Well Versed 2026

CCMWG is pleased to announce the Well Versed 2026 Anthology and Contests! Submissions will be accepted from Jan. 1 – Jan. 31, 2026. We want stories, essays and poems that bring subjects to life with well-developed characters, compelling voices, and carefully chosen details. We’re excited and looking forward to accepting your work!

Send your best work, and you might win our contests! Prizes include:

  • $50 first place
  • $30 second place
  • $20 third place

in each of four categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Flash Fiction and Poetry.

We are also accepting photography for the cover & inside the Anthology.

  • Literary Works: Guidelines for each genre are listed below, and judges for each category will be posted on the CCMWG website and under the Well-Versed 2026 tab prior to the beginning of the contest.
  • Photography: The editors will select photographs to appear at the beginning of genre sections. These will appear in black and white. If you are interested in submitting photos, please follow the photography guidelines, below. Photographs are not part of the contest. Therefore, no prize money will be awarded.

All entries must be received via the by 11:59 CST on Jan. 31, 2026. Please follow this link to upload your files:

2026 Well Versed Submission Form
  • CCMWG Members: No Entry fee – included with your paid membership.
  • Nonmembers: Entry fees are as follows:
    • Prose (fiction/non-fiction): $15/each submission.  (Max of 2)
    •  Poetry: bundle (3 poems): $5/poem (Max of 3)
      • Electronic Payment must be made at the time of submission. The link will be included with the form.

All Contributors – receive one copy of Well Versed 2026 and $1 per published piece.

General Literary Guidelines

  •  Submissions must be unpublished at the time of submission, which includes print or electronic versions. They may be published elsewhere after publication in Well Versed 2026.
  •  Contact information: Please complete a form for your submission(s). A text field for your name and contact information will be found on the form.
  • Manuscripts must NOT include any identifying information anywhere in the document or your submission will be disqualified.
  • Submissions that intentionally demean people or groups of people based on appearance, gender, sexual orientation, beliefs, practices, politics or any other category or generalization will be disqualified.
  • Submissions that include graphic or gratuitous violence/sexual content will be disqualified.
  • Please avoid graphic language, particularly “F-bombs.”
  • Please proofread your work.

Additional Guidelines by Genre

Prose (Fiction/Non-Fiction) Guidelines–

Submissions are limited to 2 pieces per person, any combination of fiction or nonfiction. Please format your entry according to the provisions below:

  • Maximum length per submission: 2000 words/each
  • Single spaced (no line between paragraphs)
  • First line indent set to .3 (not spaces and do not use tab)
  • No page numbers
  • No headers or footers
  • Times New Roman 12 point font
  • Standard document margins (1”)
  • Left-justify paragraphs
  • One space between sentences.
  • Identifying information must NOT appear on the manuscript

Flash Fiction–

  • Finalists are the winning entries for each month the contest was held during the Summer 2025 Flash Fiction Challenge.

Poetry Guidelines–

Submissions are limited to 3 poems per person. Submit each poem on a separate form.

  • Poems are limited to 50 lines of text per submission
  • Subject matter and form are open
  • Times New Roman 12-point font
  • Single-space lines in a stanza and double-space between stanzas. NOTE: The line width in the book is approximately 4.3 inches. If any line is wider than 4.3 inches, it will wrap to the next line and may not appear as you expected.
  • Identifying information must NOT appear anywhere in your poems.

Photography Guidelines–

Submissions are limited to 2 per person.

  • DO NOT SEND PHOTOS OF PEOPLE – we are not interested in getting permissions.
  • Photos submitted must be at least 640 pixels on the shorter side and no more than 2000 pixels on the longer side
  • Images should be no larger than 2MB and in JPEG format
  • Photos must have no borders, logos, copyright marks or other visible marks on the image
  • Editing of the photo is acceptable
  • Photos that portray inappropriate and/or offensive content, nudity, violence, or demean cultural or religious practices will not be accepted

SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE DEADLINE!

PLEASE NOTE: If you are a finalist in our contests and wish to withdraw your work from publication in Well Versed 2026, you will also agree to withdraw that same work from final judging.

By submitting to Well Versed 2026, you give permission for your work to be published unless you submit a withdrawal, in writing, by Sunday, February 8, 2026.

CCMWG purchases first rights. If your submission is chosen, payment upon publication is:

  • one contributor’s copy of Well Versed 2026

and

  • $1.00 per piece accepted.

For additional information about the judging process and awards, please visit www.ccmwg.org.

Please email the editors at wellversed.ccmwg@gmail.com if you have questions.

Thank you in advance for participating in Well Versed 2026. It’s going to be a great year!

M. Cortney Daniels, Co-editor
Bethany Spitzmiller, Co-editor

Well Versed 2026