⏳ Weekly Writing Contest | October 6: Word Bank

Submit your entry by Friday October 11, 5pm BST / 12pm ET / 9am PT

Artwork by Emma Winterschladen

Welcome to the Weekly Writers' Hour Contest!

This week’s challenge pushes you to weave all ten words in a word bank into a vivid and cohesive piece of writing.

Prompt: Word Bank

Write in the genre of your choosing, incorporating all 10 of the following words into a complete piece:

Belong
Hollow
Wake
Lift
Puddle
Horizon
Beneath
Milk
Flicker
Break

Let these words guide you as you build a scene, craft a poem, tell a story, or explore an idea. Your entry can take any form, but every word on the list must appear somewhere in your submission.

Unpublished pieces of 500 words or less in any genre are eligible for this contest.

Submissions are due by Friday, October 11th at 5pm BST / 12pm ET / 9am PT.

Keep reading below 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: 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 the Editorial Team:

This week’s Word Bank challenge is an opportunity to explore how limitations can open new possibilities in our writing.

We encourage you to see these ten words as invitations. Each word offers a path into a fresh perspective on a story you may not have otherwise told.

Start with curiosity. Approach each word with curiosity. How does “milk” speak to “beneath”? What does “flicker” have in common with “break”? Let the words do some of the work for you. Think of them as guideposts, asking you to explore connections you wouldn’t have noticed without them.

Embrace the unexpected. Constraints can push us to take creative risks. You might find yourself writing in a genre or style you don’t typically explore because one word doesn’t fit your usual tone or narrative approach. Lean into this, and trust that it will open a door you wouldn’t have otherwise walked through.

Let yourself play. Allow these words to lead you into unexpected places—and let that experience be fun! The best writing often emerges from a sense of discovery, from moments when we let go of the outcome and embrace the process.

That’s the challenge this week. What new writing waits on the other side of those ten words? We can’t wait to find out.

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:

• $100 USD (about £75 GBP)

• Publication in Writers’ Hour Magazine

• 3-month complimentary London Writers’ Salon Silver Membership

• Commemorative Writers’ Hour trophy mug

Second Prize:

• A special mention in Writers’ Hour Magazine

• 1-month complimentary London Writers’ Salon Silver Membership

Third Prize:

• A special mention in Writers’ Hour Magazine

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FAQs:

• Do I have to use the words in the exact form they are given?
  Yes, the words should appear exactly as they are listed (e.g. "milk", not "milky"). However, you can be creative with how you incorporate them into your writing.

• Can I change the order of the words in my piece?
  Absolutely! You can use the words in any order that suits your piece.

• What if I can’t fit one of the words in?
  The challenge is to include all ten words, so make sure each appears somewhere in your piece. Be as imaginative as you like in how you use them.

• 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, October 11 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 entry will be published in Writers’ Hour Magazine by Saturday, October 26th.

• 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.

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.