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 06/26/2020
Contests
*Open to published authors
**Open to published and unpublished authors
July Contests
The Carla Contest
Sponsor: Mid-America Romance Authors
Fee: $25
Deadline: July 1, 2020, 11:59 p.m. CDT
Entry: traditional or self-published books with original copyright date of 2019 (minimum length 40,000 words).
Judges: contest will have no more than five finalists from all categories. First round will be judged by readers.
Final Judges: final judging by a librarian
FMI (entry form, rules, score sheet, contact, website info), visit
http://www.mararwa.com/.
International Digital Awards
Sponsor: Oklahoma Romance Writers of America
Fee: $25.00 for Novels, $20.00 for novellas and short stories
Deadline: July 31, 2020
Eligibility: Any ebook with a copyright date of 2018 or 2019 that was available for sale in 2018 or 2019 and is NOT available for purchase in mass print. (Ebooks that are available as POD's are eligible) *** If your book previously finaled in, but did not win, the IDA, it is eligible for re-entry.
Entry: Non DRM PDF as email attachment
Categories: (All of the following offer BOTH a short/novella and a Novel category in each genre) Contemporary, Erotica, Historical, Inspirational, Paranormal, Suspense, Young Adult
Judges: Readers, including other unpublished and published authors.
Prizes: Prizes: First place winners will receive an engraved paperweight. Winners and finalists will receive certificates. PLUS - additional prizes for winners include...
Featured on a minimum of 3 blog posts
Featured in a "winner" video trailer that will be shared on FB, tweeted, and featured on at least 3 blogs and websites
Multiple Tweets and Facebook posts
Featured on a special IDA Winners Pinterest Page
FMI:
okrwa.com/contests/international-digital-awards/
The Writer 2020 Contest
Sponsor (chapter name): Land of Enchantment Romance Authors of New Mexico (LERA)
Fee: $25 for members | $35 for nonmembers
Deadline: July 31, 2020, or until cap is met
Eligibility: Open to all authors (both published and unpublished). Cap set at 45 entries. Entries must meet all rules for entry. Visit
leranm.com for instruction on entry.
Entry: The opening five thousand (5,000) words of an unpublished romance novel.
Categories: All subgenres of romance, all heat levels, any pairings/combos are welcome. Diverse stories and authors are encouraged to enter. Please indicate which sub-genre and heat level your submission falls into from the list on http://leranm.com.
Judges: Three first-round, trained judges that include at least one published author or PRO member. Score sheets and feedback will be emailed to all contestants at the end of the contest.
Final Judges: Visit http://leranm.com for a list of final judges.
Top Prize: All selected first-round finalists will receive personalized mentoring by a PAN judge. Their updated manuscripts will be entered into the final round and the winner will be named "The Writer for 2020." See prizes at http://leranm.com.
FMI, please visit
http://leranm.com or email: Dianne Lindstrom at
lerathewritercontest@leranm.com
August Contests
*2020 Golden Leaf Contest
Sponsor: New Jersey Romance Writers
Fee: $30 first entry; $20 for subsequent entries.
Deadline: August 1, 2020
Entry: published novels or novellas with a first copyright date or first North American printing date between June 2019 through May 2020. All traditional, small press, e-published, and self-published novels released in this time period are eligible. All entries will be digital.
Judges: booksellers, librarians, readers groups, romance readers
FMI, visit
http://www.njromance writers.org/ or email the contest coordinator at
GoldenLeaf@njromancewriters.org.
2020 Put Your Heart in a Book Contest
Sponsor: New Jersey Romance Writers
Fee: $25 first entry; $15 subsequent entries
Deadline: August 1, 2020
Entry: first thirty pages of a manuscript, a projected word count, and an unjudged synopsis.
Judges: first-round entries are judged by two published authors; final round judged by literary agents and editors.
FMI, visit
https://www.njromancewriters.org/pyhiab-2020.html.
The Big Apple Contest
Sponsor: Romance Writers of America New York City, Inc.
Fee: $20-RWA/NYC Members; $25-RWA Members; $30-Non-RWA Members
Deadline: August 31, 2020
Eligibility: Published and unpublished authors of all subgenres of romantic fiction.
Entry: The first chapter (maximum of 25 pages) of an unpublished romance.
Judges: Romance authors and readers
Final Judge: Steven Zacharius, Chairman, President & CEO of Kensington Books
Top Prize: $50
FMI:
http://www.rwanyc.com/contest.html
2020 Pages From the Heart Contest
Sponsor: From the Heart Romance Writers
Fee: $21 FTHRW members, $26 RWA members, $16 for subsequent entries.
Deadline: August 31, 2020
Eligibility: Open to published and unpublished authors. The entry must not be contracted, previously published or printed in any form prior to August 31, 2020.
Entry: The first 5,000 words of your original, unpublished, and uncontracted work-in-progress or completed manuscript.
Categories: Historical, Long Contemporary, Short contemporary, Paranormal/Futuristic/Time Travel, Romantic Suspense/Mystery, & Young Adult.
Judges: Three first-round judges per entry.
Final Judges: Finalists from each category will be judged by two industry professionals.
