Summer Writing Contests

American First Magazine’s first annual poetry competition is now open for the entire month of June.

Each month will highlight a different writing art.

June=Poetry

August=Short Stories

June

Annual Poetry Competition

Move us. Make us laugh or cry, smile or sigh.

The American First Magazine poetry competition is open to entries from June 1st-June 30th (Please do not send your entries until June 1st). We want your conservative and/or apolitical poems that draw emotion and offer a unique perspective. Cheesy rhymes might sound good in a rap battle, but digging deeper better suits this contest.

Simultaneous submissions and previously published works are not permitted. We ask for First Rights to publish on our website and in the future print run.

Everyone’s work will be judged based on:

Structure – Haiku, sonnets, free verse and more: all will be accepted, but even with free verse offering a syllabic pattern builds a better poem.
Style – Poetry has a special flow. Whether rhyming or not it carries a certain quality that sets it apart from other forms of art. The language is important, every word, every syllable matters and they all need to fit together to make the entire work count.
Theme – The topic and the meaning are the heart of a poem. Literal internet poetry has diminished this art. Figurative language using simile and metaphor is much more effective, but needs to be gently worked in to balance a poem. It’s not easy and we are eager to give conservative and apolitical content the chance to earn awards as liberals take too many art forms literally.
Creativity – Give us something new. Say the things that haven’t been said in the specific poetic way that only you can say it.

And what’s in it for YOU?

Prizes, of course

3rd place will get their entry fee back, a free American First Magazine Bookmark, and a winner’s certificate.

2nd place will get $10 prize money ($15 if you do a triple entry), a free American First Magazine bookmark, AND a winner’s certificate.

1st place will get $15 in prize money ($20 if you do a triple entry), a free American First Magazine bookmark, an American First Magazine coffee mug, AND a winner’s certificate.

All winners and honorable mentions will be featured in our first print edition early next year.

Please submit by paying your entry fee and then emailing your story (or stories) in JUNE to: americanfirstmagazine@gmail.com

We will reply with a confirmation of receipt of payment and entry (All unpaid entries will be disqualified)

Please put “Competition Entry” in the subject line and address it, “To the judges”.

Fees (yuck – we hate them but they fund the publication)

Single entry: $5

Payment link: https://buy.stripe.com/00gaG38J1cza3hm3cc

Double entry (2 stories per author): $8

Payment link: https://buy.stripe.com/eVag0n4sL2YA8BGeUV

Triple entry (3 stories per author): $10

Payment link: https://buy.stripe.com/5kAeWj2kDfLm8BG8wy

Paid Substack subscribers get up to 6 free entries. No more than 3 stories per author will be accepted through regular paid (non-subscriber) entries. Sure, upping the odds is great, but we don’t want to overdo it.

August

Annual Short Story Competition

Fiction, nonfiction, thrill us with your stories.

The American First Magazine nonfiction writing competition is open to entries from August 1st– August 31st (Please, don’t submit for this contest until July 1st). Tell us about a specific life-changing experience, or fun family story up to 2,500 words.

Simultaneous submissions and previously published works are not permitted for the contest. We ask for First Rights to publish on our website and a potential anthology.

Everyone’s work will be judged based on:

Technical skills – Grammar, structure, and style
Originality – Is this the same old story or something fresh and new?
Voice – How much of yourself comes through this piece?
Characterization – Make love or hate your characters, real or made up
Plot- We need a solid beginning, middle, and end…or at least a climax if you’re playing with new structures to dazzle us. Even personal nonfiction stories need an underlying theme.

Prizes:

3^rd prize will get their entry fee back, a free critique of the winning piece, a free American First Magazine Bookmark, and a winner’s certificate.

2^nd prize will get $10 prize money ($15 if you do a triple entry), a free critique of another nonfiction piece up to 3,000 words, a free American First Magazine bookmark, AND a winner’s certificate.

1^st prize will get $15 in prize money ($20 if you do a triple entry), a free edit of a nonfiction story up to 3,000 words, a free American First Magazine bookmark, an American First Magazine coffee mug, AND a winner’s certificate.

All winners and honorable mentions will be featured in our first print edition early next year.

Submit by paying your entry fee and then emailing your story (or stories) in August to: americanfirstmagazine@gmail.com

We will reply with a confirmation of receipt of payment and entry (All unpaid entries will be disqualified).

Fees