2020 Pitch Contest Calendar

(last updated Apr 4, 2020)

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

Using Tweetdeck to Monitor Contests

Query Critique Calendar

2020 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 2020 Pitch Contests

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 27-29 -- #PitchWars Submission Window - hosted by PitchWars

Nov 12 -- #FaithPitch Twitter Party - for Christian Books - hosted by FaithPitch

Oct 5-9 -- Pass or Pages Query Contest - hosted by Operation Awesome

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

More Contest Calendars:

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

Writing Mentorship &/0r Editing Contests:

RevPit // 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. Note: All the contests above, even those with a warning, are legitimate and can be great opportunities for writers to get their work seen by an agent.  Please use your own discretion as to whether or not a particular contest is the right fit for your manuscript. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me on Twitter ( @CarissaATaylor )

Monthly / Semi-Monthly Events

• Pass Or Pages -- Operation Awesome
• Pages for Agents -- hosted by Savvy Authors
• Agent Wish List -- Miss Snark's First Victim
• Secret Agent Contests (check for updates here)-- Miss Snark's First Victim
• Suzie Townsend's Contests - check this search for updates.
• #PitchCB A Twitter pitch party hosted every fourth Friday by Curtis Brown UK (may now be defunct)
• Dear Lucky  Agent -- Hosted by Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest (may now be defunct)

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

SFFPit Twitter Pitch Party  -- (#SFFPit) -- hosted by Dan Koboldt

SPRING (Mar-May):

DVPit -- hosted by Agent Beth Phelan

#PitDark Twitter Pitch Party -- hosted by Jason Huebinger

PitMad Twitter Pitch Party -- (#pitmad) -- hosted by Brenda Drake

Pitchapalooza Contest -- hosted by the Book Doctors

Secret Agent Contests -- hosted by Miss Snark's First Victim

#Teenpit -- hosted by Michael Mammay & K Hopkins

SUMMER (June-Aug):

FaithPitch Twitter Pitch Party -- hosted by Aboundtiful

Green Light WIP -- hosted by Adventures in YA Publishing
#IWSGPit -- hosted by the Insecure Writer's Support Group

Picture Book Twitter Party -- (#PBPitch)

   -- 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

Secret Agent Contests -- hosted by Miss Snark's First Victim

SFFPit Twitter Pitch Party  -- (#SFFPit) -- hosted by Dan Koboldt

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.

Picture Book Twitter Party -- (#PBPitch)

     -- cohosted by Mandy Yates, PJ McIlvane, & Debra Shumaker

PitDark Twitter Contest -- hosted by Jason Huebinger
PitMad Twitter Party (#pitmad) -- hosted by Brenda Drake

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

Secret Shop  -- (#SecretShop) -- hosted by Marissa Fuller & Jessica Schmeidler

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

Query Kombat (#QueryKombat)

WARNING: In the past QueryKombat may have discriminated against those who are vocal about social/racial injustice.

New Agent -- (#NewAgent) -- hosted by Michelle4Laughs

Pitch América -- hosted by  Pitch América  (Laura Pohl)

Pitch to Publication -- (#pitchtopublication) -- hosted by Samantha Fountain

     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

Fall Fiction Fest -- hosted by Michelle Hauck
First Lines Contest -- hosted by Adventures in YA Publishing
KidPit (#KidPit) -- hosted by Heidi Norrod

Nightmare on Query Street (#NoQS) 
WARNING: In the past NoQS has discriminated against those who are vocal about social/racial injustice.

Pitch Slam (#PitchSlam) -- hosted by L.L. McKinney

On the Block (formerly known as the Baker's Dozen) -- hosted by Miss Snark's First Victim

Dear Lucky Agent Contest -- hosted by Writer's Digest

Write Inclusively  -- (#WriteInclusively) -- hosted by SC Write

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:

Browse All the Twitter Hashtags at Once

Awesome Contest Hosts to Follow:

@BrendaDrake // @DanKoboldt // @DVPit_ // @SC_Author //  @ElleOnWords

@Monica_BW // @KristaVanDolzer // @LizWrites // @SGarberGirl
@LaraTheLark // @Michelle4Laughs // @HRNorrod   //  @AuthoressAnon 
@RavenousRushing  // @TheWriteShadow // @FountainWriter 

@Tangynt  // @StaceyONeale // @OpAwesome6 

@WriteOnCon // @CupidsLC // @JillCorcoran 

@NAAlleyBlog  // @Jessa Russo // @FeakySnucker

Previous 2019 Pitch Contests

Jan 15 -- #IWSGPit Twitter Pitch Contest - hosted by The Insecure Writer's Support Group

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

Feb 13-19 -- Sweetheart Pitchfest - hosted by Savvy Authors

Feb 21 -- #PBPitch Twitter Party - hosted by PB Pitch

Mar 7 -- #pitmad Twitter Pitch Contest  - hosted by Pitch Wars

April 23 -- #DVPit Twitter Party: Children's & Teen -- hosted by Lit Agent Beth Phelan

April 24 -- #DVPit Twitter Party: Adult -- hosted by Lit Agent Beth Phelan

April 25 -- #DVPit Twitter Party: Artists & Illustrators -- hosted by Lit Agent Beth Phelan

May 8-10 -- #OwnVoices Romance Pitchfest - hosted by Savvy Authors

May 13-17 -- Pass or Pages Query Contest - hosted by Operation Awesome

May 23 -- #PitDark -- hosted by Jason Huebinger

June 6 -- #Pitmad Twitter Pitch Contest - hosted by Pitch Wars

June 19 -- #FaithPitch - hosted by  LittleLamb Books

June 20 -- #PBPitch Twitter Party - hosted by PB Pitch

July 8-12 -- Pass or Pages Query Contest  (Entry Form Here) - hosted by Operation Awesome

Sept 5 -- #Pitmad Twitter Pitch Contest - hosted by Pitch Wars

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

Sept 25-27 -- Pitch Wars Submission Window - hosted by Pitch Wars

Oct 24th -- PBPitch Twitter Party - hosted by PBPitch

Oct 28 -- #DVPit  Twitter Pitch Event - Kids / YA Manuscripts - hosted by DVPit

Oct 29 -- #DVPit  Twitter Pitch Event - Adult Manuscripts and  #DVArt Illustrations  - hosted by DVPit

Nov 20 -- #FaithPitch - hosted by  LittleLamb Books

Dec 5 -- #Pitmad Twitter Pitch Contest - hosted by Pitch Wars

Previous 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 14 -- #KissPitch Twitter Pitch Event for Romance and Women's Fiction - hosted by All The Kissing

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

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?