Top Prize: Cash prizes for all finalists
FMI: please visit the From the Heart Romance Writers website for contest rules and additional information.
http://fthrw.com/pages-from-the-heart-contest
2020 Rocky Mountain Cover Contest for Published Authors
Sponsor: Colorado Romance Writers
Fee: $15
Deadline: August 31, 2020
Entry: Send a .jpg (no exceptions) of your book cover art with an original copyright date from June 2019 through 2020, eleven categories.
Judges: romance readers and authors.
FMI: go to
https://coloradoromancewriters.com/
Conferences
July Conferences and Workshops
Contemporary Romance Writers Summer Virtual Conference
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Writers RWA
Location: Virtual
Fee: $0, CRW members; $40 others
Date: July 25–26, 2020
Speakers: Kharma Kelley, Laurie Schnebly Campbell, and Denise Williams
Craft workshops, DEI Keynote with Kharma Kelley, Stiletto Contest Awards Night
FMI, visit https://contemporaryromance.org/events/summer2020conference/
Online Workshops
July Online Workshops
Critical Lens
Sponsor: The Beau Monde Chapter’s Regency Academe
Fee: $40 Non-TBM Members (TBM Members are free)
Date: July 1–31, 2020
Presenter: LaQuette
FMI,
https://thebeaumonde.com/resources/academe/
Where Craft and Marketing Collide!
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15 KOD Members / $30 Non Members
Date: July 1–31, 2020
Presenter: Deborah Riley Magnus
FMI,
https://www.rwakissofdeath.org/coffin
Writing the Journalist Protagonist
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15 KOD Members / $30 Non Members
Date: July 1–31, 2020
Presenter: Patricia McLinn
FMI,
https://www.rwakissofdeath.org/coffin
WordPress for Beginners
Sponsor: NEORWA
Fee: $20
Date: July 1–31, 2020
Presenter: Pepper O’Neal
FMI,
http://www.neorwa.com/online-workshops/upcoming-meetings/
Planning Your Way from Beginning to End
Sponsor: Outreach International Romance Writers
Fee: OIRW Member $25| Non-Member $35
Date: July 6–31, 2020
Presenter: Laurie Sanders
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#JUL2.
Write Now, Get it Started and Get it Written Part 2
Sponsor: Outreach International Romance Writers
Fee: OIRW Member $45| Non-Member $55
Date: July 6–31, 2020
Presenter: Susan Palmquist
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#JUL1.
August Online Workshops
Self-Publishing “Where the Heck Do I Start?”
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15 CRW Members/$25 RWA Members/$35 Non-RWA Members
Date: August 1–28, 2020
Presenter: Kathryn Jane
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/
Website Tips & Tricks – 15 Lessons to Supercharge Your Author Website
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15 CRW Members/$25 RWA Members/$35 Non-RWA Members
Date: August 1–28, 2020
Presenter: Barb Drozdowich
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/
How Clothes Worked
Sponsor: The Beau Monde Chapter's Regency Academe
Fee: $25–30
Date: August 1–30, 2020
Presenter: Isobel Carr
FMI,
https://thebeaumonde.com/resources/academe/
Get More Done: Time Management for Authors
Sponsor: RWA Online Chapter #136
Fee: $15
Date: August 3–14
Presenter: Mary E. Thompson
FMI,
https://rwaonlinechapter.org/
Adapting Your Novel for the Screen
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15 CRW Members/$25 RWA Members/$35 Non-RWA Members
Date: August 3–28, 2020
Presenter: Ines Johnson
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/
Feminism in Romance
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15 CRW Members / $25 RWA Members / $35 Non-RWA Members
Date: August 3–28, 2020
Presenter: Kilby Blades
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/
Keeping Secrets and Crating Suspense
Sponsor: Outreach International Romance Writers
Fee: OIRW Member $25| Non-Member $35
Date: August 3–31, 2020
Presenter: Jeffe Kennedy
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#AUG4
POV: It’s Not Just A Point Of View
Sponsor: Yosemite Romance Writers
Fee: $20 YRW Members/$25 non-members
Date: Aug. 3 - 31
Presenter: Shannon Donnelly
FMI:
www.yosemiteromancewriters.com/workshops
Self-Editing
Sponsor: Outreach International Romance Writers
Fee: OIRW Member $25| Non-Member $35
Date: August 3–31, 2020
Presenter: Kathryn Jane
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#AUG3.
Write Now, Get it Started and Get it Written Part 3
Sponsor: Outreach International Romance Writers
Fee: OIRW Member $45| Non-Member $55
Date: August 3–31, 2020
Presenter: Susan Palmquist
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#AUG1.
Writing the Aviation Crash Investigator
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15 KOD Members / $30 Non Members
Date: August 4–31, 2020
Presenter: Tim Gift
FMI,
https://www.rwakissofdeath.org/coffin
Writing Thrillers and Other Dangerous Novels from Idea Up
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15 KOD Members / $30 Non Members
Date: August 4–31, 2020
Presenter: Julie Rowe
FMI,
https://www.rwakissofdeath.org/coffin
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!