As a Twitter newb I was thoroughly overwhelmed by the huge and active writers community once I joined. There was so much to learn! So many hashtags to know! (For a whole bible on writer hashtags, check it out here) So many writers and authors to follow and obsessively stalk! ... okay, not really stalk... just be very very very interested in their Twitter lives.
Then there came the Twitter Pitch contests. As a writer with a COMPLETE and POLISHED manuscript I had just pitched at the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference, I was thrilled to discover there was a contest for people just like me! ... then I found out there was two. Then three. Then fifty. Turns out, Twitter is mad about pitching and there are an epic shit-ton (yes, that's a technical term) of contests to participate in!
The BASICS:
- Manuscripts must be COMPLETE
- Manuscripts must be POLISHED
- Most must be UNPUBLISHED
I have compiled a list of the Writing and Twitter Pitch Contests I am aware of and most of which I have participated in myself. Most dates change year to year so you will need to refer to the websites for more information on upcoming contests.
I also perused other website listings to make my list as comprehensive as possible. My sources (please check them out) are as follows:
https://johnrberkowitz.wordpress.com/2016/01/13/2016-pitch-contest-calendar/
http://www.kristinvanrisseghem.com/twitter-parties-schedule.html
http://www.brenda-drake.com/contest-schedule/
Please let me know if there are ones I missed as the entity continues to evolve and grow.
Follow these organizers and hosts on Twitter for continuing updated information on these contests and events!
@THofauthor
@larawillard
@KVanRisseghem
@rlynn_solomon
@Nik_Vukoja
@DanKoboldt
@JessaRusso
@FeakySnucker
@ShumakerDebra
@PJMcllvaine
@HRNorrod
@FountainWriter
@mandyyates
@metteillu
@beth_phelan
@brendadrake
@Kymburleev
@KatieTeller1
@ElleOnWords
@Michelle4Laughs
@writevent
Contests are organized by MONTH starting in September.
SEPTEMBER
SON OF A PITCH – Starts September 5th
Hosted By: Katie Hamstead Teller
http://kjhstories.blogspot.com/
Relevant Hashtags: #sonofapitch
How Many "Rounds": Three weeks + Twitter Pitch round
Week 1 starts September 5, 2016: A chance to refine your query and first 250 words. Week 2 starts September 12, 2016: This week, published authors will give you feedback. The team will vote and the top 20 will go onto the next round. Week 3 starts September 19, 2016: Line up of editors & publishers connect with finalists.
Twitter Pitch: Sept 27, 2016: A free-for-all twitter pitching opp under the hashtag #sonofapitch
PITCH SLAM CONTEST – Starts September 7th, 2016
Hosted By: L.L. McKinney & Kimberly VanderHorst
http://pitchslamcontest.com/calendar/
Relevant Hashtags: #pitchslam
How Many "Rounds": Four rounds + Reveal
Critique Round starts September 7th: Submit pitch & first 250 words of manuscript, feedback given.
Revision Round starts September 14th: Entrants revise with feedback in mind. Resubmit.
Team Picks Round starts September 18th: Team makes picks from entrants resubmitted work.
Agent Round starts September 21st: Team picks go live and agents review and contact.
Picks Revealed on September 28th.
PITCH MAD – September 7th, 2016 *QUARTERLY EVENT*
Hosted By: Brenda Drake
http://www.brenda-drake.com/pitmad/
Relevant Hashtags: #pitmad | #pitchmadness
How Many "Rounds": One Day
September 8th, 2016: Tweet three (3) pitches (they can be different pitches or the same pitch) per project for the day. You may pitch more than one project. Attach appropriate Twitter hashtags as shown on website. Agents/Editors/Presses review and "like" writer's tweets as a request for submission.
