Rules for the 2023 Seven Hills Literary Contest/Penumbra Poetry and Haiku Contest
The Seven Hills Literary Contest/Penumbra Poetry and Haiku Contest (the Contest) is sponsored annually by the Tallahassee Writers Association. The Contest is open to English-language entries from around the world. This year’s contest will include three categories: Short Stories (up to 10,000 words), Poetry (up to 100 lines), and Haiku (standard haiku format). Winning entries (first, second, and third place in each category) receive cash prizes and an electronic certificate and are published in the 2024 Seven Hills Review, along with a short author bio. Additionally, first-place winners in each category will receive a complimentary copy of the 2024 Seven Hills Review!
Whether you are a first-time writer or a published author, we invite you to enter the Contest. If you are not a current member of TWA, you may join at https://twaonline.org/membership/purchase to be eligible for the member discounts.
Writing contests may be an author’s first foray into publication. As such, following the rules helps authors learn the importance of following publishers’ and editors’ submission rules. Please read and heed all the rules for the Contest in general as well as the rules for the specific category(ies) which you are entering. These are RULES. Failure to comply with the rules is cause for disqualification. Entry fees will not be refunded for failure to comply with the rules.
Judging: Judges are professional, published authors in their category. To ensure fairness, all judging is blind; therefore, please be sure to delete any identifying information that is included on the entry itself (including headers and footers) and any metadata (e.g., document properties).
Eligibility: TWA membership is required. The Contest is open to all members of TWA. If you are not a current member, join at https://twaonline.org/membership/purchase prior to completing the entry form. If you are unsure whether your membership is current, email 7hillscontest@gmail.com and we will check your membership status.
Categories: This year’s contest includes three categories: Short Stories, Poetry, and Haiku. You many enter as many times as you wish, but each entry requires a separate entry form and entry fee.
- Short Stories: Submit a complete fiction story, any genre, 10,000-word maximum.
- Poetry: Submit a single poem, any style or subject, maximum 100 lines.
- Haiku: Submit up to three Haikus in one entry. Each Haiku is three lines in the standard format of 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.
Rules for the 2023 Seven Hills Literary Contest/Penumbra Poetry and Haiku Contest
Deadline: October 15, 2023 at 11:59 PM ET
Early Bird Entry Fee Rates End August 31
These rules MUST be followed. Submitters who do not follow the rules risk having their entry rejected. If your entry is rejected, you will be notified of the reason(s) for rejection. Entry fees will not be refunded. If you choose to revise and resubmit your entry, a new entry form and entry fee will be required. Please be sure you have followed the rules before submitting your entry. Decisions of the Contest Committee are final.
- Contest Opens: June 1, 2023. No submissions will be accepted prior to this date.
- Contest Deadline: October 15, 2023 at 11:45 PM ET. No submissions will be accepted after the deadline.
- TWA Membership Required. You must be a current member of Tallahassee Writers Association to enter. If you are not currently a member, you can join at https://twaonline.org/membership/purchase prior to completing the entry form.
- All submissions must be the original work of the submitter. Do not include copyrighted material (e.g. song lyrics) that is not the property of the submitter.
- Only unpublished works are eligible. If your work is accepted for publication elsewhere, notify us immediately.
- Language: Only English-language entries are accepted. Occasional inclusion of words in other languages is acceptable if the meaning is clear from the context. For example, “Polo was her raison d'etre. Without her pony, Starr's world would be meaningless.” Entries that are not in the English language will be rejected.
- No adult content will be accepted. Submissions containing adult content will be rejected. Adult content includes but is not limited to graphic violence or explicit sexual content. If you are uncertain whether your entry contains adult content, apply the Motion Picture Association film rating scale: If your entry would garner an NC-17 (“Adults Only: No One 17 and Under Admitted. Clearly adult. Children are not admitted”) or more restrictive rating, it will be deemed to contain adult content and is NOT eligible for this contest. The determination by the contest committee of whether a submission contains adult content is final.
- Identifying information: Remove any identifying information prior to submitting your entry. This includes the author's name, address, phone number, email address, website, or other identifying information anywhere in the uploaded entry document. Please check all headers, footers, titles, texts, and metadata prior to submission to ensure no identifying information is included.
- Formatting: Only PDF and Microsoft Word documents are accepted. Your entry must be a PDF or Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) file.
- Page size: 8½” x 11” with 1” margins.
- Font: Black Times New Roman font, 12-point type.
