Welcome to the San Miguel Writers’ Conference Writing Contest

IMPORTANT DATES

Open for submissions: July 15, 2025. 

Deadline for submissions: September 15, 2025.

Winners will be announced: November 15, 2025.

CATEGORIES

Submissions of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction/memoir are welcome.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Limited to emerging writers who have not yet published 10,000 copies of any book.
• The submission must be unpublished work.

PRIZES

One winner will be chosen from each category and will win one “The Works Package” to the 2026 Conference. This package is worth $1,650 USD and includes full access to the conference, including parties and receptions, seven workshops and one six-hour Intensive Workshop. See our website for a full list of everything The Works Package includes. Winners will also receive accommodation for the dates of the conference upon request.

JUDGES

Three winners will be chosen, one in each category, by these distinguished authors:

JEAN KWOK - fiction

Jean Kwok is the award-winning, New York Times and international bestselling author of The Leftover Woman, Searching for Sylvie Lee, Girl in Translation, and Mambo in Chinatown. Her work has been published in over twenty countries and is taught in schools worldwide. She was one of twelve contemporary authors invited by the Agatha Christie estate to write an original, authorized Miss Marple story. Most of her novels are in development for film and television. She lives in the New York area.

WENDY VIDELOCK - poetry

Wendy Videlock is an award winning poet and syndicated newspaper columnist. She serves as the regions's sixth poet laureate of Western Colorado. Her poems, reviews, and essays appear most notably in Best American Poetry, Poetry Magazine, O Magazine, Hudson Review, Hopkins Review, Rattle, The New York Times, and American Life in Poetry. Her books include What's That Supposed to Mean (EXOT Books), Nevertheless, Slingshots & Love Plums, The Dark Gnu, Wise to the West (Able Muse Press) and a book of essays: The Poetic Imaginarium: A Worthy Difficulty (Lithic Press).

JENNIFER CLEMENT - creative nonfiction / memoir

Jennifer Clement is President Emerita of PEN International, the global human rights and freedom of expression organization, and the only woman to hold that office since its founding in 1921. Her award-winning novels, memoirs, and poetry have been translated into 38 languages and adapted for stage and screen. Clement’s work addresses issues such as the kidnapping of girls in Mexico (Prayers for the Stolen), gun violence and arms trafficking in Mexico and Central America (Gun Love), and her life in the art scenes of Mexico and New York (Widow Basquiat and The Promised Party). She was raised in Mexico, where she currently resides.

READING

Winners will be asked to read an excerpt of their winning submission during the conference!

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Fiction: 2,500 words of double spaced 12pt prose.
• Creative Nonfiction/ Memoir: 2,500 words of double spaced 12pt prose.
• Poetry: Three poems of no more than ten pages.
• Please use Times New Roman or Calibri font.
• Please do not include your name in the body of your creative submission.

COST

Cost per submission: $35

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Please add contest@sanmiguelwritersconference.org to your contact list, so our emails are not sent to Spam and you never miss out on important messages

Note: If you begin filling out a submission proposal and realize you are missing information, you can scroll to the bottom, save your proposal as a draft, and come back later to finish it.

For more information about the San Miguel Writers’ Conference or the San Miguel Literary Sala please visit our websites: https://sanmiguelwritersconference.org/ 

Welcome to the San Miguel Writers’ Conference Writing Contest

IMPORTANT DATES

Open for submissions: July 15, 2025. 

Deadline for submissions: September 15, 2025.

Winners will be announced: November 15, 2025.

CATEGORIES

Submissions of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction/memoir are welcome.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Limited to emerging writers who have not yet published 10,000 copies of any book.
• The submission must be unpublished work.

PRIZES

One winner will be chosen from each category and will win one “The Works Package” to the 2026 Conference. This package is worth $1,450 USD and includes full access to the conference, including parties and receptions, seven workshops and one six-hour Intensive Workshop. See our website for a full list of everything The Works Package includes. Winners will also receive accommodation for the dates of the conference upon request.

JUDGES

Three winners will be chosen, one in each category, by these distinguished authors:

JEAN KWOK - fiction

Jean Kwok is the award-winning, New York Times and international bestselling author of The Leftover Woman, Searching for Sylvie Lee, Girl in Translation, and Mambo in Chinatown. Her work has been published in over twenty countries and is taught in schools worldwide. She was one of twelve contemporary authors invited by the Agatha Christie estate to write an original, authorized Miss Marple story. Most of her novels are in development for film and television. She lives in the New York area.

