⏳ Weekly Writing Contest | June 29: A Summer Memory
Submit your entry by Friday, July 4 at 12pm ET/5pm BST + Last call for ☀️ Summer of Creative Joy
Welcome to the Weekly Writers' Hour Contest!
This week’s challenge invites you to summon the scents, sounds, and sensations of summer.
PROMPT
A Summer Memory: Write about a summer memory that stands out to you. It could be a fleeting moment, a long-cherished tradition, or a transformative experience.
Unpublished pieces of 500 words or less in any genre are eligible.
Submissions are due by Friday, July 4th, at 5pm BST / 12pm ET.
Keep reading for more information on prizes and FAQs.
Happy writing!
The Writers’ Hour Magazine Team
PS: Last week, founding editors Matt Trinetti & Lindsey Trout Hughes hosted a Substack Live to share what to expect this summer at Writers’ Hour Magazine. Catch the replay:
A Note from Our Editorial Team
This week’s prompt invites you to write about a summer memory—real or imagined, quiet or life-changing. It can take any form: a story, a poem, a letter, a monologue, a reflection, a scene.
If you’re not sure where to begin, try anchoring us in sensory detail: the sting of sunburn, the drone of cicadas, the taste of salt or smoke. Set your piece in motion with a single image or a particular place.
We can’t wait to see where this takes 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.
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, July 4 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.
Congratulations to the winners of Found Document!
We are thrilled to share the contest results for the week of June 8. Writers were invited to use an unexpected container to reveal something intimate, mysterious, or true. Special thanks once again to our guest judge, Erica Stern, author of Frontier: A Memoir and a Ghost Story.
First Place: Vera’s Order of Prayer for the Rosary by Ana Popovici
Second Place: FieldNotes_WentworthFalls_December2024 by Mansi Bhatia
Third Place: A Readout of Sensitive Internet Activity by Lukas Hager
Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who participated. It’s a pleasure to share these pieces with you, and we can’t wait to see what you create in the next contest!
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.
PPS - ☀️ Your Most Creative Summer Starts Now
What if you made space for play this summer? For possibility? Summer of Creative Joy is your invitation to do exactly that.
Join Matt Trinetti and Lindsey Trout Hughes for a five-week, self-paced journey to reconnect with your joy and creative momentum.
Enrollment is open now. We kick off on Monday, June 30th.
👉 Join us for Summer of Creative Joy
Read more details here.
(London Writers’ Salon Members, claim your £50 discount here. Paid subscribers, find your £50 discount code below!)
🔒 Paid Subscriber Perk: Editorial Feedback Lottery
This week, three paid subscribers will be chosen at random to receive personalized feedback from our editorial team on their contest submission.
How to enter the feedback lottery: