Chapter Events and Contests
Local RWA chapters offer a number of conferences, contests, and workshops. Listed below are the chapter contests and conferences scheduled for the coming months.
Please submit all contest, conference, and workshop announcements to
chapterevents@rwa.org. A response will be sent via return email. If you haven't received a response in 48 hours, please follow up. Thank you!
Deadline and format instructions are provided at the end of the column below. Please also send notification of broken or incorrect links to
chapterevents@rwa.org. Thank you!
Updated 03/02/2021
Contests
*Open to published authors
**Open to published and unpublished authors
March Contests
Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense**
Sponsor: Kiss of Death Chapter
Fee: $15 for KOD members, $30 for non-KOD members
Deadline: March 15, 2021 (categories close when caps are reached)
Eligibility: unpublished manuscripts and books published in 2019 and 2020.
Categories: Short Romantic Mystery/Suspense (40K-65K); Long Romantic Mystery/Suspense (65K+); Historical Romantic Mystery/Suspense; Inspirational Romantic Mystery/Suspense; Paranormal Romantic Mystery Suspense; Mainstream Mystery/Suspense.
FMI, visit https://www.rwakissofdeath.org/rwakissofdeath-org-contest/.
National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award (NERFA)*
Sponsor: First Coast Romance Writers
Fee: $35 (+$5 for Best First Book entry)
Deadline: March 31, 2021, for registration and payment.
Eligibility: Entries must have an original copyright date and for sale in the United States in 2019 -2020. Entries must be book-length fiction with a minimum of 40,000 words (except romantic novella category).
Entry: Submit a PDF file to the contest coordinator within March 1 - 31, 2021.
Categories: Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Romantic Suspense, Futuristic/Fantasy/Paranormal Romance, Romance with Religious Elements, Young Adult Romance, Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance, Erotic Romance, Romantic Novella (Under 40Kwords) and Best First Book Category (in addition to another category) for a $5 fee.
Judges: Romance readers
Final Judges: Librarians, bloggers and booksellers
Prizes: All 2021 finalists will receive a NERFA Finalist web logo and certificate. Winners will receive a NERFA Winner web logo and trophy. Finalists and winners will be announced in the Romance Writers Report and on the FCRW website.
FMI, visit http://www.firstcoastromancewriters.com/national-excellence-in-romance-fiction-award/
April Contests
2021 Stiletto Contest
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Writers
Deadline: April 1, 2021
Eligibility: unpublished and published divisions
Categories: Contemporary short-mid-long, YA/NA, Chicklit/Women's Fiction
FMI, https://contemporaryromance.org/2021-stiletto-contest/
2nd Annual 25-4-25
Sponsor: Hudson Valley RWA
Fee: $25
Deadline: April 30, 2021
Entry: receive a developmental edit by published and soon-to-be-published authors on the first twenty-five pages of your manuscript for only $25!
Judges: experienced published and unpublished authors
FMI, entry form, rules, and a sample of the scoresheet, please visit http://www.hudsonvalleyrwa.org/25-4-25 or email hudsonvalleycontest@gmail.com.
Book Buyers Best Contest for Published Authors
Sponsor: Orange County (CA) RWA
Fee: $30
Deadline: April 30, 2021
Eligibility: a romance novel traditionally, or independently published in 2020
Judges: readers of romance
Top Pick Judge: librarian or bookseller
FMI, http://OCCRWA.org
Conferences
No conferences were sent for February or March.
April Conferences
In the Company of Writers 36th Annual Conference & Retreat
Sponsor: Washington Romance Writers
Location: Virtual (online)
Fee: $109, RWA members; $129, non-members (includes conference and access to recordings)
Date: April 10–11, 2021
Speakers: Roan Parrish, Angela James, Priscilla Oliveras, & WRW homegrown talent.
Conference Features: multi-track workshops, Master classes, Panels, Editor/Agent appointments, American Author, Networking, Prize Drawings & Raffles.
FMI, visit
https://washingtonromancewriters.com/ or email
retreatwrw@gmail.com.
