DALLAS -- Entries are now being accepted for the third annual Ageless Authors international writing contest for senior writers age 65 and older.
This is the only international writing contest exclusively for older writers. Cash prizes and certificates will be awarded, and the best writing will be published next fall in the group's anthology of outstanding work by creative seniors.
Both fiction and nonfiction are being accepted in the following categories: memoir, humor, adventure, and romance. There is also a category for poetry. "We've had dozens of submissions since we started accepting them October 15," says Larry Upshaw, Executive Director of Ageless Authors. "These come from writers who have been working on pieces anticipating the start of our contest. But people have plenty of time to craft something wonderful. For this contest, we accept entries through March 15, 2019."
Cash prizes will be awarded in each category of writing, with $100 for first prize, $75 for second prize and $50 for third prize. The overall best entry will be awarded the Bivona Prize, named for the late founder of Ageless Authors, novelist and poet Ginnie Siena Bivona. The cash award for winning this prize is $250. All winners and honorable mentions will receive a certificate of congratulations from Ageless Authors and most will be published in the anthology.
To find out more about the contest or submit your work, go to agelessauthors.com/current-contests/ to read contest guidelines and rules. Click on a submit button to begin the process. There is a $20 entry fee for each submission, which will be read by at least two qualified judges, more if the submission is selected for final judging. This year, judges will be asked to suggest ways the submitter can improve the submission. This is especially helpful to senior writers who wish to expand a short story or essay into a novel or screenplay. Not every submitter will receive such assistance, but each judge will be encouraged to offer suggestions.
"Our judges want to help submitters do better," says Upshaw. "We started Ageless Authors with the idea of encouraging and promoting senior writers. We don't know another group that champions that age group like we do. Our people have a boatload of experience and the time to concentrate on their craft. We have a wide variety of people. Some are highly experienced professional writers with decades spent filling sheets of paper with their thoughts.
“But some of the very best work we receive comes from people who spent their lives and careers doing other things. They may have wanted to write for a living when they were young, but their mothers told them, 'Go to law school or get an engineering degree and make some money.' Now that they have made their money, they want to express their creativity."
Last year's contest received more than 300 submissions in three categories -- military, parents and regrets. The best work from this contest will be published in February in the second Ageless Authors Anthology. The first anthology is for sale now at agelessauthors.com. The print price has been reduced from $18.95 plus tax to $12 plus tax. Shipping and handling are free for those who purchase more than $50 worth of print books. The e-book version is available at Amazon.com for $2.99.
Our first anthology on sale now was very well reviewed, including by Kirkus Reviews, which called the book a "one-of-a-kind compilation" of "Refreshingly good writing and proof that creativity doesn't necessarily wane with age."
Many writers have expressed support for the group as well as the book. “Ageless Authors captures the best offered by seasoned writers,” says Vermont essayist Jean Yeager. “I’m grateful to be judged against my peers. We may be the fine aged wines of the writing world.”
For more information about Ageless Authors, go to agelessauthors.com or contact Larry Upshaw at 214 405-5093 or larry@agelessauthors.com.
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