Arizona Authors Association Literary Contest

The road is waiting, you have merely to take the first step. See where your writing will take you.

The 2026 Arizona Authors Association Literary Contest is open from
January 1st, 2026 12:01 am-
June 1st, 2026 11:59 pm

What will you enter today?

This Year's Prizes:

Grand Prize:
$500 cash
Ticket to the 2026 Arizona Authors Awards Luncheon ($50 value!)

Three First Prizes:
$200 cash
Ticket to the 2026 Arizona Authors Awards Luncheon ($50 value!)

Three Second Prizes:
$125 cash
2026 Arizona Authors Literary
Awards Magazine ($15 value!*)

Three Third Prizes:
$75 cash

Three Fourth Prizes:
$50 cash

*If you cannot attend the awards luncheon, you may designate an alternate, to receive the award on your behalf. Luncheon tickets and magazines are not exchangeable for cash or other prizes.

CATEGORIES

Published
Subcategories:
Fiction: (2025 or 2026 original copyright date)
Nonfiction: (2025 or 2026 original copyright date)
Oldie but Goldie Fiction:
(original copyright date 1975-2024)
Oldie but Goldie Nonfiction
(original copyright date 1975-2024)

Published Youth
Subcategories:
Children's Books under 12
(2025 or 2026 original copyright date)
Teen/YA 12 and over
(2025 or 2026 original copyright date)
Oldie but Goldie Youth
(all youth 0-18; original copyright 1975-2024)

Unpublished
Subcategories:
Poetry (up to 50 lines)
Short Fiction (5000 words or less)
Short Nonfiction (5000 words or less) Novels/Novellas/Plays
(synopsis plus first 25 pages)

To Enter:

1. Read Contest Rules HERE*

2. Pay for your entry using one of the methods shown.

3. Send an email to us within 24 hours of payment that includes the following:

Name, mailing address (where we may send your prize, if you win) and phone number.

Title of your Entry

Category and Subcategory of your entry

(Let us know if your payment is from a different email address, so that we may match payment to entry.)

Attach your pdf, doc, or docx file to the email. DO NOT SEND A LINK TO YOUR FILE. Attach your entry (less than 25 MB) to the email. We no longer accept larger files that take hours to compress. If you have trouble attaching it, check the RULES for a link to a compression program to reduce the file size.

Send to:

arizonaauthorsassociation@gmail.com

We will confirm your successful entry within 72 hours.

*By entering, you agree to abide by all contest rules.

Click One:

(Nonmembers save $20 on membership by clicking the Combo button!)

*We will notify you when your check clears and you are successfully entered in the contest.

Prefer to send a check?* Mail to:
Arizona Authors Association
Box 538
428 E. Thunderbird Rd.
Phoenix AZ 85022

Arizona Authors 2026 Magazine Cover .jpg

Each winning entry will be featured in the 2027 Arizona Authors Literary Magazine. Check out the 2026 magazine HERE to see last year's winners, and imagine your entry in the next issue.

Professional Critiques Are Available For Purchase Through June 1st, 2026

Click the button below and then send your self-published novel or memoir, or your unpublished novel, novella or play, as an attachment to your email. (No larger than 25 MB, preferably in doc or docx format). One of us will read your entire manuscript and send you a 2-page evaluation that includes plot suggestions, character development, and/or other elements designed to increase your chances of successful publication. Please be patient. A good evaluation by a professional takes many hours of reading and review and usually costs at least 3x our price. We will acknowledge receipt of your work within 72 hours, and you will receive the completed evaluation within 6-8 weeks.

Email your work to:
arizonaauthorsassociation@gmail.com

Works submitted for evaluation may also be entered into the contest by the author, through the regular contest entry process. If the author submits the work for the contest, the person performing the evaluation will not normally be one of its judges.