Friday, January 25, 2013

2021 Pitch Contest Calendar

(last updated Jan 6, 2021)

 If you're a writer querying a completed manuscript, the waiting time can be torture. Pitch contests make the process a lot more exciting. Polish your query or twitter pitch and join in the fun!



See also: Previous #Pitmad Winning Pitches 
March 2016 ||  Jan 2013 || March 2013 || Sept 2014 
  Pitch Myths || Pitch Recipes || Pitch Generator
2021 Pitch Contest Calendar

Contest Calendar below! Enter these Twitter Pitch Parties or Blog-based contests for a chance to get your writing or query considered &/or critiqued by an agent!

A WARNING TO PARTICIPANTS: PLEASE READ. 

These contests are all legitimate ways to get your work seen by an agent or editor. However some contests have, in the past, discriminated against outspoken marginalized voices. Until the victims feel these contests are once again inclusive, these contests will be listed on this page with a warning footnote. 

For more information on the incidents please
see the links below the Contest Calendar

Awesome Alternatives
For contests actively seeking outspoken marginalized voices, check out DVPit, PitchSlam, WriteInTheMargins,  WriteInclusively, SomeOfOurVoices, Pitch América, and WCNV

 Furthermore, some contests have declared a Zero-Tolerance for discrimination, harassment, and bullying. See this post by Brenda Drake, host of PitchWars.
Upcoming 2021 Pitch Contests

Jan 20  -- #IWSGPit Twitter Pitch Party - hosted by IWSG

Feb 3  -- #SFFPit Twitter Pitch Contest -- hosted by Dan Koboldt

Feb 10-12  -- Sweetheart Pitchfest -- hosted by Savvy Authors

Feb 11 -- #PBPitch Pitch Party -- hosted by PB Pitch

WINTER TBD -- #DVPit TBD -- hosted by DVPit
        For marginalized authors & illustrators

SPRING TBD -- #KissPitch -- hosted by #KissPitch

Mar 4  -- #PitMad Twitter Pitch Event -- hosted by Pitch Wars

May 4 -- #APIpit Twitter Pitch Party  -- hosted by APIpit
      For Asian & Pacific Islander authors & illustrators

June 22 -- #PitchDis Pitch Event -- hosted by Despina Karras
       For disabled authors

SUMMER TBD -- #SFFPit Twitter Pitch Contest -- hosted by Dan Koboldt

FALL TBD -- #PitMad Twitter Pitch Event -- hosted by Pitch Wars





Want to Practice your Pitches before the real deal?

Check out: #MockPit,  #PracPit, or #RevPit!

More Contest Calendars:

 Sub It Club  // Writing Community Twitter Pitch Parties //  Writing Events (more than just Pitch Contests!) //  iwriterly //  John Berkowitz' Calendar

 Writing Mentorships:

AuthorMentorMatch 

More Information Regarding the Discrimination Incidents:
TW: Suicide
Some of these contests have in the past discriminated against outspoken marginalized voices.

In one instance, a marginalized writer took her life after being bullied 
because she spoke out about racism.
(Thread 1 : Thread 2)

 If you, or someone you care about is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out for help:

US Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
Canada: Text "CONNECT" to 686 868
Australia Lifeline: 13 11 14

There are several contests on this list that have, in the past, discriminated against or bullied mentor(s) & co-host(s) who speak out on social media about issues of racism, xenophobia, and/or homophobia because they do not agree with their tactics and the tone of their arguments.

This is not okay.


I encourage you, if you aren't familiar with the situation already, to read the information provided by the victims and hosts, and discuss the matter with people you trust and respect regarding issues of diversity, tone policing, and discrimination against marginalized voices. 

Regarding the Query Kombat, NoQS, and SunVsSnow incident:

The victim's post regarding the incident.
The host's response.

*Note: the host has also mentioned that following the incident, they are actively seeking more diverse subs, as there has been a decline in diverse submissions to these contests after this incident. 

Regarding the FicFest Incident & Pitch to Publication (#p2p16) editor incident:
The victim's threads: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Update: In February of 2017, Julie died by suicide after being targeted and harassed by some of the writers and editors involved in these incidents. (Thread 1 : Thread 2)
RIP Julie. We miss your beautiful presence and voice so much. 


