Central Oregon Writers Guild (CowG) is accepting entries for their ninth annual Harvest Writing contest. Contest submissions will close on August 16. The contest is open to residents of Oregon and all current members of Central Oregon Writers Guild. This year, for the first time, the contest will feature three youth categories for those writers 18 and younger. This is a great opportunity to gain constructive feedback from a genre-specific judge, polish your writing and possibly win. The first place winner in each category will receive a $100 cash award. The top two winners in each of six categories will read their entries at a special showcase event to be held on the evening of October 22 at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Bend and first through third place winning entries in each category will be featured in the Central Oregon Writers Guild 2016 Harvest Writing Contest Winners Collection, a book published each year following the writing contest.

Winners will receive a complimentary print copy of the book upon publication. Winners may be featured in author presentations and readings at Central Oregon bookstores. Entries must be 1,200 words or less and are being accepted in the categories of fiction, nonfiction and poetry and youth fiction, youth nonfiction and youth poetry. One entry is allowed per writer and one poem per poetry entry. All submissions must be previously unpublished original works of the writer. Previous years’ winning submissions may be found in the Central Oregon Writers Guild 2014 and 2014 Winners Collection books, available for purchase at COWG meetings and workshops, and from Amazon.
www.centraloregonwritersguild.com. Questions regarding the contest may be submitted to cowgcontest@gmail.com.