Online Workshops
March Online Workshops
World Building
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15, KOD members; $20, RWA members; $30, non-members
Date: March 1–12, 2021
Presenter: Tim Waggon
FMI,
https://www.rwakissofdeath.org/coffin
Creating Unforgettable Worlds: World-building in Speculative Fiction
Sponsor: NEORWA
Fee: $20
Date: March 1–26, 2021
Presenter: Midnight Voss
FMI,
http://www.neorwa.com/online-workshops/upcoming-meetings/
Heroines (Craft/Characters)
Sponsor: OIRWA
Fee: $25, members; $35, non-members
Date: March 1–26, 2021
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/
New Beginnings & Left Turns (Plotting)
Sponsor: OIRWA
Fee: $25, members; $35, non-members
Date: March 1–26, 2021
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/
Story Bootcamp
Sponsor: RWA Online Chapter
Fee: $15 (free for our chapter members)
Date: March 1–26, 2021
Presenter: Peter Andrews
FMI,
https://rwaonlinechapter.org/workshops-3/
Those Who Forgot History – Using Backstory to Enhance Your Novel (Craft)
Sponsor: OIRWA
Fee: $25, members; $35, non-members
Date: March 1–26, 2021
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/
To Be or Not to Be & Other Editing Quandaries (Editing)
Sponsor: OIRWA
Fee: $25, members; $35, non-members
Date: March 1–26, 2021
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/
The US Intelligence Community – Brave, Smart Heroes and Exciting Plots Await You
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $20, KOD members; $25, RWA members; $35, non-members
Date: March 1–26, 2021
Presenter: Kristie Wolf
FMI,
https://www.rwakissofdeath.org/coffin
Writing About Explosive and Narcotics Detection Dogs
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $20, KOD members; $25, RWA members; $35, non-members
Date: March 1–26, 2021
Presenter: Robin Greubel MBA, ACC, Master K9 Trainer
FMI,
https://www.rwakissofdeath.org/coffin
Character Torture 101: Writing Conflict
Sponsor: Western New York Romance Writers
Fee: $20–40
Date: March 1–31, 2021
Presenter: Linnea Sinclair
FMI,
http://www.wnyrw.org/workshops/
The Creative Brilliance Academy Part 1
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Writers
Fee: $15 for CRW members; $25 for RWA members; $35 for non-RWA members
Date: March 1–31, 2021
Presenter: Deb Riley-Magnus
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/
Diving 7 Miles Deep
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Writers
Fee: $15 for CRW members; $25 for RWA members; $35 for non-RWA members
Date: March 1–31, 2021
Presenter: Katie McCoach
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/
Starting in the Right Place: Where Does the Story Begin?
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Writers
Fee: $15 for CRW members; $25 for RWA members; $35 for non-RWA members
Date: March 1–31, 2021
Presenter: Beth Daniels
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/
The Secrets to Getting More Book Reviews
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Writers
Fee: $15 for CRW members; $25 for RWA members; $35 for non-RWA members
Date: March 13, 2021, at 1 p.m. EST / 12 p.m. CST /10 a.m. PST
Presenter: Penny Sansevieri
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/
The Indie Authors’ Guide to Indie Editor
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15, KOD members; $20, RWA members; $30, non-members
Date: March 15–26, 2021
Presenter: Jen Graybeal
FMI,
https://www.rwakissofdeath.org/coffin
Incorporating Humor into Your Writing
Sponsor: Long Island Romance Writers
Fee: $10 for non-LIRW members
Date: March 21, 2021
Presenter: Adrianna Cuevas
FMI,
http://lirw.org/site/meetings
Growth Hacking a Bestseller
Sponsor: Central PA Romance Writers
Fee: $35, CPRW members; $50, non-CPRW members
Date: March 27, 2021, 2–10 p.m. EST via Zoom
Presenter: Liz Pelletier, Entangled Publishing CEO & Publisher
FMI, visit
https://cprw.rwa.org/CPRW/Events/CPRW/Education/Education.aspx or email
info@cprw.org.
CONTEST FORMAT: Contest Name
Sponsor (chapter name)
Fee
Deadline
Eligibility
Entry
Categories
Judges
Final Judges
Top Prize
FMI (entry form, rules, score sheet, contact, Web site info)
CONFERENCE FORMAT:
Conference Name
Sponsor (chapter name)
Location (place, city, state)
Fee
Date
Speakers [up to five individuals (authors, agents, editors, specialists, etc.), also indicate which ONE speaker is to be featured in the RWR]
Publishing Houses (house names only, no additional individual editor names)
Agencies (agency names only, no additional individual agent names)
Conference Features (workshops, multi-track, panels, appointments, critiques, awards, book fair/signing, raffles)
FMI (contact, website info)
WORKSHOP FORMAT (FOR INTENSIVE, HANDS-ON, SINGLE-TOPIC, OR SINGLE-SPEAKER CONFERENCES):
Workshop Name
Sponsor (chapter name)
Location (place, city, state)
Fee
Date
Presenter
Topic
Workshop Features (critiques, book fair/signing)
FMI (contact, website info)
ONLINE WORKSHOP FORMAT:
Online Workshop Name
Sponsor (chapter name)
Fee
Date
Presenter
FMI (contact, website info)
Deadlines
Content Dates |
Online Workshop Month |
Issue |
Due Date |
February/March/April |
March |
January |
November 1 |
March/April/May |
April |
February |
December 1 |
April/May/June |
May |
March |
January 1 |
May/June/July |
June |
April |
February 1 |
June/July/August |
July |
May |
March 1 |
July/August/September |
August |
June |
April 1 |
August/September/October |
September |
July |
May 1 |
September/October/November |
October |
August |
June 1 |
October/November/December |
November |
September |
July 1 |
November/December/January |
December |
October |
August 1 |
December/January/February |
January |
November |
September 1 |
January/February/March |
February |
December |
October 1 |
Deadlines are firm. Please follow the formats at the end of the website listings, not in the abbreviated RWR listings. Email submissions confirmed by reply—if no reply is received in 48 hours, please resend or follow up. Send to chapterevents@rwa.org. Thank you.