Calling writers, artists, short-form filmmakers, and photographers to share their written, visual, and performance-based stories for our "What a Time to Be Alive" Community Anthology. 

This call for submissions and the upcoming publication is sponsored and facilitated by the Salt Lake Community College Community Writing Center (CWC). Storytelling across genres and mediums has been and will continue to be central to developing cultural identities, fostering personal exploration, and examining what it means to be human in this time and place. 

Thus, the CWC is seeking to collect and publish stories that represent the dynamics, complexities, and nuances of what it means to be human in this time and place.

Stories can take the form of many genres, structures, and art forms: poetry, essays, dramas, short fiction, hybrid and experimental forms like graphic novellas, visual art, music, etc. Writers, Artists, Musicians, Dancers, and Photographers of all experience levels are invited to submit. We may ask for revisions and edits where relevant.

NOTE: if you are a member of one or more of the CWC's Community Writing Series groups, you are strongly encouraged to submit a piece or pieces you've been working on with your writing group. 

If you'd like to join or create a CWC Community Writing Series group, contact Elisar Soueidi (elisar.soueidi@slcc.edu) or Kati Lewis (kati.lewis@slcc.edu). Go here for more information on our Community Writing Series: http://www.slcc.edu/cwc/dws.aspx
We reserve the right not to publish submissions that fall outside of the scope and intentions of this publication project.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 11:59 p.m. on May 19, 2025.

The CWC will host "What a Time to Be Alive" reading and launch celebration during the 2025 Arts Festival (June 19-22). Additional details about about the launch will be announced in April. 

Calling writers, artists, photographers to share their written stories and visual images for the She Said: Women’s Voices in Utah Anthology. She Said is a collaboration between the Community Writing Center and Amplify Utah. This collaboration seeks to gather stories (poetry, essays, dramas, fiction, hybrid and experimental forms) and visual representations of women’s experiences in Utah, a state that has consistently been ranked the worst state for women’s equality in the areas of workplace environment, education, health and political empowerment. The collaboration also includes a workshop series. We’re looking for submissions that explore what it means to live in these cultural, historical, economic, and political contexts. Writers, Artists, and Photographers of all experience levels are invited to submit. We may ask for revisions and edits where relevant. 

We reserve the right not to publish submissions that fall outside of the scope and intentions for this anthology project. 

DEADLINE: 11:59 pm on May 31, 2025. 

We invite you to share your stories/artwork/photography at the "She Said Anthology Celebration." See below for more details on the Celebration: 

Date & Time: During the Utah Arts Festival on the Word Fest Stage for reading/presenting works from the anthology. Further details will be shared in early May.  

Those who read/present their anthology work on the Word Fest Stage will receive a day pass for the Utah Arts Festival.  

Location: 210 E 400 S #8, SLC, UT 84111

Since 1958, the annual Utah Original Writing Competition has celebrated Utah’s dynamic and varied voices and aided Utah writers on their path to publication and broader recognition. Numerous awardees selected by our nationally recognized judges have gone on to significant statewide and national acclaim. Please read through the entire guidelines before submitting.

Deadline: June 30, 2025 @11:59 p.m.

Late manuscripts will not be accepted.

Please submit early to avoid technical issues. Submissions will only be accepted online via Submittable.

Questions? Contact the SLCC Community Writing Center via email cwc@slcc.edu

Timeline

• May 1, 2025: Submission period opens
• June 30, 2025: Submissions due by 11:59 p.m. (MDT)
• October 2025: Winners and press notified
• November 2025: Awards presentation

Book-length Categories: Writers entering categories A through D cannot have a book published (either traditionally published or self-published) or accepted for publication in the category they enter. However, authors can have a book published or accepted for publication in a category other than the one they wish to enter. Example: Jane Doe has had a novel published, but not a nonfiction book. She cannot enter in the Novel category, but she can enter in the Creative Nonfiction Book category.

Previous Publication: Acknowledgment of previously published work or previous performance in competitions should NOT be included on your manuscript. However, in categories A-D, if portions of the work have been published, as permitted (see details for each category), indicate so when asked on the online application form.

Residency and Age Requirement: Submitters must have a 70% physical presence in Utah AND be a legal Utah resident for one year prior to submission and at time of submission. You must be age 18 or older to enter.

Entry Fees: None.

Limits on Entries: Writers are allowed to enter more than one category; however, only one entry per category per contestant is allowed. A manuscript cannot be entered in more than one category. Portions of a larger manuscript submitted in one category cannot be submitted in a second category. First- and second-prize winners in each category are not eligible to enter that category the next year. In the case of alternating categories, first- and second-prize winners cannot enter the exact category they placed in until at least one round of competition in that category has taken place.

Judges’ Decisions Are Final: Judges have sole and final authority in evaluation of manuscripts. If, in the opinion of the judge, no manuscript entered in a category is of sufficient quality to merit an award, none will be given. The judges are not identified until after the winners have been announced. Judges’ comments will be provided for first prize, second prize, and honorable mention only. Under no circumstances should a contestant contact a judge directly. A contestant who does contact a judge may be disqualified. Honorable mentions offer no cash award.

Winning Manuscripts to Remain on File: The manuscripts of the first- and second-prize winners in each category must remain on file with Utah Arts & Museums as part of its permanent collection. In the event a winning entry is later published, UA&M and CWC ask that you provide each agency a signed copy of the work.

Rights: Authors of winning entries retain all rights of publication.

Disqualification: Failure to follow these guidelines may result in disqualification.

Submission Specifications:

• The judging is done anonymously. Do not include your name anywhere on your manuscript(s).
• Include the title or an abbreviation of the title on the bottom, right-hand corner of each page.
• Do not include acknowledgments or dedications in the manuscript(s).
• In general, manuscripts should use 12-point font and be double-spaced. Exceptions can be made for stylistic or narrative purposes.
• Use the exact same title for your manuscript throughout the application process, including on the manuscript, in the document file name, and on the application form itself.
• Pseudonyms may not be used. Legal names, spelled consistently throughout, must be used to submit to the competition.

CATEGORIES A-D
For Categories A-D, no part of the manuscript can be published in book form or have been accepted for publication as a book at the time of entry. Work from the submission that has been excerpted on the web, in journals, or in an anthology is acceptable. A-D are first-book categories.

First prize (Categories A-D): $1500 Second prize (Categories A-D): $750

Category A: Novel
Fiction for adults; minimum length: 50,000 words

Category B: Creative Nonfiction Book
Creative nonfiction, including personal essay collections, memoir, narrative nonfiction, biographies, autobiographies, and histories; minimum length: 50,000 words
First prize for Category B includes first option for publication by the University of Utah Press.

Category C: Book-length Collection of Poetry
Minimum length: 50 pages
This category alternates each year with Book-length Collection of Short Stories

Category D: Children's Book  
Fiction or nonfiction (general or biography), appealing to readers ages 6 through 11. This category includes chapter books and middle-grade books, but not picture books or beginning-reader books. Compilations of stories will be accepted; maximum/minimum length: none. This category alternates each year with Young Adult Book

CATEGORIES E-G
For categories E-G, no part of the collection can be published in any form, except on the web, or have been accepted for publication at the time of entry.

First prize (Categories E-G): $450 Second prize (Categories E-G): $250

Category E: Poetry
A short collection of up to 10 poems for adults; maximum length: 1,000 lines (total)

Category F: Short Story
Fiction for adults; maximum length: 7,500 words

Category G: Creative Nonfiction Essay
Creative nonfiction for adults, including personal essay and memoir; maximum length: 7,500 words