Submissions for the West Virginia Fiction Competition are open until May 1.
The statewide writing contest is held annually by the Shepherd University Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities. It is open to anyone living or attending school in West Virginia.
Once the submission period closes, a group of editors and creative writing teachers will select eight to 10 finalists for this year’s contest.
The final winners will be determined by West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman, who will also write reviews of all the finalists’ stories.
The prize for the first-place winner is $500. Second and third-place winners will each receive a prize of $100. Additionally, one middle or high school student will receive the Judges’ Choice Prize.
The competition aims to “foster an appreciation of Appalachian people, culture and values,” by honoring writers with “distinctive and promising” skills, according to a Thursday press release from Shepherd.
Winners and finalists could also have an opportunity to publish their work in the “Anthology of Appalachian Writers,” an annual literary publication from Shepherd.
For more information on this year’s West Virginia Fiction Competition, visit Shepherd University’s website.