2026 Writing Contest Overview

Enter the contest

The 2026 contest submission window is from April 20 - July 31, 2026.

The entry fee is $35 per entry and includes a copy of the 2026 SFWC Writing Contest Anthology that will feature the winning work.

Entries must fit into one of the following categories:

  • Adult Fiction
  • Adult Nonfiction (including business and memoir)
  • Kidlit (includes Picture/Children’s/Middle Grade/YA Books)
  • Poetry
  • Flash Fiction

Entries may have been self-published or not-yet-published but not traditionally published. Entries can be up to 1500 words in length (or less, but not more) and should be the first 1500 words of a novel or book, an essay, article, novella, short story, novelette, etc. For Poetry entries, you may submit up to three poems at a time in one document, as long as their total COMBINED word count is at 1500 or less. They will be judged individually. For Flash Fiction entries, the entire work must be 1000 words or less.

Grand Prize: A registration to the 2027 San Francisco Writers Conference.*

Four Category Winners will receive a 2027 Summit Registration of their choice or an equivalent discount to the main conference.**

Winners and finalists in each category receive publication of their entry in the 2026 SFWC Writing Contest Anthology. Finalists can, and should, proudly mention their award in query letters to agents and publishers...and on the covers of their books! They will also be acknowledged on the SFWC website and at the 2026 conference.

All entrants will receive a copy of the 2026 SFWC Writing Contest Anthology. Entries with a U.S. mailing address will receive a print copy. Entries with international mailing addresses will receive the ebook version. The anthology will also be available for purchase through traditional booksellers. See the 2021, 2022, or 2023 SFWC Writing Contest Anthologies for a sample.

You must use the contest registration form on this website to upload your entry/entries and pay. It’s easy!

All fees and entries must be received by midnight Pacific Time on July 31, 2026.

Finalists and Winners will be announced on the website and in our Newsletter no later than Nov. 1, 2026.

Questions? Problems? Contact the Contest Coordinator at Contest@SFwriters.org.

*This Grand Prize registration to the 2027 San Francisco Writers Conference includes full registration to the main conference (main sessions, keynotes, social events, etc.). It does not include hotel accommodations, transportation, personal expenses/meals, or any conference add-ons. It has no redeemable cash value.

**This Category Winner registration to one of the 2027 San Francisco Writers Conference Summits includes a full registration to your choice of our one-day Summits at the conference or an equivalent discount to the full conference. It does not include hotel accommodations, transportation, personal expenses/meals, or any conference add-ons. It has no redeemable cash value.

***Presenters and staff who receive any form of compensation from the 2026 or 2027 conference, apart from lunch provided to regular volunteers, are not eligible to enter. As judging is blind, we don’t exclude regular uncompensated volunteers or family members. If you enter before presenter invitations go out please wait until the results are announced before accepting. If you are a prize winner, you will not be able to be compensated as a speaker.

Enter the contest