Raw Earth Ink
Spit mixed with dirt – Muddy words flow
The Northwind Writing Award
The Northwind Writing Award is sponsored by Raw Earth Ink and facilitated by tara caribou to shine light on little-known exceptional writers. Overall we are looking for writing which stirs our emotions, paints vivid imagery, is high-caliber or underappreciated, and is memorable.
Categories include Prose Poetry, Poetry, Short Fiction, and Non-fiction/Essay/Memoir.
Submissions for the award are open May 1st through July 31st. E-mail and mail-in submissions are accepted.
NO FEE. Up to four submissions per author.
Must be 16+ years old.
Writers must reside in the United States to participate.
All winners and honorable mentions will be published in the annual Northwind Treasury.
First place winners in each category receive $100, a copy of the current year Northwind Treasury, a promotional interview with one of our editors, and other special prizes.
All entrants will receive a response on their submission by the 15th of October.
Submission Instructions. Failure to follow instructions automatically disqualifies the submission(s). Submit as one document in one email. Page one: cover sheet as described below. Page two (and beyond): your submission(s) as described below.
What to include:
- A cover sheet, including
- Your pen name exactly how you want it published
- Return mailing address (used for prize winnings only)
- Email address (this is how we will notify you of your status)
- Category
- Approximate word count (Fiction and Non-Fiction categories only)
- Submission title(s)
- If the piece has been previously published, where it first appeared (*please make sure you have rights to republish elsewhere if this is the case)
- A short 3-5 sentence bio, if you’d like one included in the book
- Your submission
- Include only the Title of your work and the Category in the header; footers should be blank, no page numbers are needed
- Do NOT include your name anywhere on the actual work or it will be rejected
- Please use Times New Roman font, size 12, only
- Do not double-space fiction or non-fiction, single-space is required.
- Please check for spelling and grammar, as this is taken into consideration by the judges
- Title your .docx: First Last Author Name_Category [ie: John Smith_Poetry]
- if submitting more than one category, title the .docx: First Last Author Name_Category_Category [ie: John Smith_Poetry_Prose Poetry]
- Title your email‘s subject line: Northwind Writing Award
Category Definitions:
- Prose Poetry (up to 1,000 word count) is defined as poetry which uses everyday language and may have grammatical structure employing sentences and paragraphs. The thoughts generally follow natural speech patterns but still incorporate beautiful, elevated ideas and messages.
- Poetry is defined as writing which uses figurative language, sometimes with structure or rhythm, often with cadence or deliberate patterns, often with line breaks and visual appeal using white space on the page. It incorporates beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts.
- Short fiction (750 – 3,500 word count) is defined as a work of prose fiction which can be read in 20-60 minutes. We are looking for stories with an awesome hook, great characters, and a distinctive voice.
- Non-fiction/Essay/Memoir (up to 3,000 word count allowed) is defined as prose writing based on facts, real events, or real people.
Mail submissions to: Raw Earth Ink, Northwind Writing Award, PO Box 2, Humboldt, IA 50548.
Email submissions to: raw.earth.ink@gmail.com with the subject line “Northwind Writing Award” and your submission attached as a .docx file only. Do not include either your cover sheet or submission in the body of the email, or it will be rejected.
All inquiries regarding the process may be made to raw.earth.ink@gmail.com. If you would like to share this competition with other writers, you may link this page on social media. You may also choose to use Duotrope to report your submissions to us, if you’d like.
To see a list of the 2024 winners, please visit our page here.
To see a list of the 2023 winners, please visit our page here.
Entries are judged in five separate areas:
- Quality – high caliber, well-written, this includes spelling/grammar
- Emotion – stirs the emotions, may cause a reaction by the reader
- Style – paints vivid imagery, easily visualized, unique voice, does not tell you how to feel shows you the emotion creatively
- Capture Attention – brings surprise to the reader, underappreciated writing, causes the reader to want more or helps the reader continue to visualize more than just the words on the page
- Uniqueness – message or style which stands out, will stick with the reader later, is not: woke/repetitive/bland/filled with tropes/sophomoric/overly simple without reason
We are looking for timeless work, not just modern themes. It should stand the test of time. Will your piece be relevant to a reader in twenty years? Modern themes will not disqualify a submission, but take into consideration the areas listed above which judges are using while evaluating when sending us your work.
Additional Information:
AI Policy: prohibited
Simultaneous Submissions: allowed
Hybrid poetry that crosses multiple categories: not allowed
Poetry that employs multiple poem submissions as a whole body (such as four completely separate poems with similar subject submitted together as one submission with it’s own title): not accepted — [poems that employ parts and are one single poem are acceptable]
Raw Earth Ink 