We are looking for holiday scripts for our upcoming collection Holiday Plays for Cultures Worldwide. Submissions should include one-act shorts with themes of holidays, especially from BIPOC and underrepresented cultures. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year, and Easter. Scripts must be original, unpublished works in English, ideal for families and low-budget organizations. Shorts should be between 10 and 20 pages with less than 6 main characters. Winning scripts receive up to $500 USD and publication. No fees required. Submissions open until November 15, 2024.
Selected submissions will be published on the Kinsman Quarterly website and promoted on its social media sites and printed advertisements. Copyrights of the individual submissions remain with the authors. Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc owns the copyrights to the collection as a unit.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted, however submissions should be withdrawn if accepted elsewhere. To ensure that we are able to publish the unpublished work, winning contestants and finalists are asked to wait a full year after publication before they republish the work themselves or with another organization.
Those Eligible
- individuals 18 years or older
- authors of BIPOC and underrepresented communities preferred, but not restrictive
- must be able to receive award payment through Paypal
Contest Guidelines
- Each entry should be an original, unpublished work by the submitting author, which does not infringe upon the copyrights of another individual or entity.
- Scipts should be between 10 and 20 pages with less than 6 main characters.
- Submissions must be received by November 15, 2024 at 11:59pm EST.
- Submissions should feature holiday themes with rich cultural content
- Participants may enter more than one submission.
- Changes to the competition entry cannot be made once a work is submitted. However, a revised version may be resubmitted. In such cases, include the word "revision" in the file name.
Formatting Guidelines (MUST READ)
- Submission files must be named by Title_AuthorName. Example: "Missing Mary_DoeJohn".
- All entries must be submitted as an MS Word doc/docx or .pdf file.
- All entries must be in 12-point courier font for in a standard play format.
- Be sure to remove all track changes from edited text.
- Entries that do not adhere to guidelines will not be considered.
Prizes
- Grand Prize = $500 cash prize and publication in the collection "Holiday Plays for Cultures Worldwide" and as individual scripts on the Kinsman Quarterly website.
- 1st Runner Up = $250 cash prize and publication in the collection "Holiday Plays for Cultures Worldwide" and as individual scripts on the Kinsman Quarterly website.
- 2nd Runner Up = $150 cash prize and publication in the collection "Holiday Plays for Cultures Worldwide" and as individual scripts on the Kinsman Quarterly website.
- Top 6 Finalists receive a $50 Amazon gift card and publication in the collection "Holiday Plays for Cultures Worldwide" and as individual scripts on the Kinsman Quarterly website.
Asian authors and poets wanted for the Winds of Asia Award. Participants submit an original, unpublished work in English, including short stories, flash fiction, nonfiction essays, and poetry. Prizes up to $500 USD for top winners along with publication in Kinsman Quarterly's literary journal and the upcoming anthology, Winds of Asia.
Submissions must be received by February 28, 2025 and should feature themes that are rich in culture. Selected finalists will be featured in the Kinsman Quarterly, its social media sites, printed promotions, and 2025 anthology. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, however submissions should be withdrawn if accepted elsewhere. To ensure that we are able to publish the unpublished work, winning contestants and finalists are asked to wait a full year after winning announcements before they republish the work themselves or with another organization. Copyrights of the individual submissions remain with the authors and artists, and copyrights for the anthology as a collection are reserved to Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc.
Those Eligible
- individuals 18 years or older
- literary artists of Asian descent (strongly preferred, although not limited to)
- individuals able to receive cash prizes through PayPal and Payoneer (transfer through other platforms not allowed). Runner-up finalists receive Amazon gift cards (non-transferable).
By submitting an original, unpublished work, contestants authorize work to be published in the Kinsman Quarterly, its annual anthology, within its promotional announcements, and social media outlets.
Contest Guidelines
- Each entry should be an original, unpublished work by the submitting author, which does not infringe upon the copyrights of another individual or entity. If a work is found to be plagiarized, the offending contestant will be liable for all costs related to the plagiarism, including legal liabilities and the return of any winnings.
- Employees and directors of Kinsman Quarterly and Kinsman Avenue Publishing are ineligible to enter Kinsman Quarterly contests.
- Submissions must be received by February 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
- Submissions should feature themes related to Asian/Southeast Asian culture or subculture; including, but not limited to cultural history, past/present family dynamics, customs, spirituality, myths and/or beliefs, cultural art, community challenges, etc.
- Participants may submit more than one entry. Poetry collections (up to 5 poems) should be included in one document file.
- Changes to the competition entry cannot be made once a work is submitted. However, the work can be resubmitted as a revision as submissions are free.
Genre Guidelines:
- short stories (1000-5000)
- flash fiction (up to 1000 words)
- creative nonfiction (up to 1000 words)
- poetry (1 to 5 poems or up to 10 pages)
Formatting Guidelines
- All text entries must be in Times New Roman, font size 12, double-spaced.
- Do not include any images or decorative covers with the text files.
- Text files should be submitted in .doc, .docx, or .pdf formats. (NOT a .txt file)
- Multipage submissions must include page numbers (not mandatory for title pages)
- Be sure to remove all track changes from edited text.
- Name your file as follows: Genre_Title-of-Work_Last Name. Example: Nonfiction_The Way is Easy_Jones
- Entries that do not adhere to guidelines, unfortunately, will not be considered.
Available Prizes
Each writing genre (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) is represented in the top three winning placements, however those winners compete for the one grand prize.
- Grand Prize = $500 cash prize and publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and annual anthology
- 1st Runner Up = $200 cash prize and publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and annual anthology
- 2nd Runner Up = $100 cash prize and publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and annual anthology
- 3rd Runner Up = $50 cash prize and publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and annual anthology
- Top 6 Finalists receive a $25 Amazon gift card and publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and annual anthology
- 6 Honorary Mentions to receive publication in the Kinsman Quarterly and annual anthology
Note that cash prizes will be received within 60 days of the author's signed licensing confirmation to accept the win and publish with Kinsman Avenue Publishing, Inc. Note that PayPal and Payoneer charge a small fee to transfer winning funds, which are paid by cash-winning contestants. Kinsman Quarterly reserves the right to extend competition deadline (therefore also the announcements and prize distribution) by 30 days.
Entries that do not meet the required criteria will be disqualified without notice. Only one entry can be made per submission form. No alterations can be made to the document or artwork once submissions are received. You may, however, submit a revision in a second form, stating so in the title (example: Lord of the Bears.revised). Winners and honorable mentions will receive awards as determined in our terms and guidelines and will be announced on our website and our newsletter. YOU MAY ONLY SUBMIT ONE FILE, USING THE PROPER UPLOAD FORM BELOW.