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The Georgia Writers Association is now accepting submissions for the inaugural John Lewis Writing Awards writing contest.

The Georgia Writers Association’s John Lewis Writing Awards are inspired by the late civil rights icon and his more than three decades of service as Georgia’s fifth district representative.

The John Lewis Writing Awards will be awarded annually in the categories of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The purpose of the John Lewis Writing Awards is to elevate, encourage, and inspire the voices of Black writers in Georgia, per a press release from the association.

Applicants must be emerging writers who are Black or African-American residents of Georgia for at least one year or full-time students at a Georgia college or university at the time of application and on the date of the award.

Writers who are eligible may apply annually but may only win the John Lewis award one time.

There is no submission fee to enter. Applicants are ineligible if they are of relations to any of the Georgia Writers Association staff or board of directors.

Writers may apply in only one genre and must submit a completed award application and an essay of at least 500 words as a concise description of work and goals as a writer.

The essay subject should include “what inspires or challenges [one’s] writing career,” the release states.

Applicants should include 10 pages of unpublished writing sample(s) of fiction, non-fiction or poetry.

Submissions will be accepted from Aug. 1 to Sept. 15, 2021 via Google Forms.

Submissions will be reviewed anonymously; the winner in each genre will receive an award of $500, a scholarship to the next annual Red Clay Writers Conference and an invitation to present a writing project in a future GWA virtual program.

Winners will be announced at the 12th Annual Red Clay Writers (Virtual) Conference from Nov. 13 to 14, 2021.

For more information and to apply, please visit https://www.georgiawriters.org/john-lewis-writing-award/?mc_cid=339dab29aa&mc_eid=500078526d