Writing Contests

The Bethesda Urban Partnership & Bethesda Magazine have partnered to honor Essay and Short Story Writers. All Essay and Short Story Contest winners will be published on the Bethesda Urban Partnership and Bethesda Magazine websites and honored at a special event during Local Writer's Showcase in March 2023.

Essay Contest

Topic: Open
Deadline for application: Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Awards (Adult)
First Place: $500 and published in Bethesda Magazine
Second Place: $250
Third Place: $150
Honorable Mentions: $100
Online Application for Adult Essay Contest

Awards (High School)
First Place: $250 and published in Bethesda Magazine
Second Place: $150
Third Place: $75
Honorable Mentions: $50
Online Application for High School Essay Contest

All winning essays will be published on the Bethesda Urban Partnership and Bethesda Magazine websites and will be honored at a special event during the Local Writer's Showcase in March 2023.

Requirements
Essays must be limited to 500 words or less about a topic of the writer's choosing. Only one entry per person. Your essay must be your original work. Any essays containing material that is obscene or objectionable will be disqualified.  Previously published essays are not eligible for Adult Submissions.

Eligibility
Residents of Washington, D.C. and the select counties of Maryland (Montgomery, Prince George's, Howard and Frederick) and Virginia (Arlington, Fairfax, Alexandria, Loudoun, Prince William) are eligible.  High School entries must be residents or attend a school in Montgomery County, MD or Washington, D.C.

Judges: 
Niesha-Anne Green, Director of Academic Student Services Writing Center in the Academic Support and Access Center at American University

Aaron Hamburger, Author, Creative Writing Professor at George Washington University and Stonecoast MFA Program in Creative Writing

Ofelia Montelongo, Bilingual writer from Mexico, Writing Teacher at George Washington University

Notification: Winners will be contacted in February 2023.

Copyright
All entrants retain the copyright rights that they have in the essays they submit, but by participating in this contest and submitting essays, all entrants grant Bethesda Urban Partnership (BUP) the right, license, and ability to use and publish all submitted essays (in complete form or in excerpted form) on the BUP Web site, on other Web sites, and in other media.

Short Story Contest

Topic: Open
Deadline for application: Tuesday, January 10, 2023
Online Application for Short Story Contest

Awards (Adult)
First Place: $500 and published in Bethesda Magazine
Second Place: $250
Third Place: $150
Honorable Mention: $100

Awards (High School)
First Place: $250 and published in Bethesda Magazine
Second Place: $150
Third Place: $75
Honorable Mention: $50

All winning short stories will be published on the Bethesda Urban Partnership and Bethesda Magazine websites and will be honored at a special event during the Local Writer's Showcase in March 2023.

Requirements
Stories must be limited to 4,000 words or less. Only one entry per person permitted.

Eligibility
Residents of Montgomery County, MD and Upper NW Washington, D.C. (20015 and 20016 ZIP codes) are eligible.
The contest will take entries in two categories: High School (grades 9-12) and Adult (ages 18+).