*Note: the host of FicFest has deleted all videos and other social media related to the incident, so that is all I have in terms of host response. In regards to Pitch To Publication, it was only one of the editors that was involved in the incident. Choose your editor/mentor wisely.


 If you have questions, comments, or concerns,
please don't hesitate to get in touch with me on Twitter ( @CarissaATaylor )

Monthly / Semi-Monthly Events


 Contests by Season
     (Northern Hemisphere Seasons)

     Note: The contests listed below usually happen annually,
               but may or may not happen this year. 
               Visit the hosts' websites for updates.


WINTER (Dec-Feb):

IWSGPit -- hosted by The Insecure Writer's Support Group
Kisspitch -- hosted by Gwynne Jackson and Tricia Lynne
PitMatch -- hosted by Brenda Drake and #MSWL
Red Light / Green Light -- hosted by Adventures in YA Publishing
                       (Link only works in Google Chrome, sorry! The site doesn't have contest labels or a search function!)
Secret Agent Contests -- hosted by Miss Snark's First Victim


SPRING (Mar-May):

 DVPit -- hosted by Agent Beth Phelan
#PitDark Twitter Pitch Party -- hosted by Jason Huebinger
#Teenpit -- hosted by Michael Mammay & K Hopkins

SUMMER (June-Aug):

   -- cohosted by Mandy Yates, PJ McIlvane, & Debra Shumaker
Page 70 Pitch -- (#pg70pit) -- hosted by Lara Willard
#PitProm -- hosted by #PitProm
Pitch Wars -- (#PitchWars) -- hosted by Brenda Drake


FALL (Sept - Nov):

DVPit -- hosted by Agent Beth Phelan
Picture Book Party -- (#PBParty) -- hosted by Michelle4Laughs & Sharon Chriscoe
WARNING: In the past PBParty may have discriminated against those who are vocal about social/racial injustice.
     -- cohosted by Mandy Yates, PJ McIlvane, & Debra Shumaker


FORMER CONTESTS (may now be defunct)
Agent Match -- (#AgentMatch) -- hosted by Samantha Fountain 
Cupid's Blind Speed Dating  
FaithPitch Twitter Pitch Party -- hosted by Aboundtiful
PitchMAS -- (#PitchMAS) -- hosted by Jessa and Tamara 
PitchMAS in July -- (#PitchMAS) -- hosted by Jessa and Tamara 
Like a Virgin -- hosted by Kristina Perez & Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Luck O' The Irish -- hosted by WriteOnCon 
The Writer's Voice (#TheWVoice)  -- cohosted by Brenda Drake, Elizabeth Briggs, Monica BW, & Krista Van Dolzer
Pit2Pub -- (#pit2pub) -- hosted by Kristin Van Risseghem

Pitch Madness Contest -- (#pitchmadness) hosted by Brenda Drake
Sun vs Snow Contest -- (#SunVsSnow)
WARNING: In the past SunVsSnow may have discriminated against those who are vocal about social/racial injustice. 
#WritePit  -- hosted by Jessica Schmeidler
Write In the Margins -- hosted by Justina Ireland
Adult Pitch Workshop -- (#adpit) -- hosted by Heidi Norrod
FicFest
WARNING: In the past FicFest has discriminated against those who are vocal about social/racial injustice.
KidPit -- (#kidpit) -- hosted by Heidi Norrod
Nest Pitch -- (#NestPitch) -- hosted by Nikola Vukoja

Pitch Madness Contest -- (#pitchmadness) hosted by Brenda Drake
Pitch Slam -- (#PitchSlam) -- hosted by L.L. McKinney
WARNING: In the past QueryKombat may have discriminated against those who are vocal about social/racial injustice.
New Agent -- (#NewAgent) -- hosted by Michelle4Laughs
     WARNING: In the past, certain editors in pitch2pub have been known to make frequent 
                             racist, misogynist, and/or homophobic remarks on social media. 
                             Please choose your mentor with care.
Pit2Pub -- (#pit2pub) -- hosted by Kristin Van Risseghem
WCNV - Writing from Color and Native Voices -- hosted by WCNV
Writer Pitch -- (#WritePit) -- hosted by Jessica Schmeidler


Nightmare on Query Street (#NoQS) 
WARNING: In the past NoQS has discriminated against those who are vocal about social/racial injustice.
On the Block (formerly known as the Baker's Dozen) -- hosted by Miss Snark's First Victim




Twitter Hashtags:
Twitter hashtags to keep an eye on for upcoming pitch contest news!

