April 1, 2021
Contest Guidelines
The 2021 Creative Writing Contest is open to all current UC Merced students. Three overall winners will be chosen. The first-place winner will receive $100, second place $75, and third place $50.
- Works in any creative genre will be considered. Genres include, but are not limited to: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, playwriting, etc.
- All entries must be original works by the writer and previously unpublished. (You may submit unpublished work from a course.)
- You may submit up to three entries. Please submit each one in a separate email (see formatting guidelines below).
- All submissions must be under 5,000 words.
Entries must be received by April 1, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time. Submit entries to 2021CreativeWritingContest@gmail.com. Winners will be notified via email, announced on the Merritt Writing Program website, and invited to participate in our spring Writing Showcase.
Please format each entry as follows:
- Email subject line: Title of entry
- In the body of the email, please list
- The title of the entry
- The name of the writer (Note, your name should not appear in your writing submission document).
- The genre of work (poetry, etc.)
- Attach your submission document as a .doc or .docx file. For prose submissions, please use a standard MLA format with 1-inch margins, 12-point font and double-spaced text. Poetry formatting is an exception and up to the writer’s discretion. Your name should not appear on your entry itself.
