WRITING CONTESTS
BEGINNER • INTERMEDIATE • PROFESSIONAL
Congratulations to the 2026 Carol Award Winners
Congratulations to the 2026 Genesis Contest Award Winners
Congratulations to the 2026 Mentor, Editor, and Agent of the Year Award Recipients.
2026 Winners were announced at the National ACFW Conference in Memphis, TN.
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The Genesis Contest
The Genesis Contest is the ACFW contest for unpublished Christian fiction writers. Genesis has a number of categories/genres to enter, the opportunity for unbiased feedback on writers' work by published authors and experienced judges, and the chance for the category finalists to have their work read by Christian publishing house editors and literary agents. ACFW has been pleased to see many previous category winners and finalists move further in their writing careers to become published authors.
The 2026 contest is now closed for entries. The 2027 contest will open on January 2, 2027.
The Carol Awards
The Carol Awards are ACFW's recognition for the best Christian fiction published by traditional publishing houses or independently published in the previous calendar year.
The 2026 contest is now closed for entries. The 2027 contest will open on January 2, 2027.
First 5 Pages Contest
The ACFW First Five Pages Contest gives ALL WRITERS (Published and Unpublished) the opportunity to have the first five pages of their UNPUBLISHED Christian fiction manuscript evaluated by writers, editors, agents, and industry professionals.
The 2026 First 5 Pages contest opens on September 2nd.
