2018

If you’re new to pitch contests, READ THIS FIRST for pro tips and advice.

It is important that you read and follow the rules for these, and practice good contest etiquette: Usually only pitch twice per hour, never favorite another writer’s pitch (that is how agents request queries!), etc.

So, without further ado, here is the 2018 calendar of pitch contests.  Some of these have not been officially announced as of this posting, but I will update this post as more information (and more contests) are announced.  Good luck!

January 18: Insecure Writer’s Group — #ISWGPit
Twitter Pitch Party. 8am to 8pm EST; 1 tweet allowed per hour.
Details: http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-twitter-pitch.html

January 23: Sun vs. Snow
Character question + query + first 250 words of your manuscript. Open to the first 200 entries received (in 2016 this took 4 minutes!). 16 entries chosen for each team (Sun and Snow). Teams work with authors to polish their entries before posting for the Agent Round. Open to MG, YA, NA and A (excluding erotica).
Details: http://www.michelle4laughs.com/2017/12/announcing-sun-vs-snow-for-2018.html

February TBA: Son of a Pitch (no 2018 dates announced)
Query + first 250 words of your manuscript. First week open to all for feedback. Then the top 50 entries go on to week 2, to be whittled down to the final 20. Agents and editors will make requests from the finalists.Open to YA, NA and A of all genres.
Details (from 2017): http://kjhstories.blogspot.com/2017/01/say-what-son-of-pitch-is-back.html

February 22: #PBPitch
Twitter Pitch Party – Picture Books only 8am to 8pm EST.
Details: www.pbpitch.com

March 8: #PitMad
Twitter Pitch Party. 8am to 8pm EST; only 3 tweets allowed per project.
Details: http://pitchwars.org/pitmad/

April 4: #AdPit
Twitter Pitch Party – Adult books only
Details: https://heidinorrod.wordpress.com/adpit/

April 4: #KidPit
Twitter Pitch Party – Children’s books only (Picture Books, Early Readers, Chapter Books, Middle Grade and Young Adult)
Details: https://heidinorrod.wordpress.com/kidpit/

April 21: Revise & Resub (#RevPit)
“In this contest, authors will be eligible to receive feedback and full edits on their manuscript from professional editors, ensuring their works are polished and ready for those agent inboxes. Not only will authors be immersed in a supportive community of their peers, they will also have the chance to learn more about how their story fits into the industry and obtain understanding of why different edits matter and how to continue practicing them in the future.”
Details: http://www.reviseresubmit.com

April 25: #DVPit — Children/Teen
Twitter Pitch Party. 8am to 8pm EST; open to PB, CB, MG, & YA fiction and non-fiction. The event was created and is moderated by literary agent Beth Phelan.
Details: http://www.dvpit.com/about

April 26: #DVPit — Adult
Twitter Pitch Party. 8am to 8pm EST; open to all adult fiction and non-fiction. The event was created and is moderated by literary agent Beth Phelan.
Details: http://www.dvpit.com/about

May 16: #QueryKombat
64 kombatants in a single-elimination tournament style query-off. Entries will go head-to-head in six rounds until only one entry remains. Agents look at winners of each elimination.
Details: www.michelle4laughs.com/2018/03/announcing-query-kombat-2018.html

June 7: #PitMad
Twitter Pitch Party. 8am to 8pm EST; only 3 tweets allowed per project.
Details: http://pitchwars.org/pitmad/

June 28: #SFFPit 
Twitter Pitch Party for Sci-Fi and Fantasy books ONLY, for all age groups.
Details: http://dankoboldt.com/sffpit/

July TBA: #AdPit (no 2018 dates announced)
Twitter Pitch Party – Adult books only
Details (from 2017): https://heidinorrod.wordpress.com/adpit/

July TBA: #KidPit (no 2018 dates announced)
Twitter Pitch Party – Children’s books only (Picture Books, Early Readers, Chapter Books, Middle Grade and Young Adult)
Details (from 2017): https://heidinorrod.wordpress.com/kidpit/

July 11: #Pit2Pub 
Twitter Pitch Party where you are pitching to publishers rather than agents. 8am to 8pm Central time; only 1 tweet every 2 hours allowed per project.
Details (from 2017): https://www.kristinvanrisseghem.com/pit2pub

August 27-29: Pitch Wars
“Pitch Wars is a contest where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer each, read their entire manuscript, and offer suggestions on how to make the manuscript shine for the agent showcase. The mentor also helps edit his or her writer’s pitch for the contest and his or her query letter for submitting to agents.”
Details: http://pitchwars.org/new-start-here/

August – September TBA: Pitch America (no 2018 dates announced)
This contest will feature the first 500 words and the 35 word pitch of completed and polished manuscripts written by Latinx. This exclusively for Latinx writers and to work on the diversity in publishing issue.
Details (from 2017): https://pitchamerica.wordpress.com/submission-guidelines/

September TBA: #70Pit
1 page contest based on McLuhan Test, which says the sixty-ninth page is far enough into a novel that things should really be happening, and it can be a better snapshot of the entire book’s style than the first page. 70pit takes this idea but removes the connotations with the number 69.  Entrants submit 257 words from either their 69th or 70th page.
Details: https://larawillard.com/70pit/

September 6: #PitMad
Twitter Pitch Party. 8am to 8pm EST; only 3 tweets allowed per project.
Details: http://pitchwars.org/pitmad/

October TBA: Nightmare on Query Street (#NoQS) (no 2018 dates announced)
Halloween-themes contest. Around 40 entries are chosen and paired with expert mentors. The shined and polished query letter and first 250 words go before agents for requests. Contestants must answer a Halloween-themes question in their submission. For MG, YA, NA, & A.
Details (from 2017): http://www.michelle4laughs.com/2017/09/announcing-nightmare-on-query-street.html

November TBA: #WEpit — Children/Teen (no 2018 dates announced)
Twitter Pitch Party dedicated to women’s empowerment. You may pitch four times per project between 8am to 8pm EST; open to PB, CB, MG, YA & A fiction and non-fiction. The event was created by husband and wife team, Rachel Mannino and Chris Mannino.
Details (from 2017): http://www.getupandsavetheworld.com/wepit.html

December TBA: #SFFPit (no 2018 dates announced)
Twitter Pitch Party for Sci-Fi and Fantasy books ONLY, for all age groups.
Details (from 2017): http://dankoboldt.com/sffpit/

December 8: #PitMad
Twitter Pitch Party. 8am to 8pm EST; only 3 tweets allowed per project.
Details: http://pitchwars.org/pitmad/

 

THIS IS BY NO MEANS A COMPLETE LIST. MANY CONTEST HOSTS HAVE NOT YET COMMITTED TO OR ANNOUNCED THEIR 2018 SCHEDULES. CHECK BACK OFTEN!

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