Daisy Pettles Women’s Writing Contest, Awards and Residency

WOMEN WRITERS OVER 40 – Have you ever wished you could escape your daily distractions and pesky responsibilities—like rent, utilities, and your day job—and JUST WRITE ALL DAY LONG?

Here’s your chance to use your goddess-given writing talent to “win” a month of free rent and utilities, and a $1000 cash grant, while living in a beautiful, peaceful, vintage 1920s arts and crafts bungalow and writer’s retreat house.

Escape all worries about bills for a month while working distraction free on your master work, be it a mystery or romance novel, an investigative report, a literary opus, political commentary, a graphic novel, a YA novel, short stories, humor essays, or a memoir …

Writing Contest for Women

Award Details:
Grand Writer’s Prize valued at $2,500;
Includes a full month’s rent-and-utility-free-residency in the furnished Daisy Pettles Writer’s House, a vintage 1920s arts and crafts bungalow in historic Bedford, Indiana, just south of Bloomington, Indiana (home of Indiana University) ; PLUS a $1000 cash stipend, and an Award Certificate as Honorary Writer in Residence at the house for the year awarded. NOTE: Due to COVID the 2023 winner may forgo the residency if travel restrictions remain in effect BUT will still receive the $1000 cash prize. The winner may CHOOSE which month they wish to attend for their residency in 2023.

PLUS — First Runner Up Award of $200 Cash, with a Winner’s Certificate of Achievement, and an offer of residency if Grand Prize Winners can’t accept their prize.

PLUS — Second Runner Up Award of $75 Cash, and a Winner’s Certificate of Achievement.

WOMEN’S WRITING CONTEST ELIGIBILITY

Published or unpublished, all women writers, age 40 or older, are eligible.

This includes …

SENIOR WOMEN | RETIRED WOMEN

…who have the time to write at long last, but need financial support and emotional encouragement …

COMMERCIAL FICTION WRITERS | ROMANCE | MYSTERY | FANTASY

… if your goal is to be a pulp fiction writer – mystery, romance, fantasy, TV sit-coms – we welcome you. You need not be working on a literary opus …

EMERGING OLDER WOMEN WRITERS

… who have published little to nothing publicly, but have at least 20 pages of great stuff that showcases their exceptional writing promise …

TV Scriptwriters | Women Movie Makers

…all women TV scriptwriters, film makers, sit-com queens, movie, podcast scripters and producers, experimental movie makers…

LGBTQ WOMEN WRITERS

… who often live in cities because of the community and social support, but may long to escape to the quiet of small-town life to work on their passion projects …

WOMEN JOURNALISTS

…who want to work on a passion reporting or investigative project freed of the constraint of having to sell their great ideas to their editors or the advertisers …

VETERAN WOMEN WRITERS

… who crave free time to research or write on their passion projects …

Applicants must be women of at least 40 years of age at the time the residency will begin. All forms of writing (fiction OR non-fiction, including journalism and script writing) are supported by the Women’s Writing Awards.

Emerging senior writers, or late bloomers who have yet to publish, as well as women retirees who always wanted to write, but lacked the time or support, are welcome. . .

The only writing format not currently supported is poetry because the program does not currently have judges and criteria for that category.

Wait, Before I Apply for an Award ….

What Is Daisy Pettles House Like?

The Daisy Pettles Writer’s House is located in the small town of Bedford, Indiana, on Highway US 50, in the hilly, southern part of the state, just down state road 37 and I-69 from Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University, and a local arts and food mecca.

Bedford, with a population of 12,000+, is big enough to have all the amenities you’ll need – a Wal-Mart, a farmer’s market, even a Starbucks and a great regional hospital – yet small enough to have that hometown feel and streets lined with great shade trees.

The house is also available for private rental by groups of women writers, artists, and scholars, with a comfortable residency occupancy for up to 4 adults. Weekly or Monthly rates apply. Email cindy@daisypettles.com for details.

Go HERE to learn more about the Women Writer’s House.