Personal Essay Awards
DEADLINE: September 1, 2022
We’re looking for personal essays! Think you can write a winning essay in 2,000 words or fewer? Enter the Writer’s Digest Personal Essay Awards for your chance to win $2,500 in cash, get published in Writer’s Digest magazine, and a paid trip to our ever-popular Writer’s Digest Conference!
Prizes
One Grand Prize Winner will receive:
- $2,500 in cash
- Their essay title published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s May/June 2023 issue
- A paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, including a coveted Pitch Slam slot
The Second Place Winner will receive:
- $1,000 in cash
- Their essay title published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s May/June 2023 issue
The Third Place Winner will receive:
- $500 in cash
- Their essay title published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s May/June 2023 issue
Fourth through Tenth Place Winners will receive:
- $100 in cash
- Their essay titles published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s May/June 2023 issue
Eleventh through Twenty-Fifth Place Winners will receive:
- A $50 gift certificate for writersdigestshop.com
How to Enter
ENTERING IS EASY!
Create your free Submittable account by clicking the SUBMIT button. If you already have a Submittable account, simply log in!
*NEW* You can now compete in multiple WD competitions with a single login! Check back often for an updated list of competitions.
When you are ready to submit your work to the WD Personal Essay Awards readers, you’ll want to have the following information available:
Your contact information (be careful that the information provided is accurate). Contact information is to be provided only on the submission form (not on the submission’s file upload). Time sensitive information such as credits and contact information (for prize distribution) is taken directly from the submission form. Due to the nature of deadlines, corrections to this information are not guaranteed.
Your PERSONAL ESSAY AWARDS submission file (see the PREPARING YOUR ENTRY tips for more information).
Your method of payment (see the ENTRY PRICING, SUBMISSION DEADLINES AND WINNER NOTIFICATION page for tips for all pricing and deadlines).
Ready to enter? Click on the link below to get started!
