🌎 24-Hour Writing Contest | April 25, 2025: The Blue Hour

Submit your entry by Saturday, April 26 at 7pm BST / 2pm ET / 11am PT (+ Join our 24-Hour Writing Sprint!)

Artwork by Emma Winterschladen

Welcome to our 24-Hour Writing Contest at Writers’ Hour Magazine!

This 24-hour challenge invites you to slip into the liminal, lean into mystery, and write from the tender space where night becomes day.

Plus, you’re invited to write alongside us at our free ✍️🌏 24-Hour Writing Sprint, kicking off today, Friday April 25th at 7pm BST / 2pm ET / 11am PT. Join us for 1, 2, or all 24 hours. 👉 RSVP here.

Prompt: The Blue Hour

Write a piece set in the liminal space between night and day. What's held in the quiet, pre-dawn blue? What does this time allow that day does not?

Unpublished pieces of 500 words or less in any genre are eligible for this contest.

Submissions are open for the next 24 hours only and are due by Saturday, April 26th at 7pm BST / 2pm ET / 11am PT.

Keep reading below for more information on prizes and FAQs – plus an introduction to our judge, London Writers’ Salon co-founder Parul Bavishi.

Happy writing!
The Writers’ Hour Magazine Team

Meet Our Guest Judge Parul Bavishi

Parul Bavishi is the co-founder of the London Writers' Salon, co-creator of the webby-nominated Writers' Hour daily writing sessions, and co-host of the London Writers' Salon podcast. She co-hosted Writers’ Summit at the London Book Fair in 2022 and runs the LWS Query With Confidence course.

She has been an editor and Literary Scout in the publishing industry and a freelance editor at Cornerstones and at the Story Grid. In the last year, she has turned her hand to writing and is in the middle of writing a collection of short stories.

A Note from our Editorial Team:

The blue hour is a threshold—a brief, shimmering space between night and day, shadow and light. It’s a time of stillness, of ambiguity, of quiet knowing. For this 24-hour challenge, we invite you to step into that in-between.

You might write from the hush before a city wakes, the final thoughts of a sleepless night, or the breath held just before something begins. Let the tone be soft or sharp, surreal or stark—what matters is the sensation of the threshold. What truths can only be spoken when the world is not quite awake?

And remember: constraints can be creative catalysts. Trust your instincts, write fast, and don’t be afraid to leave a little space for the unknown.

We can't wait to step into the blue with you.

How to Submit:

• Submissions should be made through our online submission platform, Submittable, and formatted as a Word Doc.

• For more details, please read the full Contest Guidelines.

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The winning entries will receive:

First Prize:

• $65 USD (£50 GBP)

• Publication in Writers’ Hour Magazine

• 3-months of London Writers’ Salon Silver Membership (£79 value)

• Commemorative Writers’ Hour trophy mug

Second Prize:

• Publication in Writers’ Hour Magazine

• 1-month of London Writers’ Salon Silver Membership (£29 value)

Third Prize:

• Publication in Writers’ Hour Magazine

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FAQs:

• What genres can I write in?
  All genres - fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc - are welcome.

• Is there a word limit?
  Your piece must be 500 words or less. Pieces that exceed this will not be considered. There is no minimum word limit.

• Do I need to submit in a specific format?
  Please follow the instructions outlined in the Contest Guidelines.

• When is the deadline to submit?
  Submissions are due by Saturday, April 26 at 7pm BST / 2pm ET / 11am PT. Submissions received outside this window will not be considered.

• When will the winner be announced?
  The winner will be contacted via Submittable, and the winning entries will be published in Writers’ Hour Magazine by Saturday, May 10th.

• Can I submit a piece I’ve already published?
  Only previously unpublished pieces are eligible for this contest. (Published means anything that has already been made publicly available in print or online.)

• Can I use AI tools (like ChatGPT) to help write my contest submission?

  No. We do not accept any AI-assisted writing for contest entries. All submissions must be the author’s original work and human-generated. Use of AI will disqualify you from this and any future contests.

• Is there a fee to submit?
  No, there is no fee to submit. However you must be subscribed to Writers’ Hour Magazine in order for your submission to be considered.

PS - Write with us at Writers’ Hour

Come work on your submission at Writers' Hour—our daily silent writing sprints—where writers from around the world come together to work on their projects. It’s the perfect environment to focus, share space with other writers, and make progress on your contest entry.