Calling All Seniors: This Writing Contest Is Just for You ($100 Prize!)

Old grandfather writing letters at home in winter
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Are you looking for a place to showcase your awesome writing skills? And to win some prize money, to boot?

Great! We’ve got a writing contest for you.

Oh, just one quick thing: This contest is only for those of you born before 1953.

That’s right, Ageless Authors, a publishing project dedicated to showcasing the work of senior writers, is holding its annual writing contest. This contest is exclusively for those age 65 and older.

Whether you’re a professional writer with 30 years of experience or an amateur who has never published your work, Ageless Authors wants your story. You can share a personal story, write an essay, create fiction, nonfiction — even compose a poem.

So get to typing and submit your work today!

If you don’t meet the age requirements, don’t worry. There are tons of side gigs out there just begging to put some cash in your pocket.

Apply for the Ageless Authors Writing Contest:

Prizes: First place, $100; second place, $75; third place, $50

Three winners will be chosen in each category. Along with cash prizes, the winners will also receive a certificate and a copy of the Ageless Authors Anthology. The best entries will also be published in the 2018 anthology.

Guidelines on length and format:

  • Poetry should be no more than 50 lines
  • Both short stories and essays should be no more than 3,500 words
  • Use Microsoft Word to submit a .docx file
  • Do not provide footers, headers, page numbers, endnotes or footnotes

Applicants have three different topic categories to choose from. You can submit multiple entries for each category, but each individual entry has a $20 fee.

This year’s categories include:

Entries can be personal stories, complete works of fiction or even a mix of both. It’s all up to you! Check out more descriptions on the topics here.

Deadline to apply: Feb. 28

Click here to submit your entries and find more information about the Ageless Authors Writing Contest.

Kaitlyn Blount is a junior staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.