Every year, Radical Arts for Women (RAW) sponsors a short story contest open to all women living in Alaska. The contest is named in honor of Nicole Blizzard, a local lesbian writer and creator, publisher, and editor of the local LGBT literary journal Naked Ptarmigan, who passed away in December 2009.

To enter, you must be a woman living in Alaska as of January 2011. Stories must be fiction of between 250 and 5,000 words and contain some lesbian content. Per the contest website, “The fiction and lesbian stipulations may be interpreted by the author, but we are not seeking poetry or non-fiction. Erotica is acceptable.”

Entries must be mailed in (no electronic submissions!), so writers, leave yourself with enough time to get to the post office!  The postmark deadline is Friday, April 1.

And if you win?  Generous cash prizes: first place $500, second place $300, and third place $100.  Winners will be announced at the Anchorage annual women’s show Celebration of Change, which will take place this year on Saturday, April 23, at the Wendy Williamson Theatre on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus. The first place winner’s story will also be published on RAW’s website.

There are formatting and other issues to be addressed in submitting any writing for contests or publication, so check out the complete submission guidelines on the RAW website.  And while you’re there, enjoy the writings of past years’ winners, too!