WENDY VIDELOCK - poetry

Wendy Videlock is an award winning poet and syndicated newspaper columnist. She serves as the regions's sixth poet laureate of Western Colorado. Her poems, reviews, and essays appear most notably in Best American Poetry, Poetry Magazine, O Magazine, Hudson Review, Hopkins Review, Rattle, The New York Times, and American Life in Poetry. Her books include What's That Supposed to Mean (EXOT Books), Nevertheless, Slingshots & Love Plums, The Dark Gnu, Wise to the West (Able Muse Press) and a book of essays: The Poetic Imaginarium: A Worthy Difficulty (Lithic Press).

JENNIFER CLEMENT - creative nonfiction / memoir

Jennifer Clement is President Emerita of PEN International, the global human rights and freedom of expression organization, and the only woman to hold that office since its founding in 1921. Her award-winning novels, memoirs, and poetry have been translated into 38 languages and adapted for stage and screen. Clement’s work addresses issues such as the kidnapping of girls in Mexico (Prayers for the Stolen), gun violence and arms trafficking in Mexico and Central America (Gun Love), and her life in the art scenes of Mexico and New York (Widow Basquiat and The Promised Party). She was raised in Mexico, where she currently resides.

READING

Winners will be asked to read an excerpt of their winning submission during the conference!

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Fiction: 2,500 words of double spaced 12pt prose.
• Creative Nonfiction/ Memoir: 2,500 words of double spaced 12pt prose.
• Poetry: Three poems of no more than ten pages.
• Please use Times New Roman or Calibri font.
• Please do not include your name in the body of your creative submission.

COST

Cost per submission: $35

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Please add contest@sanmiguelwritersconference.org to your contact list, so our emails are not sent to Spam and you never miss out on important messages

Note: If you begin filling out a submission proposal and realize you are missing information, you can scroll to the bottom, save your proposal as a draft, and come back later to finish it.

For more information about the San Miguel Writers’ Conference or the San Miguel Literary Sala please visit our websites: https://sanmiguelwritersconference.org/ 

Welcome to the San Miguel Writers’ Conference Writing Contest

IMPORTANT DATES

Open for submissions: July 15, 2025. 

Deadline for submissions: September 15, 2025.

Winners will be announced: November 15, 2025.

CATEGORIES

Submissions of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction/memoir are welcome.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Limited to emerging writers who have not yet published 10,000 copies of any book.
• The submission must be unpublished work.

PRIZES

One winner will be chosen from each category and will win one “The Works Package” to the 2026 Conference. This package is worth $1,450 USD and includes full access to the conference, including parties and receptions, seven workshops and one six-hour Intensive Workshop. See our website for a full list of everything The Works Package includes. Winners will also receive accommodation for the dates of the conference upon request.

JUDGES

Three winners will be chosen, one in each category, by these distinguished authors:

JEAN KWOK - fiction

Jean Kwok is the award-winning, New York Times and international bestselling author of The Leftover Woman, Searching for Sylvie Lee, Girl in Translation, and Mambo in Chinatown. Her work has been published in over twenty countries and is taught in schools worldwide. She was one of twelve contemporary authors invited by the Agatha Christie estate to write an original, authorized Miss Marple story. Most of her novels are in development for film and television. She lives in the New York area.

WENDY VIDELOCK - poetry

Wendy Videlock is an award winning poet and syndicated newspaper columnist. She serves as the regions's sixth poet laureate of Western Colorado. Her poems, reviews, and essays appear most notably in Best American Poetry, Poetry Magazine, O Magazine, Hudson Review, Hopkins Review, Rattle, The New York Times, and American Life in Poetry. Her books include What's That Supposed to Mean (EXOT Books), Nevertheless, Slingshots & Love Plums, The Dark Gnu, Wise to the West (Able Muse Press) and a book of essays: The Poetic Imaginarium: A Worthy Difficulty (Lithic Press).

JENNIFER CLEMENT - creative nonfiction / memoir

Jennifer Clement is President Emerita of PEN International, the global human rights and freedom of expression organization, and the only woman to hold that office since its founding in 1921. Her award-winning novels, memoirs, and poetry have been translated into 38 languages and adapted for stage and screen. Clement’s work addresses issues such as the kidnapping of girls in Mexico (Prayers for the Stolen), gun violence and arms trafficking in Mexico and Central America (Gun Love), and her life in the art scenes of Mexico and New York (Widow Basquiat and The Promised Party). She was raised in Mexico, where she currently resides.

READING

Winners will be asked to read an excerpt of their winning submission during the conference!

