LASTEST UPDATE ▪️ COMPETITION INFORMATION
2025 Competition Deadline Announced!
William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition
The William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition, organized by The Pirate’s Alley Society, Inc., aims to discover and support talented writers. Open to previously unpublished work, the competition features nine categories, including Novel, Short Story, and Poetry.
Interested in the competition?
Competition Overview
All writers, including international participants
Eligibility
Varies by category and manuscript length, starting from $25
Entry Fee
December 1 - June 15
Submission Deadline
September 25, 2026 (Mr. Faulkner's birthday)
Winners Announcement
📌 Note: Aralia is not the organizer of this competition. For official rules, deadlines, and updates, please refer directly to the competition organizer. Aralia provides listings and information about competitions for student reference. Aralia is an online education platform offering competition preparation classes to students worldwide.
Competition Details
1. Overview
The William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition is an annual event sponsored by The Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society, Inc., a non-profit literary and educational organization. Winners will be celebrated at the Faulkner Society’s annual meeting and black-tie gala, part of the “Happy Birthday, Mr. Faulkner!” weekend.
2. Submission Details and Prizes
Category One (Novel): $7,500
- Requirements: Original, unpublished novel or short story collection linked by place/characters.
Word Limit & Fees: Up to 125,000 words: $45, 125,001–200,000 words: $100, 200,000+ words: $200
Category Two (Complete Collection): $2,000
- Requirements: Original collection of short fiction or essays linked by recurring characters, incident, or place.
Word Limit & Fees: Up to 100,000 words: $45 | 100,001–200,000 words: $100 | 200,000+ words: $200
Category Three (Non-Fiction Book): $1,500
- Requirements: Original creative non-fiction (e.g., memoirs, histories, biographies, non-fiction novels).
Word Limit & Fees: Up to 100,000 words: $45 | 100,001–150,000 words: $75| 150,001–175,000 words: $100 | 175,001–225,000 words: $125 | 225,000+ words: $200
Category Four (Short Fiction): $1,500
- Requirements: Original, unpublished short story (≤2,500 words) or novella (≤12,500 words).
Fee: $40
Category Five (Book-in-Progress): $1,500
- Requirements: One-page synopsis + first 25 pages (max 7,500 words total). Fiction or non-fiction.
Fee: $40
Category Six (Essay): $1,000
- Requirements: Original creative non-fiction essay ≤2,500 words.
Fee: $35
Category Seven (Poetry Collection): Publication and $1,500
- Requirements: 50–80 pages of original, thematically linked poems. Include table of contents and numbered pages. Previously published individual poems allowed, but not in a book-length collection.
Fee: $40 per manuscript (separate fee per entry).
Category Eight (Single Poem): $1,000
- Requirements: Single poem ≤750 words.
- Fee: $25
Category Nine (Short Story by a High School Student): $750
- Requirements: Original short story ≤2,500 words.
- Fee: $10 (paid by school or student).
Submission Details
1. Entry Guidelines
Work must be previously unpublished, including self-published works unless fewer than 500 copies are sold. Works published in full online are ineligible.
2. Submission Requirements
Manuscript Format: Submissions must be in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format.
Two Documents Needed:
- Contact Document: Include author’s name, address, email, phone number, category, title, and word count. Title it with the author’s name and “Contact Info.”
- Entry Document: Include a title page, one-page synopsis (if applicable), and manuscript. This document must not include identifying information and should be titled with the abbreviated form of the title and category.
