⏳ Weekly Writing Contest | July 27: Ekphrasis
Submit your entry by Friday, August 1st at 12pm ET/5pm BST. Plus: A 'Reader's Choice' award.
Welcome to the Weekly Writers' Hour Contest!
This week’s challenge invites you to choose artwork that speaks to you and let it lead the way to a new piece of writing.
📌 PLUS: We’ve got two updates this week. Read on for news about our August break and a brand-new way to share your writing with the community.
PROMPT:
Ekphrasis is a literary description of a work of visual art.
This week, write a short piece inspired by a work of visual art. You might describe the artwork, imagine what happens just beyond the frame, or explore what the image stirs in you.
Unpublished pieces of 500 words or less in any genre are eligible.
Submissions are due by Friday, August 1st, at 5pm BST / 12pm ET.
Keep reading for more information on prizes and FAQs.
Happy writing!
The Writers’ Hour Magazine Team
A Note from Our Editorial Team
This week, we invite you to write in response to a piece of visual art. This could be anything from a famous painting or sculpture to a photograph, comic, collage, or mural. Then, let it spark your imagination.
You might:
Describe the artwork as if you're guiding someone through it
Tell a story that begins just outside the frame
Reflect on how the image makes you feel or what it reminds you of
Speak to the artist or one of the figures in the scene
Let it open a memory, a question, or a dream
Respond however you’d like in any genre you like. Follow the image. See where it leads.
📣 Two Important Updates
1. A Short Summer Pause
After this week’s prompt, the Weekly Writers’ Hour Contest will take a short rest for the month of August. We’re pausing to give our small editorial team a bit of creative breathing room and to dream up exciting new things for the autumn season.
We’ll be back on Sunday, August 31st with a brand-new prompt.
2. Trialing: ‘Reader’s Choice’ via the Comments
Many of you have told us that you would love the chance to read each other’s submissions, even those not selected for publication. So this week, we’re trying something new.
If you’d like to share your piece with the community, publish the text of your piece directly into the comments section at the bottom of this post.
In addition to our three winning pieces, we’ll also highlight a “Readers’ Choice” selection from the comments section. This could be based on likes, replies, or simply the spark it creates among readers.
Note:
This is completely optional and will have no bearing on contest results. We will continue to read all entries anonymously through Submittable.
To be considered for the official contest (and eligible for prizes), you must be subscribed to Writers’ Hour Magazine, and submit your entry via Submittable.
Sound fun? Share your submission and cheer on your fellow writers in the comments below!
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.
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
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 Friday, August 1st at 5pm BST / 12pm ET / 9am 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 in September 2025.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.
Art: Café Terrace at Night - Vincent Van Gogh
One More Night
I'd sell my soul
For one more night with you
In that cafe with the tables
That caught the moonlight
And threw it back up
Bathing us in pearly white
While stars bloomed like daisies
In fields of blue
I measure my life with the hours i spent with you
In that cafe, caressed with gold
Sipping coffee like we were immortal
To the ravages of time
To walk down that cobbled street, hand in hand
Foolishly counting our fortunes
Like lights that burned in the windows
That night
As the trees threw down sonnets
In rushed whispers
Like they knew
This night was the very last
That i would call you mine
https://pin.it/6ihFwtWre
icarus and apollo spotted in small town of pine grove, mississippi
mama said the cicadas are always loudest when
you ain’t listening to them.
well if reincarnation is real then surely
you’re icarus, the boy that fell
for a god. the boy that flew so high, too high
so that maybe for a second he could feel
apollo’s lips against his.
your mama always taught you to believe in god, but
she didn’t think you’d find him in the warmth
of another boy’s mouth.
she doesn’t know that god laughs
and tugs on your coat sleeves and
kisses you again and sets fire to
just about everything.
and you sure ain’t listening to the cicadas now, ‘cause
all you can hear is your pounding heartbeat
and a couple thousand comets falling
against the earth like his body on yours.
mama, if love is a sin then this poem
sure as hell ain’t a prayer for forgiveness.