⏳ Weekly Writing Contest | March 2: A Warm Drink
Submit your entry by Friday, March 7, 5pm GMT / 12pm ET
Welcome to the Weekly Writers' Hour Contest!
This week's challenge invites you to tap into the sensory and emotional layers of a warm drink.
*NEW* This month, our friends at ProWritingAid are adding a 1-Year Premium Pro License to the first-place winning prize bundle. Read more below.
Prompt: A Warm Drink
Write about a moment—real or imagined—associated with a warm drink.
Perhaps it’s a childhood ritual, a moment of comfort, or a conversation over a steaming cup.
Unpublished pieces of 500 words or less in any genre are eligible.
Submissions are due by Friday, March 7th at 5pm GMT / 12pm ET.
Keep reading for more information on prizes and FAQs – plus an introduction to this week’s guest judge,
.Happy writing!
The Writers’ Hour Magazine Team
Meet Our Guest Judge:
Originally from London, Susannah has lived in her beloved Mexico for fourteen years. After a decade as a travel writer published in BBC Travel, Condé Nast and others, she now devotes herself to fiction and working as a writing mentor. Her fiction can be found in Inkfish Magazine, South 85 and forthcoming in the Westchester Review. She is also a reader for Wallstrait- A Journal of Hard to Define Fiction. Susannah writes fortnightly musings about writing and the writer’s life in her newsletter, , and hosts a gentle, generative writing gathering called Teas and Tales. She currently lives in the magical mountain town of Tepoztlán, where stories seep from the stones.
🍵 Looking for a cozy, creative exhale? Join Susannah’s Teas and Tales—a monthly generative writing gathering.
A Note from Susannah
I believe tea can act as a wonderful muse for writers. Brewing up fresh leaves, adding a touch of honey and then sitting with the smells, the warmth and the delicious taste can get all the senses moving so you are ready to write. I love to experiment with mixing up my own tea blends and then seeing what they inspire in me.
So, I invite you to:
Brew a tea. See which type calls to you.
Set the scene. Maybe with a candle or some gentle music.
Sit down with a pen and paper (or your computer).
Close your eyes and take a few sips of your tea and see what comes to you.
Write!
I can’t wait to read your stories.
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)
*NEW* ProWritingAid 1-Year Premium Pro License (£115 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, March 7 at 5pm GMT / 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 entry will be published in Writers’ Hour Magazine by Saturday, March 21st.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.)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 Roots!
We are thrilled to share the contest results for the week of February 9. Writers were asked to explore the unseen, the foundational, the things that ground us or entangle us. Special thanks once again to our guest judge,
.First Place: Lines, Layers and Leads by
Second Place: Roots by Sarah Balmond
Third Place: Where Flowers Give Birth to Snow by
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 this week.
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 - Join our March Goal-Setting Workshop
Join us tomorrow for a focused, 1-hour goal-setting workshop to help you get clarity around your writing projects in March and start the month strong.
🗓️ Date: Monday, March 3rd, 7pm GMT (2pm ET / 11am PT)
📍 Location: Virtual, over Zoom
🎟️ Free & open to all 👉 Register Here (free)
(Silver & Gold London Writers’ Salon Members: RSVP Here)
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Cannot submit for Friday entry.