Chapter Events and Contests
Local RWA chapters offer a number of conferences, contests, and workshops. Listed below are the chapter contests and conferences scheduled for the coming months.
Please submit all contest, conference, and workshop announcements to
chapterevents@rwa.org. A response will be sent via return email. If you haven't received a response in 48 hours, please follow up. Thank you!
Deadline and format instructions are provided at the end of the column below. Please also send notification of broken or incorrect links to
chapterevents@rwa.org. Thank you!
Updated 09/15/2020
Contests
*Open to published authors
**Open to published and unpublished authors
September Contests
**Golden Palm Writing Contest
Sponsor: Florida Romance Writers
Fee: $25, members; $35, non-members
Deadline: September 15, 2020
Eligibility: open to all authors (both published and unpublished). The author must enter new, original work that has not been published by a traditional publisher, self-published, or contracted to be published. Entries must meet all contest criteria.
Entry: the entry is the first three chapters for a story with a projected length of over 40,000 words. The submission is to be between thirty pages (min.) to fifty pages (max).
Judges: the first round will be judged by experienced judges and published authors. Each entry will be judged by three judges with at least one being a published author.
Final Judges: published authors, editors, and agents.
FMI, visit
http://www.frwriters.org/contest/.
October Contests
No October contests reported at this time.
November Contests
35th Annual Hook, Line & Sinker
Sponsor: Hudson Valley RWA
Fee: $10 through September 15; $15, September 16 - November 1
Deadline: November 1, 2020
Eligibility: Published and unpublished romance and YA authors
Entry: Hone your skills for hooking an editor or an agent. Submit the first three pages of your unpublished romance manuscript. All romance genres accepted. Electronic entries only.
Judges: Experienced published and unpublished authors
Final judge: Rhonda Penders, President, The Wild Rose Press
Trophies awarded 1st through 3rd places
FMI, entry form, rules, and a sample of the scoresheet, please visit
www.hudsonvalleyrwa.org or email
hudsonvalleycontest@gmail.com.
Conferences
No conferences reported at this time.
Online Workshops
September Online Workshops
Building Your Street Teams - The Secrets to Selling More Books [WEBINAR]
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15 CRW Members/$25 RWA Members/$35 Non-RWA Members
Date: September 15, 2020, 5 p.m. Pacific/8 p.m. Eastern
Presenter: Penny Sansevieri
FMI, http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/
Regency Basics
Sponsor: The Beau Monde Chapter's Regency Academe
Fee: $15–20
Date: September 16–30, 2020
Presenter: Allison Lane
FMI, https://thebeaumonde.com/resources/academe/
Interactive Social Media for Authors
Sponsor: Evergreen RWA
Fee: Current Evergreen RWA chapter members –FREE; Non-chapter members $20.00 (non-refundable)
Date: September 19, 2020, 1:15–4:45 p.m.
Presenter: Matthew Buza
FMI, email EVRWARegisterWorkshop@gmail.com
October Online Workshops
Regency Dance
Sponsor: The Beau Monde Chapter's Regency Academe
Fee: $15–20
Date: October 1–15, 2020
Presenter: Cara King
FMI,
https://thebeaumonde.com/resources/academe/
Getting Your NaNo Act Together … Ahead of Time
Sponsor: From The Heart Romance Writers
Fee: $25
Date: October 1–29, 2020
Presenter: Beth Daniels
FMI, email
workshops@fthrw.com
So You’ve Finished a Novel, Now What?