OCTOBER
DVPIT- October 5th & October 6th
Hosted By: Beth Phelan
http://www.dvpit.com/
Relevant Hashtags: #dvpit
How Many "Rounds": Two Rounds for different genres
October 5th, 2016: Children's & Teen Fiction/Nonfiction
October 6th, 2016: Adult Fiction/Nonfiction
Twitter event created to showcase pitches about and especially by marginalized voices. This includes (but is not limited to): Native peoples and people of color; people living and/or born/raised in underrepresented cultures and countries; disabled persons; people with illness; people on marginalized ends of the socioeconomic, cultural and/or religious spectrum; people identifying as LGBTQIA+; and more.
Pitch must fit the 140-character max, and must also include the hashtag #DVpit - limited once per hour. Agents & Editors "like" writers tweets as request for submission.
Nightmare on Query Street - October 14th, 2016
Hosted By: Michelle Hauk
@Michelle4Laughs
Relevant Hashtags: #NoQS
How Many "Rounds": Four rounds over two weeks
Submission: Friday, October 14th at 4:00 PM
Final Picks Announced: Thursday, October 20th
Mentors work: Friday, October 21st - Wednesday, October 26th
Return Revisions: Wednesday, October 26th at Noon
Agent Round: Saturday, October 29th - Sunday, October 30th
40 entries picked and writers are paired with expert mentors. The polished query letter and first 250 words go before agents for requests. Contestants must answer a Halloween-themed question in their submission.
#PitDark - October 20th, 2016
Hosted By: Jason Huebinger @JasonHuebinger
http://jasonhuebinger.com/pitdark/
Relevant Hashtags: #PitDark
How Many "Rounds": One Day - 12 hour window
Tweet a pitch for their books (at most, once per hour) using #PitDark hashtag.
Agents and publishers will make requests by marking pitches as a favorite on Twitter. If your tweet is favorited, please follow the agent or publisher’s submission guidelines.
Twitter pitch event to highlight literature of a “darker” nature. Importantly, this is not limited to horror works; however, any pitched manuscript must contain an element of horror or darker writing. MG, YA, NA, and adult age categories are welcome.
Pitch to Publication - October 22nd, 2016
Hosted By: Samantha Fountain
http://pitch2pub.com/node/6
Relevant Hashtags: #p2p16
How Many "Rounds": Four Rounds + Requested Fulls Announcement
Submission Round: Writers submit entries during 24-hour window.
Revision Round: Author-Editor pairs announced, editing process begins.
Revised Submission Round: Writers submit edited queries & excerpts for agent review.
Agent Round: Agents review materials and make full manuscript requests.
Requested Fulls announced via Twitter.
Picture Book Twitter Party – October 27th, 2016 *PICTURE BOOKS ONLY*
Hosted By: Mandy Yates, Mette Engell, PJ McIlvane, & Debra Shumaker
http://www.pbpitch.com/pbpitch-twitter-event.html
Relevant Hashtags: #Pit2Pub
How Many "Rounds": One Day
Pitch your PBs on twitter using #PBPitch. Pitch manuscripts only ONCE in the morning and ONCE in the Evening. (Once before 2pm and once after.) If you are an author/illustrator, you can attach an image to your PB manuscript pitch. Only agents and editors should FAVORITE a pitch.
NOVEMBER
#KidPit – November 9, 2016
Hosted By: Heidi Norrod
https://heidinorrod.wordpress.com/adpit-and-kidpit/
Relevant Hashtags: #KidPit
How Many "Rounds": One Day
Open Twitter Pitch Party for Childrens Work only, NO ADULT manuscripts. No prelist of agents or editors, but some are usually around watching the hashtag day-of.
#AdPit – November 16, 2016
Hosted By: Heidi Norrod
https://heidinorrod.wordpress.com/adpit-and-kidpit/
Relevant Hashtags: #AdPit
How Many "Rounds": One Day
Open Twitter Pitch Party for New Adult & Adult fiction and nonfiction work. No prelist of agents or editors, but some are usually around watching the hashtag day-of.
