WINNERS CHOSEN AND NOTIFIED!

Judge Kelsey Evans selected the following winners: Shaylin Montgomery, Bonnie McMeans, and Danielle Griffith. Congrats to the winners and thank you to everyone who submitted. If you want to pitch agents face to face in 2026, check out our list of in-person and online conferences here.

WINNERS CHOSEN AND NOTIFIED!

Judge Morgan Hughes selected the following winners: Kelly Clasen, George Kulz, and Kristin Giuliani. Congrats to the winners and thank you to everyone who submitted. If you want to pitch agents face to face in 2026, check out our list of in-person and online conferences here.

WINNERS CHOSEN AND NOTIFIED!

Judge Christine Goss selected the following winners: Mikala Noe, Olivia Snow, and Jaclyn Garing. Congrats to the winners and thank you to everyone who submitted. If you want to pitch agents face to face in 2026, check out our list of in-person and online conferences here.

Hi, writers!

In January 2026, Writing Day Workshops is hosting four free writing contests here on the WDW blog. All four contests are open the whole month and end as of Feb. 10, 2026. Submit for free, and get an agent critique if your work is chosen as a winning entry. Good luck!

JANUARY 2026 CONTEST HOME PAGES:

1. Contest for writers of Middle Grade Fiction

UPDATE: Judge Morgan Hughes selected the following winners: Kelly Clasen, George Kulz, and Kristin Giuliani. All winners have been emailed. Congrats to the winners and thank you to everyone who submitted.

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2. Contest for writers of Adult Science Fiction & Fantasy

UPDATE: Judge Lydia Caudill selected the following winners: Brittany VanRooy, Sarah Keenan, and Amy Jorquera. All winners have been emailed. Congrats to the winners and thank you to everyone who submitted. If you want to meet agent Lydia Caudill in person, she is coming to the 2026 Carolina Writing Workshops on March 14, 2026.

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3. Contest for writers of Adult Thriller / Mystery / Suspense / Crime

UPDATE: Judge Kelsey Evans selected the following winners: Shaylin Montgomery, Bonnie McMeans, and Danielle Griffith. All winners have been emailed. Congrats to the winners and thank you to everyone who submitted. If you want to meet agent Kelsey Evans in person, she will be attending the following 2026 in-person conferences: Charleston, SC (March 7); New Haven, CT (March 27); Boston (March 28); Buffalo, NY (April 10); Toronto (April 11); Philadelphia (April 25); and Michigan (May 2). See all event links here.

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4. Contest for writers of Adult Romance / Women's Fiction / Romantasy

UPDATE: Judge Christine Goss selected the following winners: Mikala Noe, Olivia Snow, and Jaclyn Garing. All winners have been emailed. Congrats to the winners and thank you to everyone who submitted. If you want to meet agent Christine Goss in person, she will be at the 2026 Writing Workshop of Chicago on June 20, 2026.

*** WINNERS: Keely B., Annabel H., Stanisław G.

FREE CONTEST FOR WRITERS!

Welcome to the 2025 First Pages Contest. Contest #3 of this year is for writers of Adult Science Fiction & Fantasy (all types). If you write in this age category, keep reading and submit your work! This free contest ends on Feb. 11, 2025 [UPDATED, EXTENDED DEADLINE]. 

Here’s how it works: We invite awesome literary agents to judge the contest. The agents pick the genre(s) they want to judge. Writers in that genre are invited to send in their first page as part of the competition. Winners get a fabulous critique from your agent judge. It’s free to enter. Sound good? Then let’s get to some details and rules!

(There are two other contests happening right now in January 2025 -- one for writers of young adult fiction and one for writers of romance /women's / historical.)

WINNERS ANNOUNCED: Olivia S, Linda W-T, and Sheena H

***DEADLINE EXTENDED TO FEB. 11, 2025!

​FREE CONTEST FOR WRITERS!

Welcome to the 2025 First Pages Contest. Contest #2 of this year is for writers of Adult Romance, Adult Historical Fiction, and Adult Women's Fiction. If you write in any of these genres (or a combo!), keep reading and submit your work! This free contest ends on Feb. 11, 2025 [UPDATED, EXTENDED DEADLINE]. Winners will be announced the week of March 3. We will reach out to the winners by email and post their names here.

Here’s how it works: We invite awesome literary agents to judge the contest. The agents pick the genre(s) they want to judge. Writers in that genre are invited to send in their first page as part of the competition. Winners get a fabulous critique from your agent judge. It’s free to enter. Sound good? Then let’s get to some details and rules!

There are two additional contests happening now in January 2025 -- one for writers of young adult fiction, and one for writers of adult science fiction & fantasy.