- Include the title on the first page. Include the title and page number in the header information on each page after the first page.
- ONLY INCLUDE TEXT. No illustrations (e.g., margin decorations, photos, maps) or borders allowed. No website insertions allowed. No audio or video will be accepted.
- Short stories should be double spaced with each paragraph indented (not tab) ½”. No additional return between paragraphs.
- Poetry may be either single or double spaced. You may include an additional return between stanzas.
- Title the document with the name of your work. Do NOT include the author’s name or any other identifying information. Note that Haikus do not have titles. Your document name will be the first line of your Haiku. If you are submitting more than one Haiku with your entry, your document name will be the first line of the first Haiku.
- Maximum length: Entries must not exceed the maximum number of words or lines.
- Short stories: Your entry must be a complete short story with a maximum of 10,000 words.
- Poetry: Your entry must be a single poem with a maximum of 100 lines.
- Haiku: Your entry must follow the standard structure of three lines; the first line is 5 syllables, the second line is 7 syllables, and the third line is 5 syllables. Your entry may include up to three Haikus; each will be judged individually.
- Submissions: Only entries submitted through the online contest submissions links will be accepted. Between June 1 and August 31, use https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7Hills2023earlybird. After August 31, use https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7Hills2023. Hard copies, emails, and entries received by any method other than the official online contest submissions links will not be returned and will not be considered.
- You are welcome to enter as many times as you wish in any category(ies). Each entry requires a separate entry form and entry fee.
- Entry Fee: The entry fee must be paid at the time of submission. Entry fees are non-refundable. “Early-bird” entries receive a discounted rate. Entry fees are as follows:
- Early Bird (June 1 – August 31):
Short Stories: $20
Poetry: $15
Haiku: $5
- Regular (September 1 – October 15):
Short Stories: $25
Poetry: $20
Haiku: $10
- Author Bio: If your submission is selected as a first, second, or third place winner, we will request a short biography (maximum 100 words) that will be printed in the Seven Hills Review.
Submission Process:
The contest is open from June 1 – October 15, 2023. The official contest submissions links are the ONLY way submissions will be accepted. Between June 1 and August 31, use https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7Hills2023earlybird. After August 31, use https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7Hills2023. Hard-copy submissions, emailed submissions, and submissions received through any channel other than the official link will NOT be accepted. TWA is not responsible for lost or late submissions or fees that are not received. By submitting an entry, you agree to all rules and eligibility requirements of the contest; you agree to have your entry and short bio published in the Seven Hills Review if you are a first, second, or third place winner.
(1) Submitting the entry.
- Complete the online submission form via the official contest submissions links above. Your entry document must be uploaded as an attachment to the entry form. Only Portable Document Format (PDF) and Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) files are accepted.
- You may submit multiple entries, but must use a separate entry form and pay a separate entry fee for each entry. The exception is that up to 3 Haikus may be submitted on one entry.
(2) Submitting the entry fee.
- The entry fee must be paid via the payment page on the Survey Monkey submission form. You will automatically be taken to the payment page after you have successfully completed all the required information. Failure to pay for the entry will result in the entry being rejected.
Prizes:
First, second, and third place in each category will be awarded; however, the Contest Committee reserves the right to withhold prizes in any category with an insufficient number or quality of entries. If no prizes are awarded in a category, all entry fees in that category will be refunded. All decisions of the Seven Hills Contest Committee are final.
- First, second, and third-place winners in each category (Short Stories, Poetry, and Haiku) will receive an electronic award certificate and the following cash prizes:
Short Stories:
First place - $300
Second place - $200
Third place - $100
Poetry:
First place - $200
Second place - $100
Third place - $75
Haiku:
First place - $100
Second place - $75
Third place - $50
- First, second, and third place in each category (Short Stories, Poetry, and Haiku) will be published in the 2024 Seven Hills Review.
- First place winners in each category (Short Stories and Poetry) will receive one complimentary copy of the 2024 Seven Hills Review.
Notification
Finalists selected by the judges will be notified via email by November 30, 2023; however, the order of finish (first, second, or third place) will not be revealed until the Seven Hills Awards Ceremony during TWA’s December general membership meeting/holiday party. The meeting will be held both virtually and in person. The meeting date and location will be announced prior to the meeting date, and the link for the virtual meeting will be distributed to everyone who entered the contest. After the Awards Ceremony, winners’ names, city, and order of finish will be posted on the TWA website at twaonline.org.
All decisions of the Contest Committee are final.
We wish all contest participants good luck!