DECEMBER
PITCH MAD – December 1, 2016 *QUARTERLY EVENT*
Hosted By: Brenda Drake
http://www.brenda-drake.com/pitmad/
Relevant Hashtags: #pitmad | #pitchmadness
How Many "Rounds": One Day
December 1st, 2016: Tweet three (3) pitches (they can be different pitches or the same pitch) per project for the day. You may pitch more than one project. Attach appropriate Twitter hashtags as shown on website. Agents/Editors/Presses review and "like" writer's tweets as a request for submission.
#SFFPIT – December, 2016 *BIANNUAL EVENT*
Hosted By: Dan Koboldt
http://dankoboldt.com/sffpit/
Relevant Hashtags: #SFFpit
How Many "Rounds": 10-hour Window
A pitch for your book. Ideally, it should tell us character, desire, obstacle(s), and stakes. Limit of 10 pitches, see website for appropriate hashtags.
PitchMAS – December, 2016
Hosted By: Jessa Russo & Tamara Mataya
http://pitchmas.blogspot.com
Relevant Hashtags: #PitchMAS
How Many "Rounds": 10-hour Window
A pitch for your book. Ideally, it should tell us character, desire, obstacle(s), and stakes. Limit of 10 pitches, see website for appropriate hashtags.
JANUARY
PITCH to PUBLICATION – January 18, 2017
Hosted By: Kristin D. Van Risseghem
http://www.kristinvanrisseghem.com/pit2pub
Relevant Hashtags: #Pit2Pub
How Many "Rounds": One 12-hour window for tweeting
This is for writers looking for publishers. Allows 1 pitch per manuscript every 2 hours during the the #Pit2Pub party 12-hour time period. Publishers will favorite (HEART) pitches they would like to see more of. Some publishers will tweet their requirements the day of the event, while others will direct you to their website for the submission details.
PASS OR PAGES – January TBA 2017
Hosted By: Kara Reynolds
http://operationawesome6.blogspot.com/p/passorpages.html
Relevant Hashtags: #PassOrPages
How Many "Rounds": One 12-hour window for tweeting
Participating agents give brief feedback on a handful of entries, explaining why they're passing... or requesting pages! The queries and accompanying feedback are posted on our blog anonymously, which helps querying authors get a peek into agents' minds as they go through their slush piles.
FEBRUARY
SUN VS. SNOW – February TBA
Hosted By: Rachel Lynn Solomon
https://chasingthecrazies.wordpress.com/sun-vs-snow-contest/
Relevant Hashtags: None
How Many "Rounds": 200 entry limit - window opened until number is reached (last year that took 7 minutes!)
Character question + query + first 250 words of your manuscript. Selected mentees get critique and editing help for their first query and first page, then have their polished work posted on blogs to be reviewed by potential agents.
PITCH MADNESS – February TBA
Hosted By: Brenda Drake
http://www.brenda-drake.com/pitch-madness/
http://www.brenda-drake.com/2016/01/announcing-pitch-madness-mario-kart-edition/
Relevant Hashtags: #pitchmadness
How Many "Rounds": Two, in February then March
Submission Round: Writers submit a 35-word (max) pitch and the first 250 words of their completed manuscript. Team of readers choose top sixty (60) entries to go to agent round.
Agent Round: Agents play against other agents to win requests for more pages of favorite entries. Best played agent request wins either a partial or full manuscript read of the entry.
SON OF A PITCH – February TBA
Hosted By: Katie Hamstead Teller
http://kjhstories.blogspot.com/
Relevant Hashtags: #sonofapitch
How Many "Rounds": Three weeks + Twitter Pitch round
Week 1: A chance to refine your query and first 250 words. Week 2: This week, published authors will give you feedback. The team will vote and the top 20 will go onto the next round. Week 3: Line up of editors & publishers connect with finalists.
