2025 Cascade Writing Contest Contest Details
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED. PLEASE CHECK BACK IN DECEMBER 2025 FOR DETAILS ON THE 2026 CASCADE WRITING CONTEST.
The Cascade Writing Contest is for both published and unpublished writers and includes a number of categories and genres. All entries must be unpublished, even for writers who are published in a genre. Before entering, please review the following guidelines on this page, Scoring Elements, and Submission Rules.
Cascade Christian Writers is pleased to focus on being an incubator for new writers while also supporting seasoned writers. The goal of this contest is to provide writers with feedback on their writing (all contestants receive at least three score sheets with comments for each entry), but it also gives writers an opportunity to get their polished writing in front of editors and agents who may be interested in their work. Even previously published writers need to find a home for their next work-in-progress.
If you are a previously published writer, you can enter your next work-in-progress in the category you are already published in to get valuable feedback and potentially find a home for your next book, poem, devotional, or article. Or you can stretch your wings into a new category. So start polishing that WIP now!
If you are not previously published, you can enter your work-in-progress and get valuable feedback and potentially find a home for your book, poem, devotional, or article. So start polishing that WIP now!
In each category, all writers will be judged together. There will be four finalists, one first place winner, and one second place winner in each category.
The purpose of the contest is to reward excellent writing and encourage both seasoned and emerging writers as well as provide a notable achievement for a writer’s bio. After the finalists are announced, all non-finalist contestants will receive copies of their score sheets from three preliminary judges. Finalists will receive the three preliminary score sheets and an additional two score sheets from the finals’ judges after the winners are announced.
You do not need to be a CCW member to enter. If you would like to take advantage of the discounted member entry fee, join CCW by going here (https://cascadechristianwriters.org/signup/) before submitting your entry.
Finals judges include top professionals in the field of Christian writing and publishing. Award certificates will be presented to all finalists during the Cascade Awards Ceremony on June 24 as part of the Cascade Christian Writers Conference at Canby Grove Christian Center in Canby, Oregon June 22–25. First and second place winners will also receive a prize.
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY FOR CONTESTANTS AND ENTRIES
The Cascade Writing Contest is open to all writers. However, entries should not contain profanity, graphic sex, or any other distasteful or objectionable material. Entries that do not meet these requirements, as determined by at least two judges and the contest director, will be disqualified, and the entry fee is nonrefundable. All entries must be original works of the author(s). Note that one of the scoring elements for all entries is that the piece is suitable for the Christian market.
Anything that has appeared in a newsletter, blog, or other medium is considered published and may not be entered in the contest.
If a piece that is entered in the contest is published between the entry date and June 21, please notify the contest director immediately. That entry will not be eligible to win, but the contestant will receive any score sheets already received by the contest director.
ENTRY FEES
Entry fees are nonrefundable, whether the contestant voluntarily withdraws an entry or an entry is disqualified.
Contestants will be instructed to pay electronically and will be given further payment options if they are unable to pay electronically.
Note: If you are not a member and wish to join in order to use the member rate for your entry(ies), please go here to join before you enter the contest.
CATEGORIES
- Contemporary Fiction Book
- Historical Fiction Book
- Speculative Fiction Book
- Nonfiction Book
- Memoir Book
- Young Adult Book (ages 12–18+), Fiction and Nonfiction
- Middle Grade Book (ages 8–12), Fiction and Nonfiction
- Children’s Chapter Book (ages 6–10), Fiction and Nonfiction
- Children’s Picture Book (ages 2–10+), Fiction and Nonfiction
- Poetry
- Devotional
- Article, Column, Nonfiction Short Story
- Fiction Short Story or Flash Fiction
GENERAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Entries will be accepted beginning ___________. Entries submitted before then will be disqualified.
Deadline: All electronic entries must be received by __________
Authors may submit a maximum of five entries, paying a separate fee for each entry. Do not submit the same piece in different categories, but you may submit up to three entries in a single category.
You will receive an automatic confirmation email. If you cannot pay electronically, we will notify you after we receive your payment that you are officially entered in the contest.
Contest closes at ___________.
All entries must be in English.
Authors retain all copyrights to their work, but Cascade Award finalists and winners agree to let CCW publish their names and entry titles on the CCW website.
Electronic Submission Required for All Entries
All entries must be submitted electronically via the online entry form.
All entries must be original and never have been published in any form, including on the Internet or in a newsletter. They also should not include artwork or illustrations. Sharing with a critique group or entering a piece in a contest is not considered being published.
For short entries, upload an MS Word .docx file of the properly formatted entry, using the online entry form, before midnight __________
For book entries, upload an MS Word .docx file or PDF file of the properly formatted entry, using the online entry form, before ________
AWARDS
Based on scores from our preliminary judges, up to four entries will be selected as finalists in each category. Some categories may be combined for scoring purposes if there are insufficient entries. (If there are fewer than three entries in a category, see the cancellation policy below.) The finalists will be notified, and the list will be posted on the CCW website and other social media on April 15. Those entries will then go to the finals’ judges, who will determine the first and second place winners in each category.
Finalists will be listed on the Cascade Christian Writers website and featured during the Cascade Awards Program on June 24. Each finalist will receive a Cascade finalist award certificate during the awards ceremony. If a finalist is unable to attend the ceremony, certificates will be delivered by mail after the awards ceremony.
First and second place winners will be revealed during the Cascade Awards Ceremony on June 24, during the Cascade Christian Writers Conference. Each will receive a Cascade winner certificate and a prize. Additional special awards may be made during the Cascade Awards Ceremony.
FURTHER INFORMATION
CCW claims no responsibility for the outcome of this contest—acting simply as the coordinator for contest entries, sending the entries to the judges, and receiving and tabulating their score sheets.
All monies (after contest processing and awards costs) generated by the entry fees for this contest will go toward the continuing ministry of CCW.
Disqualification
An entry will be disqualified for the following reasons, without refund of the entry fee:
- The entry contains profanity, graphic sex, or any other distasteful or objectionable material not suitable for the Christian marketplace, as determined by two judges and Cascade Contest Director.
- The entry fails to follow the submission rules. For example, a devotional exceeds 350 words, including the Scripture quote, or a book entry does not include a synopsis, or an article exceeds 2,000 words.
Cancellation
CCW reserves the right to eliminate a category if it receives fewer than three entries in that category. If a category is canceled, anyone who has entered in that category will receive a full refund. (This is the only instance when an entry fee will be refunded.) Or with the author’s permission it may be moved to a category that would be a good fit.
Judging
Finals judges are chosen from within the Christian publishing industry. Preliminary judges include bookstore owners, writers, editors, teachers, librarians, pastors, and others interested in the written word. Preliminary judges will not know the names of the contestants whose manuscripts are submitted.
Names of the judges will remain anonymous during the contest.
Score sheets will be returned to contestants to provide feedback and suggestions for improvement. Although judging is subjective, the decisions of the judges are final.
Some categories may not have a winner if all assigned finals judges deem entries unworthy of publication.