Personal Essay Awards

PRIZES

• $2,500 in cash
• An interview with them in Writer’s Digest magazine’s May/June 2026 issue and on WritersDigest.com
• Their essay published on WritersDigest.com
• A paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, including a special trophy presentation at the keynote
• A coveted pitch opportunity where the winner will receive one-on-one attention from editors or agents
• A one-year subscription (new or renewal) to Writer’s Digest magazine
• 20% discount off of purchases made at Writer’s Digest University
• A special graphic recognizing their winning status

• $1,000 in cash
• Their name and essay title published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s May/June 2026 issue and on WritersDigest.com
• A one-year subscription (new or renewal) to Writer’s Digest magazine
• 20% discount off of purchases made at Writer’s Digest University
• A special graphic recognizing their winning status

• $500 in cash
• Their name and essay title published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s May/June 2026 issue and on WritersDigest.com
• A one-year subscription (new or renewal) to Writer’s Digest magazine
• 20% discount off of purchases made at Writer’s Digest University
• A special graphic recognizing their winning status

• $100 in cash
• Their name and essay title published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s May/June 2026 issue and on WritersDigest.com
• A one-year subscription (new or renewal) to Writer’s Digest magazine
• 20% discount off of purchases made at Writer’s Digest University
• A special graphic recognizing their winning status

• A $50 gift certificate for writersdigestshop.com
• Their essay title published on WritersDigest.com
• A special graphic recognizing their winning status

How to Enter

Preparing Your Entry

Important & Helpful Information Prior to Entering

• Have your necessary information available when you are ready to submit your entry.
• All entries must be submitted online through Submittable. If you already have a Submittable account, simply log in!
• Please be sure that the email address that you provide will be valid throughout the competition span. Competition related updates and winner notifications are sent via: email. Please type carefully, and list only one valid email address. Check your spelling carefully including all login information, email addresses etc. Incorrect email addresses may result in the transmission of important information being delayed and/or unsuccessful. Be sure that our email addresses (both Writer’s Digest and Submittable) are not blocked, or you may not receive critical information, receipts, confirmations etc. Check your SPAM folder for any expected but unaccounted for email communications.
• Once an entry has been submitted, no edits, replacements or exchanges will be accepted. If you wish to submit an edited or revised version of a previously submitted entry, you may enter it as a new submission (you may wish to edit the title slightly as well so that you can differentiate them).
• The submitter is who we will refer to as the author, and who we will contact with any questions, updates etc. If the submitter and the author are not the same, please indicate accordingly in parenthesis, on the submitter name line. If you write under a pen name, please indicate.
• Check your spelling carefully including all login information, email addresses etc. Incorrect email addresses may result in transmission of important information being delayed and/or unsuccessful.
• Be sure that neither Writer’s Digest or Submittable email addresses are blocked. Blocking either address, including marking either as Spam or Junk, will prohibit you from receiving competition related updates, critical information, receipts, confirmations, etc.
• If you write under a pen name, or if there are multiple authors, please indicate names on PEN NAME line of the submission form.
• Writer’s Digest assumes all entries are original and are the works and property of the entrant, with all rights granted therein.
• Writer’s Digest is not liable for any copyright infringement on the part of the entrant and will not become involved in copyright disputes.
• Writer's Digest reserves the right to reject work deemed unsuitable for publication or that does not meet all named criteria.
• Winner Notification dates refer to the date that all winners will be notified by.
• Non-Winner Notification: Entrants not selected as winners will not be notified individually; non-winners will be emailed a competition status update in the weeks following the winner notification date. If you enter multiple times, please excuse duplicate emails, as you may receive an email for each separate entry.
• All entries must be submitted online.
• Entry fees may be paid online by credit/debit card (MC, V, AMEX & DISC) or PayPal.
• All deadlines are at 11:59 PM EST, on the specified date. This is the date that all related materials (when applicable) must be shipped by as well. Mailed in entries/materials must deliver within 5 days of the current posted entry deadline, as listed on the website at the time of your submission

Word Count / Line Count Requirements

Entry Method Options/Preparing Your Entry

RULES:

