PITCH CONTESTS
Updated: Jun 5, 2021
Pitch Contests are a great way to get your story in front of agents and editors BEFORE #querying. They're also a great way for you to see your story for what it is while connecting with others. The catch? You'll have to sell it in 280 characters or less. Check out the list of upcoming pitch contests on #twitter and keep your eyes peeled.
KEEP IN MIND: Each pitch contest has their own set of rules and it's most likely that ❤️-ing/liking pitches are for #Agents or #Editors ONLY! Familiarize yourself with their guidelines and exact dates, check for age category and genre category tags, and do your due diligence! Research!
Not sure how to write a pitch? Details coming soon!
PITCH PRACTICE
Want to practice with others within the writing community and get feedback before the big pitch day? Check these out:
#PreDV - Hosted by Kat Cho, #DVsquad volunteers help those gearing up for #DVpit
#MockPit - pitch practice for #RevPit via Revise & Resubmit
#PracPit - prepare your pitches for #PitMad via QueryConnection
#PeerPitch - pitch practice for #WMPitch via #WriteMentor
How to write a pitch by SavvyAuthors who hold contests via their website.
Polish Your Pitch Bitch by Bethany Baptiste. A profanity-laden thingy about pitches and creating them. See the tweet.
PITCH CONTESTS
(In alphabetical order.)
#APIpit
https://apipit.wordpress.com/
When: May
#APIpit is a Twitter pitch event for Asian/Pasifika writers and illustrators during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The inaugural event will be held on May 4, 2021. (@_APIpit) Check out their team here.
#DVpit
https://www.dvpit.com/about
When: October
Created by Agent Beth Phelan, #DVpit is an annual twitter pitching event to showcase pitches from marginalized voices that have been historically underrepresented in publishing. This includes (but is not limited to): Native peoples and people of color; people living and/or born/raised in underrepresented cultures and countries; disabled persons (including neurodiverse); people living with illness; people on marginalized ends of the cultural and/or religious spectrum; people identifying within LGBTQIA+; and more.
Check out #DVpit's website and follow them on twitter for more information.
@KissPitch
https://twitter.com/KissPitch
https://allthekissing.com/kisspitch/
When: Usually around Valentine’s Day every year but this year's (2021) has been rescheduled. Check the site for more details.
#KissPitch is a Twitter pitch event where Romance—and Women’s Fiction!—writers may “pitch” their finished work to industry professionals for consideration. For romance manuscripts, romance must be the central theme of the work with the expectation of satisfying Happily Ever After (HEA) or Happy For Now (HFN). Women’s Fiction often has strong romantic elements—though they aren’t required—and it does not have to include an HEA or HFN. Check their website for rules and more info.
#LatinxPitch
https://latinxpitch.wordpress.com
When: September
@LatinxPitch is a kidlit pitching event for creators of children’s literature who belong to the Latinx community. Their mission is to raise up Latinx voices and representation in children’s literature. They are committed to affirming the many unique and different creators that exist within the wide diversity of the Latinx community.
#LGBTNPit
https://lgbtnpit.com/
When: April 15th, 2021, between 8AM EST – 8PM EST
"LGBTNPit is an annual twitter pitch event for queer, trans, and nonbinary authors using the hashtag #lgbtnpit with a special focus on trans and nonbinary people. (Don’t forget that N in the hashtag!)" Check out their rules HERE.
#PBPitch
http://www.pbpitch.com/
When: October
Founded by Debra Kempf Shumaker and Pj McIlvaine, #PBPitch is a pitch event exclusively for picture books. Writers are only allowed to pitch manuscripts once in the morning and once in the evening.
#PitDark
https://jasonhuebinger.com/pitdark/
When: October
The next #PitDark will take place on October 29, 2020.
Created by Jason Huebinger, #PitDark is the first and only Twitter pitch event to highlight literature of a “darker” nature. Importantly, this is not limited to horror works; however, any pitched manuscript must contain an element of horror or darker writing. Examples of such categories include pure horror novels, dark fantasy, murder mysteries, psychological horror stories, non-fiction works about darker subjects, etc. MG, YA, NA, and adult age categories are welcome.
#Pitmad
https://pitchwars.org/pitmad/
When: Quarterly - March, June, September, and December
Created by Author Brenda Drake, #PitMad is the original twitter pitch event, where writers tweet a 280-character pitch for their completed, polished, unpublished manuscripts. Agents and editors make requests by liking/favoriting the tweeted pitch. Every unagented writer is welcome to pitch. All genres/categories are welcomed.
In an effort to amplify Black voices, they’ve added a #BVM (Black Voices Matter) hashtag in partnership with writer Lane Clarke. If you are a Black author, please feel free to include #BVM in your tweets so agents/editors can use it to search for pitches.
#RevPit
https://www.reviseresub.com/annual-contest/schedule
When: April
Revise & Resub (#RevPit) is a Twitter writing community co-founded in 2017 by a group of editors. It supports authors by offering editing-focused chats and mini-events throughout the year as well as an annual contest wherein #querying authors can win feedback and edits on their full manuscripts from professional editors, ensuring their works are polished and ready for #agent inboxes.
#SFFPit
http://dankoboldt.com/sffpit/
When: July
Created by Dan Koboldt, #SFFpit, a twice-annual Twitter pitching contest for fantasy and or science fiction writers. #BVM has been recognized by this contest as well.
#WMPitch
https://write-mentor.com/2020/04/19/wmpitch/
When: September
Founded by Stuart White through #WriteMentor #Mentorship, #WMPitch is a twitter pitching event for writers of Children’s Fiction from PB to YA.
Are we missing your favorite pitch contest? Drop a line in the comments below!