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Fiction: 2,500 words of double spaced 12pt prose.
• Creative Nonfiction/ Memoir: 2,500 words of double spaced 12pt prose.
• Poetry: Three poems of no more than ten pages.
• Please use Times New Roman or Calibri font.
• Please do not include your name in the body of your creative submission.

COST

Cost per submission: $35

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Please add contest@sanmiguelwritersconference.org to your contact list, so our emails are not sent to Spam and you never miss out on important messages

Note: If you begin filling out a submission proposal and realize you are missing information, you can scroll to the bottom, save your proposal as a draft, and come back later to finish it.

For more information about the San Miguel Writers’ Conference or the San Miguel Literary Sala please visit our websites: https://sanmiguelwritersconference.org/ 

CONVOCATORIA 

10° Concurso Internacional de Cuento de la Sala Literaria San Miguel A.C. 

El Concurso Internacional de Cuento se llevará a cabo en el marco del 21° Festival Internacional de Escritores y Literatura en San Miguel de Allende que se realizará del 11 al 15 de febrero de 2026, en San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, México. Invitamos a estudiantes, profesionales y público en general interesados en la escritura a participar en este emocionante evento literario.  

BASES DEL CONCURSO 

1. Participantes:  

• Podrán participar escritores hispanohablantes, mayores de edad, que no residan en la República Mexicana, interesados en la escritura de cuentos con textos escritos predominantemente en lengua española. 

2. Formato de los textos:  

• Los escritos en prosa no deben exceder las 7,500 palabras. 
• Deberán ser escritos a doble espacio (interlineado 2) y con letra Times New Roman de 12 puntos, en formato Word o PDF. 
• Tema libre
• Los trabajos deberán ser inéditos y originales y no generados por herramientas de inteligencia artificial (IA). 

3. Entrega de trabajos:  

• Esta convocatoria estará abierta a partir del 15 de julio de 2025.
• Fecha límite de entrega: 15 de septiembre de 2025, hasta las 23:00 horas, Zona Centro UTC-6.
• Cuota de inscripción: Un costo de recuperación de $35 dólares debe acompañar cada trabajo en prosa.
• Sólo se aceptarán los trabajos enviados al sitio web Submittable. El proceso de presentación y pago es totalmente electrónico. No se aceptarán manuscritos en papel.
• Las propuestas se leerán “a ciegas”. El nombre del autor(a) no debe aparecer en ninguna parte de la obra, incluidos los encabezados o pies de página.
• Los solicitantes pueden enviar varias propuestas. Cada envío debe estar completo, cargarse por separado en el sitio web Submittable e ir acompañado de la cuota de inscripción correspondiente.
• Se notificará a los solicitantes de los resultados el 15 de noviembre de 2025. La decisión de los jueces es inapelable. Se puede seguir el progreso del envío en el sitio web Submittable.
• Los envíos pueden ser retirados del concurso en cualquier momento mediante la firma en submittable y haciendo clic en Retirar junto a la presentación. No habrá reembolsos por las presentaciones retiradas.
• Si se tienen problemas para enviar la propuesta, desplazarse hasta la parte inferior de la página y hacer clic en “Technical Help” (Ayuda técnica). El personal de soporte de Submittable es muy útil si se tienen problemas para subir el material o pagar en línea.

4. Premios:  

• Se entregará UN PREMIO.  
• El premio consistirá en el Registro del Ganador o Ganadora al “Programa La Obra Completa” del Festival de Escritores en San Miguel en febrero de 2026, que incluye la entrada a todos los talleres de escritura, conferencias en español e inglés, paneles y eventos dentro del programa mencionado, así como fiestas y recepciones. 

5. Observaciones:  

• La transportación y hospedaje corre por cuenta del participante ganador.  
• Este premio es intransferible.
• Al inscribirse a este concurso, el participante confirma que cuenta con los documentos migratorios necesarios para viajar a México en caso de que resulte ganador. El Festival de Escritores no tiene la capacidad de realizar ningún trámite ante las embajadas o consulados.  
• Para cualquier duda o aclaración referente al concurso, queda disponible el siguiente correo: concurso@sanmiguelfestivalescritores.org.  

RESULTADOS DEL CONCURSO 

Los resultados serán dados a conocer vía correo electrónico y serán publicados en el sitio web  (sanmiguelwritersconference.org/es) y redes sociales oficiales del Festival Internacional de Escritores y Literatura en San Miguel de Allende, a partir del día 15 de noviembre de 2025.