#PitMad // #DVPit //  #PitchMadness // #PitchWars // #WriteOnCon // #PitchFest //
#AdPit (Adult & NA books) // #PitchSqueak (picture books) // #SFFPit // #JustPitchIt (faith-based books) // #PitchSlam // #NestPitch // #NoQS // #TheWVoice // #xmasinjuly  //#MysteryAgent // #PitchMAS // #QueryKombat // #NewAgent // #SecretShop // #SunVsSnow // #TheWritersTank // #NLpitchperfect // #RTSlap  // #AgentMatch // #PitchCB // #pit2pub // #PitchToPub // #pg70pit // #pitchtopublication

Want a link to a search for all the twitter hastags in one go? Done!
All your contest news in one feed:


Awesome Contest Hosts to Follow:






2020 Pitch Contests


Jan 15  -- IWSG Twitter Pitch Party - hosted by IWSG

Jan 30 -- #SFFPit Twitter Pitch Contest - hosted by Dan Koboldt

Feb 1-29 -- 10th Annual Pitchapalooza - hosted by The Book Doctors

Feb 12-14 -- Sweetheart Pitchfest - hosted by SavvyAuthors


Feb 20 -- #PBPitch Twitter Party - hosted by PBPitch

Feb 27 - #FaithPitch Twitter Pitch Party for Christian Books - hosted by FaithPitch

Mar 5 -- #PitMad Twitter Pitch Party - hosted by PitchWars

Mar 9 -- #PBParty Blog Pitch Contest - hosted by Michelle Hauck & Mindy Alyse WeissWARNING: In the past pbparty may have discriminated against those who are vocal about social/racial injustice.

Mar 9-13 -- Pass or Pages Query Contest - hosted by Operation Awesome

Apr 13 -- Secret Agent Contest - hosted by Miss Snark's First Victim

Apr 15-17 -- Sourcebooks #OwnVoices Romance Pitchfest - hosted by Sourcebooks and SavvyAuthors

Apr 22 - #DVPit Twitter Pitching Event - Children/YA - hosted by DVPit

Apr 23 - #DVPit Twitter Pitching Event - Adult - hosted by DVPit

Apr 23 - #DVArt Twitter Pitching Event - Illustrators - hosted by DVPit

May 21 -- #PitDark Twitter Pitch Contest - hosted by Jason Huebinger

June 4 -- #PitMad Twitter Pitch Party - hosted by PitchWars

June 8-12 -- Pass or Pages Query Contest - hosted by Operation Awesome

June 18 -- #PBPitch Twitter Party for Picture Books - hosted by #PBPitch

June 25 -- #FaithPitch Twitter Party - for Christian Books - hosted by FaithPitch

FALL TBD -- #pg70pit Writing Contest -- hosted by Lara Willard

Sept 3 -- #PitMad Twitter Pitch Party - hosted by PitchWars

Sept 15 -- #LatinxPitch Twitter Pitching Event -- hosted by Latinx Pitch




A lot of these folks have recurring contests throughout the year, so keep your eyes peeled for more to come!

Also check out these contest round-ups: 
Sub It Club  // KidLit 411 // Art of Infiltration  // Meredith's Musings // I Write for Apples // Agent Query Connect //  Brenda Drake Contest Schedule // Nestpitch Contest Roundup

And just for fun: Logline Generator

What about you? Do you have a favorite query, pitch, or twitter pitch contest? Know of other query or manuscript critique contests I should add to the list?
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5 comments:

  1. Shymala DasonFebruary 25, 2017 at 1:27 PM

    This is so useful. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rosie SomersMarch 11, 2017 at 6:39 PM

    This is great, can't believe there isn't any one else posting this list. Thanks for compiling such a thorough list

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownApril 14, 2017 at 7:39 PM

    I appreciate you compiling the items about contests who have discriminated and/or involved themselves in tone policing. It's been tough to find out what happened in these contests and you've provided that information. Much appreciated!

    ReplyDelete
  4. LisaMay 11, 2017 at 11:19 PM

    Thank you for this list, especially with the warnings for those who are discriminatory.

    ReplyDelete
  5. MarinaOctober 15, 2018 at 5:17 PM

    Thanks so much for posting this information!

    ReplyDelete

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