The TCK Publishing Nonfiction Contest is an international nonfiction writing contest established in 2021. Each year’s prizewinner receives a $1,000 honorarium (payment) and publication of his or her nonfiction essay or article on the TCK Publishing website. We also provide publication and honorary badges for the 2nd and 3rd place winners.
TCK Publishing is recognizing nonfiction writers from all countries, backgrounds, and levels of experience and we invite you to join the 2021 TCK Publishing Nonfiction Contest.
How the Contest Works
- Any writer (regardless of who your publisher is or if your work has been previously published or not) may submit a nonfiction piece of writing up to 8,000 words (less is fine, but submissions above 8,000 words will not be accepted) for an entry fee of $12.
- You must purchase your entry here (you can purchase as many entries as you like if you choose to enter multiple submissions).
- After you purchase your entry, you will be asked to complete a short Google Form to complete your submission so you can submit your article or essay on that page.
- All entrants will be notified through a confirmation email from TCK Publishing.
- Submissions are now open.
- Submissions will close on December 31, 2022.
- Declaration of winner and awarding of prize will be on January 21, 2023.
- The winner will be notified through an email from the TCK Publishing Nonfiction Contest committee.
Registration is Now Open
Note: If you would like to purchase multiple submissions, simply click the “+” button on the right side of the registration page to add additional submissions.
FAQ
Which genres of nonfiction are acceptable to submit?
We will consider all nonfiction, but are most interested in creative nonfiction, including personal essays, memoir, literary journalism, educational or investigative nonfiction, and other literary forms.
Do I have to live in the United States to enter?
No. You may submit your article or essay from any country in the world.
Can I mail in my submission?
No. We only accept digital submissions. Once you purchase your entry for the contest, you’ll be given clear instructions on how to submit your article or essay.
Can I submit my nonfiction piece online?
Yes. After you purchase an entry, you’ll be sent a form you can use to submit your writing.
Can I submit an article or essay that has previously been published?
Yes.
What if the writer’s work was published by a literary magazine and the writer doesn’t own the rights?
Yes. Even though the writer no longer has the rights for the article or essay, she can still submit it as long as she’s the one who wrote it.
Should I include acknowledgments or publication credits?
No. Simply submit your article or essay in full without any additional credits.
Can I submit a translation of my article or essay (in English)?
Yes. Just make sure you have secured the all rights to the translation of your work.
Can I enter more than once?
Yes, you may enter as many times as you would like but you will have to pay the $12 entry fee for each submission.
How do I submit multiple entries that I have paid for?
You will be sent to a Google form to fill out in order to enter the contest. You should fill out the form one time for every entry you have purchased so that each of your entries are logged separately and accurately.
Can I send my article or essay by email?
No. You must submit online through an online form by following the instructions once you purchase your entry.
Are there any additional entry fees?
No! Because we do not use Submittable, we do not have to pass on additional fees to entrants, so you will only have to pay $12 exactly per entry.
Who is the selection judge?
Kaelyn Barron
Who are the final judges?
Everyone working at TCK Publishing at the time the winner’s selection is made.
Contest Procedures
When your submission arrives, it will be logged into our TCK Nonfiction Contest database automatically with Google Forms. Mark Buctuanon will remove all identifying names before forwarding the short stories to the selection judge. In this way, the judges will make their decision based solely on the stories, without any knowledge of who the authors are.
The selection judge will select the winner and the winner and runner-ups will receive commemorative badge to display on their websites or social media.
Then the final judges (that’s all of our team at TCK Publishing, excluding the team member who removed the names) will review the finalists and select the overall winner.
The judges agree not to select any submissions that present any conflict of interest.
Contact
If you have any additional questions, please contact us using the form below with the subject line “Nonfiction Contest.”
Other Contests from TCK Publishing
You can also check out the Reader’s Choice Book Awards Contest if you have a book that you would like to enter into the contest (Note: The Reader’s Choice Book Awards Contest is free to enter for all authors).
We also host an annual Poetry Awards Contest which is now open for submissions. With a $10 entrance fee and a $1,000 prize, it has become one of our most popular contests for writers.
We also host an annual Flash Fiction contest.
You can also check out our annual Short Story Awards contest. The entry fee is $10 and the prize each year is $1,000 as well.