Friday, January 25, 2013

2020 Pitch Contest Calendar

(last updated Jan 9, 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!
Polish your pitch - this means war!

See also: Previous #Pitmad Winning Pitches 
March 2016 ||  Jan 2013 || March 2013 || Sept 2014 
  Pitch Myths || Pitch Recipes || Pitch Generator
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 of this discrimination 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


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

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

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

Feb TBD -- #KissPitch Twitter Pitch Event - hosted by All The Kissing

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

Spring TBD - #DVPit Twitter Pitching Event - hosted by DVPit

Spring TBD - #FaithPitch Twitter Pitch Party for Christian Books - hosted by FaithPitch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



 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
Pit2Pub -- (#pit2pub) -- hosted by Kristin Van Risseghem
Pitch Madness Contest -- (#pitchmadness) hosted by Brenda Drake
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
Sun vs Snow Contest -- (#SunVsSnow)
WARNING: In the past SunVsSnow has discriminated against those who are vocal about social/racial injustice. 
#WritePit  -- hosted by Jessica Schmeidler
Write In the Margins -- hosted by Justina Ireland


SPRING (Mar-May):

Adult Pitch Workshop -- (#adpit) -- hosted by Heidi Norrod
DVPit -- hosted by Agent Beth Phelan
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
#PitDark Twitter Pitch Party -- hosted by Jason Huebinger
Pitch Slam -- (#PitchSlam) -- hosted by L.L. McKinney
Query Kombat (#QueryKombat)
WARNING: In the past QueryKombat has discriminated against those who are vocal about social/racial injustice.
#Teenpit -- hosted by Michael Mammay & K Hopkins

SUMMER (June-Aug):

New Agent -- (#NewAgent) -- hosted by Michelle4Laughs
   -- cohosted by Mandy Yates, PJ McIlvane, & Debra Shumaker
     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.
Pitch Wars -- (#PitchWars) -- hosted by Brenda Drake
Pit2Pub -- (#pit2pub) -- hosted by Kristin Van Risseghem


FALL (Sept - Nov):

DVPit -- hosted by Agent Beth Phelan
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.
     -- cohosted by Mandy Yates, PJ McIlvane, & Debra Shumaker
On the Block (formerly known as the Baker's Dozen) -- hosted by Miss Snark's First Victim

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



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:



 2018 Pitch Contests

March 26 -- Sneaky Agent Blogpitch -- hosted by Miss Snark's First Victim

March 27 -- #pbparty -- hosted by Michelle Hauck
WARNING: In the past pbparty has discriminated against those who are vocal about social/racial injustice.

April 4 - #kidpit -- hosted by Heidi Norrod

April 4 - #adpit -- hosted by Heidi Norrod
April 25  -- #DVpit (Kidlit pitch party) -- hosted by Lit Agent Beth Phelan


April 26  -- #DVpit (Adult pitch party) -- hosted by Lit Agent Beth Phelan
May 8-10 -- Spring Diversity Editor Pitchfest -- hosted by SavvyAuthors

May 14 -- MSFV's Secret Agent -- hosted by Authoress (Jillian Boehme)

May 17 -- #PitDark -- hosted by Jason Huebinger

May 16-18 -- #QueryKombat -- hosted by Michelle, Michael, and Kara
WARNING: In the past QueryKombat has discriminated against someone who was vocal about social/racial injustice.

June 13-16 -- Savvy Authors Summer Pitchfest -- hosted by Savvy Authors

June 21 -- #pbpitch -- hosted by pbpitch

June 28 -- #SFFPit -- hosted by Dan Koboldt


July 11 -- #pit2pub -- hosted by Kristin D. Van Risseghem


Aug 27-29 -- Pitch Wars Submission Window -- hosted by Pitch Wars

Oct 16-17 -- #DVPit

Nov 26-28 -- Pass or Pages - Adult Horror - hosted by Operation Awesome

Nov 28 -- #faithpitch - Christian Fiction Twitter Party - hosted by Faith Pitch

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



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. Sara Beth WilliamsMarch 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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