WRITING CONTESTS
BEGINNER • INTERMEDIATE • PROFESSIONAL
Congratulations to the 2026 Carol Award Finalists
Congratulations to the 2026 Genesis Contest Semi-Finalists
Congratulations to the Mentor, Editor, and Agent of the Year Finalists. Winners will be announced at the national conference in Memphis.
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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The Genesis Contest is the ACFW contest for unpublished Christian fiction writers.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. Semi-Finalists will be announced in early May. Winners be announced at the ACFW Awards Gala in Memphis as part of ACFW's national conference.
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. Winners will be announced during ACFW's Awards Gala at our national conference in Memphis.
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The ACFW First Five Pages Contest gives ALL WRITERS (Published and Unpublished) the opportunity to have the first five pages of their UNPUBLISHED Christian fiction manuscript evaluated by writers, editors, agents, and industry professionals.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.