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15, CRW members; $25, RWA members; $35, non-RWA members
Date: October 1–29, 2020
Presenter: Leslie Scott
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/
Loops, Ads and More: Graphic Design for Busy Writers
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15, KOD members; $30, non-members
Date: October 1–30, 2020
Presenter: Zara West
FMI,
https://www.rwakissofdeath.org/coffin
Writing the Chef Protagonist
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15 KOD Members / $30 Non Members
Date: October 1–30, 2020
Presenter: Judy Alter
FMI,
https://www.rwakissofdeath.org/coffin
Being the “Extroverted Introverted Writer”: Developing Your Author Platform
Sponsor: Central Ohio Fiction Writers
Date: October 1–31, 2020
Presenter: Eliot Parker
FMI,
http://cofwevents.org
Piecing Together the Romance Puzzle
Sponsor: Maryland Romance Writers
Fee: $20, MRW members; $30, non-MRW members
Date: October 1–31, 2020
Presenter: Eliza Peake
FMI,
https://marylandromancewriters.com/event/piecing-together-the-romance-puzzle/
Prep for NaNoWriMo the Bare Bones Way
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15, CRW members; $25, RWA members; $35, non-RWA members
Date: October 4–24, 2020
Presenter: Cathy Chant
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/
From Giggle to Snort to LOL
Sponsor: Romantic Women’s Fiction Chapter
Date: October 5–16, 2020
Presenter: Sally Kilpatrick
FMI,
https://romanticwomensfictionwriters.wordpress.com/online-courses/
Make Your Own Book Trailer
Sponsor: RWA Online Chapter
Fee: $15 (free for RWA Online Chapter members)
Date: Oct 5-23, 2020
Presenter: Tracee Garner
FMI:
https://rwaonlinechapter.org/
Back Cover Copy “Shoot Me Now”
Sponsor: NEORWA
Fee: $20
Date: October 5–30, 2020
Presenter: Kathryn Jane
FMI,
http://www.neorwa.com/online-workshops/upcoming-meetings/
Hearing Voices 101: Creating Distinct Characters
Sponsor: Outreach International Romance Writers
Fee: $25, OIRW members; $35, non-member
Date: October 5–30, 2020
Presenter: Midnight Voss
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#OCT4.
Knocking Out Novellas Quickly
Sponsor: YRW (Yosemite Romance Writers)
Fee: $20, YRW members; $25, non-members
Dates: October 5–30, 2020
Presenter: Margaret Bates (Ivy Quinn)
FMI,
http://www.yosemiteromancewriters.com.
Marketing 101
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15, CRW members; $25, RWA members; $35, non-RWA members
Date: October 5–30, 2020
Presenter: Ines Johnson
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/
So, You Want to Self-Publish Your Book BootCamp
Sponsor: Outreach International Romance Writers
Fee: $55, OIRW member; $65, non-member
Date: October 5–30, 2020
Presenter: Susan Palmquist
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#OCT1.
Sympathy for the Devil: Using Psychology to Writing Compelling Villains
Sponsor: Outreach International Romance Writers
Fee: $25, OIRW member; $35, non-member
Date: October 5–30, 2020
Presenter: Margaret Bates
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#OCT5.
Writing a Series or Trilogy
Sponsor: Outreach International Romance Writers
Fee: $25, OIRW member; $35, non-member
Date: October 5–30, 2020
Presenter: Susan Palmquist
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#OCT2.
CONTEST FORMAT: Contest Name
Sponsor (chapter name)
Fee
Deadline
Eligibility
Entry
Categories
Judges
Final Judges
Top Prize
FMI (entry form, rules, score sheet, contact, Web site info)
CONFERENCE FORMAT:
Conference Name
Sponsor (chapter name)
Location (place, city, state)
Fee
Date
Speakers [up to five individuals (authors, agents, editors, specialists, etc.), also indicate which ONE speaker is to be featured in the RWR]
Publishing Houses (house names only, no additional individual editor names)
Agencies (agency names only, no additional individual agent names)
Conference Features (workshops, multi-track, panels, appointments, critiques, awards, book fair/signing, raffles)
FMI (contact, website info)
WORKSHOP FORMAT (FOR INTENSIVE, HANDS-ON, SINGLE-TOPIC, OR SINGLE-SPEAKER CONFERENCES):
Workshop Name
Sponsor (chapter name)
Location (place, city, state)
Fee
Date
Presenter
Topic
Workshop Features (critiques, book fair/signing)
FMI (contact, website info)
ONLINE WORKSHOP FORMAT:
Online Workshop Name
Sponsor (chapter name)
Fee
Date
Presenter
FMI (contact, website info)
Deadlines
| Content Dates |
Online Workshop Month |
Issue |
Due Date |
| February/March/April |
March |
January |
November 1 |
| March/April/May |
April |
February |
December 1 |
| April/May/June |
May |
March |
January 1 |
| May/June/July |
June |
April |
February 1 |
| June/July/August |
July |
May |
March 1 |
| July/August/September |
August |
June |
April 1 |
| August/September/October |
September |
July |
May 1 |
| September/October/November |
October |
August |
June 1 |
| October/November/December |
November |
September |
July 1 |
| November/December/January |
December |
October |
August 1 |
| December/January/February |
January |
November |
September 1 |
| January/February/March |
February |
December |
October 1 |
Deadlines are firm. Please follow the formats at the end of the website listings, not in the abbreviated RWR listings. Email submissions confirmed by reply—if no reply is received in 48 hours, please resend or follow up. Send to chapterevents@rwa.org. Thank you.