2023 High School Literary Arts Awards Submission Guidelines
Categories: Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry, Senior Portfolios, and Literary Magazines
CALENDAR OF IMPORTANT AWARD DATES:
Submission Period: December 1, 2022 – February 17, 2023
Postmark Deadline for Literary Magazines: February 10, 2023
Winners’ List Posted/Winning Teachers Notified by E-mail: March 31, 2023
HSLAA Awards Ceremony: April 2023, TBA
ELIGIBILITY
The 2023 Alabama Writers’ Forum Literary Arts Awards are open to Alabama high school students in grades 9 – 12.
JUDGING
Leading authors and Alabama educators serve as competition judges and will be named with the awards announcement.
LITERARY AWARD PRIZES
Creative Nonfiction/Long Essay (2500 - 5000 words):
1st Place ($150), 2nd Place ($75), 3rd Place ($50)
Judges’ Special Recognition
Certificates of Merit
Creative Nonfiction/Short Essay (1200 words max):
Up to 5 awards of $25 each
Judges’ Special Recognition
Certificates of Merit
Fiction:
1st Place ($150), 2nd Place ($75), 3rd Place ($50)
Judges’ Special Recognition
Certificates of Merit
Poetry:
1st Place ($150), 2nd Place ($75), 3rd Place ($50)
Judges’ Special Recognition
Certificates of Merit
Senior Portfolios:
Six cash awards of $500
Literary Magazine:
Exceptional Literary Content ($150)
Judges’ Special Recognition for Exceptional Literary Content ($50)
Exceptional Graphic Design and Layout ($150)
Judges’ Special Recognition for Exceptional Graphic Design and Layout ($50)
Certificates of Merit for Literary Magazines ($25)
FORMAT FOR CREATIVE NONFICTION, FICTION, AND POETRY ENTRIES
Creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry must be submitted online. Complete online submission form and attach files in a PDF format. Students’ names should appear only on the entry forms since all works are judged anonymously.
Creative Nonfiction: One creative nonfiction entry per student. Entries must be typed and double-spaced. List word count under title. Ex. "My Summer Vacation" 1100 words
Fiction: One fiction entry per student. Entries must be typed and double-spaced.
Poetry: Up to three poetry entries per student. Entries may be single-spaced or double-spaced.
FORMAT FOR SENIOR PORTFOLIOS
Portfolios should consist of 20-50 pages of work from at least two categories required. All entries should be typed and double-spaced, one side only. Poetry may be single-spaced. No illustrations. Entries must include a title page that lists all titles and their respective categories. Students’ names should appear only on the entry forms since all works are judged anonymously.
Categories for Senior Portfolio:
Chapter(s) from a novel accompanied by a one-page synopsis of the novel (25-page total limit)
Creative Nonfiction (one or more essays; 15-page total limit)
Drama (25-page total limit)
Poetry (three shorter poems or longer works totaling no more than 10 pages)
Scholarly essay or research paper with a creative focus (10-page total limit)
Short Fiction (one or more stories; 25-page total limit)
FORMAT FOR LITERARY MAGAZINES
Mail one copy of most recent issue of the magazine published between 2020-2022 with the required entry form. Magazines must consist solely of original student work. Click here to download the Literary Magazine entry form.
Submit Literary Magazines by Mail:
HSLAA, Alabama Writers’ Forum
P.O. Box 4777
Montgomery, AL 36103-4777
USPS Delivery Confirmation is recommended.
Postmark Deadline: February 11, 2022
For questions about submissions, email writersforum@writersforum.org or call (334) 265-7728.