• All entries must be submitted online. Entries must be accompanied by the required entry fee by credit/debit card or PayPal. All entries must be in English. Only original works that have not been published (at the time of submission) in print, digital or online publications will be considered. Self-published work in blogs, on social media, etc. will be considered. Any AI-generated or AI-assisted work will NOT be considered.
• Have your necessary information at hand when you are ready to submit your entry.
• Entries exceeding the 2,000 word limit will be disqualified. Word count refers to all words making up the story (no matter the number of letters in the word). Do not count the title in the word count.
• All submissions are final. Refunds are not provided for disqualified, withdrawn or non-winning entries. Once a submission has been checked out, it is entered into the competition, and cannot be edited or replaced.
• If the Grand Prize Winner accepts the Writer’s Digest Conference portion of their prize they must agree to travel (flying round-trip from the same city) during the conference dates in 2026. The editors or agents who meet with the Grand Prize Winner are under no obligation to read, buy or represent the Grand Prize Winner’s work. This prize includes airfare, hotel and conference registration.
• Winners must fill out and submit the appropriate tax related forms in order to receive their cash awards. If the forms are not submitted within 60 days of the request date, cash awards may be forfeited.
• Writer’s Digest retains one-time nonexclusive publication rights to the Grand Prize and top winning entries to be published in a Writer’s Digest publication.
• Check your spelling carefully including all login information, email addresses etc. Incorrect email addresses may result in the transmission of important information being delayed and/or unsuccessful. Be sure that our email addresses (Writer’s Digest and Submittable) are not blocked, or you may not receive critical information, receipts, confirmations etc. Check your SPAM folder for any expected but unaccounted for email communications.
• The following are not permitted to enter the contest, neither under their legal names nor pen names: employees of Active Interest Media and their immediate family members; Writer’s Digest Books authors; Writer's Digest contributing editors and columnists; and Writer’s Digest instructors for online courses and live webinars. Grand Prize-winning authors from this and other WD competitions, within the three years of being awarded, are not eligible. Previous top winning entries from this and other WD competitions are ineligible except in the case of substantial rewrites. Ineligible entries will be disqualified.
• Writer’s Digest assumes all entries are original and are the works and property of the entrant, with all rights granted therein.
• Writer’s Digest is not liable for any copyright infringement on the part of the entrant and will not become involved in copyright disputes.
• Writer's Digest reserves the right to reject work deemed unsuitable for publication or that does not meet all named criteria.
• Winner Notification dates refer to the date that all winners will be notified by. Entrants not selected as winners will not be individually notified; check the MESSAGES tab in Submittable for any related messaging.
• Non-winning submissions will receive a competition status update in the weeks following the notification of winners.
• WD writing competitions are open to U.S. and non-U.S. residents; however, due to U.S. Government restrictions we are unable to accept entries from Syria, Iran, North Korea, or Crimea.

Pricing and Deadlines

• All entries—$25

• All entries—$30

Judging and Notification

• Every qualified entry will be read by the judges. Judges’ decisions are final.
• Entries must be submitted online (11:59 pm EST) by October 1, 2025.
• If the Grand Prize Winner accepts the Writer's Digest Conference portion of their prize they must agree to travel (flying round-trip from the same city) during the conference dates in 2026. The editors or agents who meet with the Grand Prize Winner are under no obligation to read, buy or represent the Grand Prize Winner’s work. This prize includes airfare, hotel and conference registration.
• Winners must fill out and submit the appropriate tax forms in order to receive their cash awards. If the forms are not submitted within 60 days of the request date, cash awards may be forfeited.
• The following are not permitted to enter the contest, neither under their legal names nor pen names: employees of Active Interest Media and their immediate family members; Writer’s Digest Books authors; Writer's Digest contributing editors and columnists; and Writer’s Digest instructors for online courses and live webinars. Grand Prize Winners from the previous three years are not eligible. Ineligible entries will be disqualified.
• Top Award Winners will be notified on or before December 31, 2025. Top winners in each category will be listed in the May/June 2026 issue of Writer’s Digest and at www.writersdigest.com after the May/June 2026 issue is published.

Still have questions? 

• FAQ
• Writer’s Digest Competitions

• Preparing Your Entry
• Pricing and Deadlines
• Judging and Notification
• FAQ
• Easy to follow PDF
• Writer’s Digest Competitions