2025 Fall Harvest Writing Contest
Write a 12-word 'Seed Starter' for a chance to win a scholarship to our 2025 Fall Harvest conference!
We invite SCBWI-IL members to write a 12-word Seed Starter for the Fall Harvest.
Submissions start today, May 13th, and will close at 11:59 pm on June 1st. First round of voting takes place from June 3 - June 8, 2025. Second round of voting takes place June 10 - June 13, 2025. The winner will be announced on May 17, 2025.
What is a Seed Starter?
A seed starter is a short form of very brief prose narrative, often called Flash Fiction.
The Contest
- Write a Seed Starter using only 12 words. They do not need to be 12 different words, but it must be only, and exactly, 12 words.
- There are no limitations on style or genre. Make it happy, make it sad. Make it rhyme, make it prose.
- The Seed Starter must be inspired by our prompt: How do you harvest creativity?
- The title is not included in the word count.
- No illustrations please.
The Rules
- You must be a current SCBWI Member and resident of Illinois to enter;
- Only one entry per member.
- Please include your title, name, and an email address at the top of your entry.
- Click to submit your Seed Starter via Google Form
- Entries must be submitted by 11:59 pm on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Late submissions will not be accepted.
- All entries will be placed into an online form and voted on by ALL SCBWI-Illinois members for round one.
- Round one voting will take place from June 3 - June 8, 2025 to determine top 10%.
- Round two voting will take place from June 10 - June 13, 2025.
- The winning writer will receive free attendance at the Fall Harvest event.
- The Seed Starter will be used in promotions for the Fall Harvest Event, including various social media platforms.
- The writer of the winning Seed Starter will be credited wherever the Seed Starter is used to promote the event.
- SCBWI-IL can choose not to select a winner or confer this prize.
- Winners must be able to attend either the online event. If you cannot attend, no cash equivalent will be offered.
- If the event is cancelled by the Region for any reason, SCBWI-IL will make every effort to compensate with an attendance to a similar (as defined by the Co-RA) event in future.
SUBMIT NOW
Questions? Email Pamela Morgan [email protected]