2026 Fall Contest
Welcome to the 2026 Fall Contest
InScribe’s annual Fall Contest is exclusively for members, and for new, unpublished work.* If you would like to explore membership, please click here. Our Fall Contest is a safe place to try a new category and get professional feedback or to enter pieces in a few of your favourite categories. This year we are offering five categories (subject to change). See below for guidelines and details on cash prizes, categories, and more.
*Published blog posts and pieces distributed to a limited audience, such as those published in a church bulletin or newsletter, will be considered “new and unpublished” if the writer was not paid for the piece and revises it by at least 30 percent.
- All writers are encouraged to enter regardless of their level of experience (beginner, intermediate, or experienced).
- Free to enter for writers aged 18 years and younger.
- Entry fee: $35 per entry, which includes a professional critique.
- Judges are professional writers, and entries are judged according to the rubrics linked below.
- A minimum of four entries is required to keep each category open. In the case of fewer than four entries, that category will be suspended for the year and entry fees refunded.
- No simultaneous submissions accepted. (Please do not submit your entry elsewhere until after the judging and, should you win first or second place, publication in FellowScript.)
- Please do not enter the same manuscript in more than one category.
- Late entries will be discarded.
CONTEST GUIDELINES: Steps to Enter Your Piece(s)
- Membership required if you are over 18 years of age. If you are not a member, please join InScribe here.
- Please write something ORIGINAL in one of the categories below.
- Do not put your name on your manuscript, and if you know how, remove the hidden header that is automatically added to Word docs (the Contest Coordinator will check to make sure writers’ names do not appear on the entries).
- Follow the rubrics (links below) to craft a winning piece.
- Click here to make your submission(s).
CATEGORIES: (subject to change each year)
Entries must be unpublished, new work, without assistance from generative AI (such as ChatGPT or Claude). Please note that you may self-edit your piece using a program such as Grammarly or ProWritingAid. Although these programs are technically AI, they are not generative AI. (Discover InScribe’s guidelines re: the use of AI here.) Pieces may be written for the mainstream or the Christian market. Truth may be presented subtly or overtly, as long as the message of the piece does not contradict Scripture.
See judging rubrics below.
* Fiction for Adults (incl. Young Adult, commonly referred to as YA) – Maximum 1500 words. 2026 Fiction for Adults Rubric
* Children’s Fiction – Maximum 1000 words. 2026 Children’s Fiction Rubric
* Personal Essay – Maximum 1500 words. 2026 Personal Essay Rubric
* Devotional – Maximum 400 words, including scripture. 2026 Devotional Rubric
* Poetry (any style) – Maximum: 40 lines. Please state poetry style on your submission (e.g., free verse, rhymed, sonnet, etc.). 2026 Poetry Rubric
PRIZES
First: $100 and Certificate
Second: $50 and Certificate
Third: $35 and Certificate
Acceptance of a prize grants First North American Serial Rights to InScribe to publish award-winning manuscripts. Publication in FellowScript is considered at the discretion of the editorial staff and may appear in hardcopy or in the online Fall Supplement, should one be published this year.
* Certificates will be included with all prizes, including Honourable Mentions.
* Winners will be announced at Fall Conference, in FellowScript, on our blog, and on social media.
* To encourage quality craftsmanship of the entries, it’s possible that all prizes in a given category may not be awarded.
* This is a “blind” contest. Judges will not enter into discussions or disputes regarding their decisions or awards.
* The Contest Coordinator does not judge the entries.
Questions? Please contact contests@inscribe.org with “Fall Contest Questions” in the subject field or check Frequently Asked Questions.
BEFORE YOU PRESS “SEND”:
* Ask yourself if you followed every step under “Steps to Enter your Piece.”
* Check the applicable rubric(s).
* Remember NOT to put your name on your manuscript.
We know it takes courage to submit your work. Well done!