Twitter Pitch: A free-for-all twitter pitching opp under the hashtag #sonofapitch
MARCH
PITCH MAD – March TBA *QUARTERLY EVENT*
Hosted By: Brenda Drake
http://www.brenda-drake.com/pitmad/
Relevant Hashtags: #pitmad | #pitchmadness
How Many "Rounds": One Day
Tweet three (3) pitches (they can be different pitches or the same pitch) per project for the day. You may pitch more than one project. Attach appropriate Twitter hashtags as shown on website. Agents/Editors/Presses review and "like" writer's tweets as a request for submission.
APRIL
NEST PITCH – April 1st *RETURNING IN 2017*
Hosted By: Nikola Vukoja
https://nestpitch.wordpress.com/about/
Relevant Hashtags: #NestPitch
How Many "Rounds": One Day
35-word pitch + Easter character question + first 300 words of your manuscript. Winners posted for agent review.
FIC FEST – April 23rd, 2017
Hosted By: Tiffany Hofmann
http://www.tiffanyhofmannauthor.com/ficfest-writing-contest.html
Relevant Hashtags: #FicFest
How Many "Rounds": Three Rounds over Four Months
Submission Round starts April 23 -24, 2017. Finalists + Alternates revealed on May 10th. Mentoring Round starts May 11, 2017 - July 13, 2017. Agent + Small Press Round starts July 21, 2017 - July 27, 2017.
MAY
None known.
JUNE
PITCH MAD – June TBA *QUARTERLY EVENT*
Hosted By: Brenda Drake
http://www.brenda-drake.com/pitmad/
Relevant Hashtags: #pitmad | #pitchmadness
How Many "Rounds": One DayTweet three (3) pitches (they can be different pitches or the same pitch) per project for the day. You may pitch more than one project. Attach appropriate Twitter hashtags as shown on website. Agents/Editors/Presses review and "like" writer's tweets as a request for submission.
#SFFPIT – June, 2016 *BIANNUAL EVENT*
Hosted By: Dan Koboldt
http://dankoboldt.com/sffpit/
Relevant Hashtags: #SFFpit
How Many "Rounds": 10-hour Window
A pitch for your book. Ideally, it should tell us character, desire, obstacle(s), and stakes. Limit of 10 pitches, see website for appropriate hashtags.
10 Stories 30 – ALL JUNE, 2016
Hosted By: Heidi Norrod
https://heidinorrod.wordpress.com/10stories30/
Relevant Hashtags: #10stories30
How Many "Rounds": Daily, One Month
#10Stories30 is a writing challenge that runs from June 1st through June 30th. The goal is to write at least 10 short stories (picture books and essays count too) in 30 days.
JULY
70 PIT – July TBA
Hosted By: Lara Willard
https://larawillard.com/70pit/
Relevant Hashtags: #pg70pit
How Many "Rounds": Two rounds
Submission Round: Enter via online form on blog. Only submitting the 70th page of manuscript.
Agent Round: Top 14 entries from each category will be posted and divided between larawillard.com and cohost blogs. Agents can peruse and make requests for queries, partials, fulls, or the encompassing chapter.
AUGUST
PITCH WARS – August 3rd, 2016
Hosted By: Brenda Drake
www.brenda-drake.com/pitch-wars
Relevant Hashtags: #pitchwars
How Many "Rounds": Four Rounds over Two Month Period.
Round 1 starts August 3 (midnight) – August 6 (10PM EDT): Writers submit applications to mentors.
Round 2 starts August 3 – August 24: Mentors review applications & choose mentee. Choices announced on August 25.
Round 3 starts August 25 – October 31: Mentors work with their mentee, revising manuscript.
Round 4 starts November 3 - 9th: Agent showcase, complete entries are posted on blog.
Scene It – August, 2016
Hosted By: Heidi Norrod
https://heidinorrod.wordpress.com/sceneit/
Relevant Hashtags: #SceneIt
How Many "Rounds": Daily, One Month
Every week between August 5th and September 5th, new posted writing prompt. Write a scene (just a scene) following the prompt. The prompts will be from a variety of genres, and age groups.
Please let me know if there are any active contests I have missed!