Here’s my open call for pg70pit slushies!

#pg70pit is a unique contest in that entries are selected by voice alone. While other contests are better suited for commercial fiction which hooks by the first page, #pg70pit is a contest intending to highlight strong, diverse, or “quiet” voices.

If you think you’ve got the writing and revision chops to be a slushie, read on!

Remember: the contest itself is open to any writer with a complete and polished novel-length work, for age categories MG–Adult.

Constest slushies, however, must have either:

• a writing/English/literature major or minor (must have completed at least 3 years of study), or
• a book deal with a nationally recognized publisher*

*Acceptable publishers:

• HarperCollins and its imprints
• Penguin Random House and its imprints
• Macmillan and its imprints
• Simon & Schuster and its imprints
• Hachette and its imprints
• Hyperion
• Graywolf
• Any other press or publisher which 1) puts out physical books and 2) has won at least one national award for literature (e.g., the Pulitzer Prize or the National Book Award)

Why these rules? We need slushies who can recognize a strong literary voice, and I don’t have time to vet everyone personally. There are so many excellent pitching contests for commercial fiction; I wanted to offer a pitching contest for quieter stories. #pg70pit is the result.

Reading the slush is a volunteer position. Entries come in July 1 for MG, July 2 for YA, and July 3 for Adult. All entries must be read and judged by July 5th at 7pm EDT. I estimate that each slushie will be assigned fewer than 60 entries (60 pages).

By hitting “submit,” you recognize that this is a blind contest—you pledge to not enter this contest yourself in 2016, and you pledge to pass any entries you recognize onto another slushie.