⏳ Weekly Writing Contest | November 10: Folk Legend

Submit your entry by Friday November 15, 5pm GMT / 12pm ET / 9am PT (+ New prize announced this week!)

Artwork by Emma Winterschladen

Welcome to the Weekly Writers' Hour Contest!

This week’s prompt invites you to craft a story explaining the mythical roots of a natural wonder.

*NEW* This week, our friends at Scrivener are adding their writing software to the first place winning prize bundle. Read more below.

Prompt: Folk Legend

Choose a natural phenomenon—perhaps a mountain’s unusual shape, the glow of the northern lights, the path of a river, or a peculiar rock formation. Write a folk legend that explains how this phenomenon came to be.

Unpublished pieces of 500 words or less in any genre are eligible for this contest.

Submissions are due by Friday, November 15th at 5pm GMT / 12pm ET / 9am PT

Keep reading below for more information on prizes and FAQs – plus an introduction to this week’s guest judge,

Alda Sigmundsdóttir

.

Happy writing!
The Writers’ Hour Magazine Team

Meet Our Guest Judge: Alda Sigmundsdóttir

Alda Sigmundsdóttir

is a writer, and occasional journalist. She runs her own independent press, Little Books Publishing, based in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Alda is the author of ten books, each of which explores an aspect of Icelandic culture or society. Her two latest books, The Little Book of the Icelanders at Christmas and The Little Book of Days in Iceland, are about the Icelanders’ enthusiasm for the Yuletide season, and Iceland’s special seasonal events and holidays, respectively. Alda is active on social media, and may be found on Facebook and Instagram. She writes two newsletters on Substack,

Letter from Iceland

and

Things I don't talk about at parties

. Read more about Alda here.

Alda is also a faculty member at Iceland Writers Retreat, held on April 23-27, 2025.

A Note from our Guest Judge, Alda Sigmundsdóttir

A note for crafting a folk legend based on a natural phenomenon:

• Observe the phenomenon. Pick a natural phenomenon that fascinates you, or has fascinated you in the past. Think about its atmosphere, size, colour(s), and unique features. What feelings or thoughts does it inspire? Does it seem friendly, mysterious, or even a bit ominous?

• Imagine a backstory. Folk legends often give personalities to natural elements. Perhaps consider treating parts of the phenomenon (rocks, water, light, or the shape of land) as if they were characters in a story. You could ask: What if this mountain could talk? Was it always a mountain, or did it use to be something (or someone) else?

• Draw on myths and magic. Imagine what kinds of magical or mythical beings or forces might be responsible for creating the phenomenon. 

• Is there conflict? Folklore often includes a conflict or problem that needs to be solved. Think about what might have gone wrong in the distant past to give the phenomenon its current form. Did a quarrel between two powerful beings cause the northern lights to glow as a truce? Did a young hero make a daring sacrifice that turned them into a mountain? - Just as examples.

• Is there a lesson? Many folk legends have a moral or theme, teaching a lesson about human nature, respect for nature, or consequences of certain actions. Reflect on whether your legend might have a lesson, even if it is a subtle one.

I can’t wait to read your legends!

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:

• $100 USD (£75 GBP)

• Publication in Writers’ Hour Magazine

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

• *NEW* Scrivener Writing Software (£55 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:

• Can I base my legend on an existing myth or story?
  Yes! You can draw inspiration from traditional myths or legends, but try to add a unique spin or create a fresh version that reflects your voice or perspective.

• Does the natural phenomenon have to be real?
  Not necessarily. You’re welcome to base your story on a real feature, like a specific mountain or river, or invent a landmark of your own.

• 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, November 15 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, November 30th.

• 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 winners of Prompt Nature Observed!

We are thrilled to share the contest results for the week of October 20. Writers were tasked with choosing an object from the natural world and writing from a place of deep observation.

• First Place: “A Small Light” by

  Bethany Joy Dawson

• Second Place: “Purple” by Krista Carson

• Third Place: “Thank you for reporting your outage” by T.M.

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

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.