The contests below are from 2025. Some will be the same, but other’s will change.
You must be a registered attendee to enter the contests and/or to be eligible for prizes. Thank you for your understanding.
CONTEST ENTRIES ARE DUE NO LATER THAN MIDNIGHT, WEDNESDAY MAY 1st. Entries received after that will be disqualified.
Some contests are live now, others are coming soon! Thank you for your patience. If the description of the contest is fully available, that contest is open. The others are to be determined.
Entry fee required for the cover contest.
Please follow the links below to fill out the entry form and pay the $10.00 entry fee.
Contest #1: Best Book Cover
1st place – $100
2nd place – $60
3rd place – $40
Publish a book in 2024 or 2025 with a great cover? You may not enter any cover you have entered in this contest before. Enter our cover contest!
SPONSORED: No Entry Fee Required for Contest 2 – 12.
Please email all entries to contestsbtp@gmail.com:
RULES:
- All entries must be sent as attachments, either by themselves or together to: contestsbtp@gmail.com
- Members of a group sponsoring a contest are NOT eligible to enter that contest
but may enter all others. - Read the contest rules carefully and follow the guidelines for each contest you
enter. Failure to follow the instructions will lead to disqualification. - Absolutely NO AI, please.
- When sending your entries, please do the following:
a. Subject Line: BTP Contest
b. Body of the email: Name, number of the contest you are entering, title of
the work and the word count.
c. DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON THE ENTRY - You may send your entries separately or together as long as all the necessary
information is included in the body of the email. For example, your Name:
Contest 4: Entry Title, 235 words Contest 6: Entry Title, 500 words. - You may enter each contest once, except for the book cover contest.
- All entries, except the cover contest, must be unpublished work.
- Book covers entered in the contest must have a publication date of
2024 or 2025. - Deadline for entries: May 1, 2025
- PLEASE, send your attachment as a doc., docx or PDF. No odt, pages or Google docs.
- MAKE SURE your document isn’t write protected. If it is, it will be returned to you for the correct format.
i.e. Your Name: Contest 4: Entry Title, 235 words
Contest 6: Entry Title, 500 words
Contest #2: Lori Copeland – Love & Laughter Award
The best first page of a romance novel – Up to 250 words
1st place – $50
2nd place – $30
3rd place – $20
1 honorable mention
Please email your entry to contestsbtp@gmail.com:
Contest #3: First Paragraph
The best first paragraph hook for a mystery, thriller or suspense – Up to 500 words
1st place – $50
2nd place – $30
3rd place – $20
1 honorable mention
Sponsored by: Sleuths’ Ink Mystery Writers
Please email your entry to contestsbtp@gmail.com:
Contest #4: Phrase Prompt
Complete the sentence “If you look back far enough, you can see …” and write a scene or short story that contains the line. Up to 750 words, any genre.
1st place – $50
2nd place – $30
3rd place – $20
1 honorable mention
Sponsored by: Critique Me Friday, Critique Partners
Please email your entry to contestsbtp@gmail.com:
Contest #5: Situation Prompt
A lady, on her way to make a flight, clips a man’s car in the airport parking lot while he’s inside. The two have a tiff, but on a deadline, decide to exchange information and go their separate ways. Little do they know they’re on the same flight and are forced to sit next to one another.
Surprisingly the pilot announces, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts. We’ve been warned there may be an explosive device on board, we are going to have to make an unexpected landing.”
Where will they land? That’s up to you, but they need to fall in love even through the chaos. Have fun! Up to 750 words.
1st place – $50
2nd place – $30
3rd place – $20
1 honorable mention
Sponsored by: Ozarks Romance Authors
Please email your entry to contestsbtp@gmail.com:
Contest #6: Picture Prompt
Use the picture as your story prompt. 750 words or less.
1st place – $50
2nd place – $35
3rd place – $15
Sponsored by: Springfield Writers’ Guild
Please email your entry to contestsbtp@gmail.com:
Contest #7: They Said What?!
Choose any well known line from a movie and use it in a completely different context. Limit 500 words.
1st place – $50
2nd place – $30
3rd place – $20
1honorable mention
Sponsored by: Saturday Book Club
Please email your entry to contestsbtp@gmail.com:
Contest #8: BREAKING THE CLICHÉ
Write a 1500-2000 word speculative fiction story that breaks the cliche, “Stares into a mirror.” Make it fresh and intriguing. No AI or published works.
1st place – $100
2 honorable mentions
Sponsored by: SWG Speculative Fiction Genre Group
Please email your entry to contestsbtp@gmail.com:
Contest #9: CHILDREN’S BOOK
Back of book description (blurb) for a children’s, middle grade or YA story. Age range 4 to 8. Up to 150 words.
1st place – $50
2nd place – $30
3rd place – $20
1honorable mention
Sponsored by: Solander Press
Please email your entry to contestsbtp@gmail.com:
Contest #10: ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
Write an acceptance speech for an award that has been won. However, the winner seems to be slightly drunk, and confuses words that sound similar. Up to 500 words
1st place – $40
2nd place – $25
Sponsored by: Inspiring Your Creativity
Please email your entry to contestsbtp@gmail.com:
Contest #11: BOOK TITLE & COMPELLING BEGINNING
“Create a spellbinding book title and the first 300 words that quickly draw the reader in as a great thriller or suspense novel. It should not be the full story—just the dynamic draw into the story by focusing on the compelling beginning.”
1st place – $30
2nd place – $20
3rd place – $10
Sponsored by: SWG Thriller Genre Group
Please email your entry to contestsbtp@gmail.com:
Contest 12: Children’s Story
A maximum of 500-word story for children anywhere from 3-8 years old
Prize: $75 to the winner
1 honorable mention
Sponsored by: SWG Lit4Kids Genre Group
Please email your entry to contestsbtp@gmail.com: