Press’ books go to support the programs of the Houston Writers Guild.
Check out our books below.