Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition

The Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition, sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network, encourages the creation of lasting nonfiction that is outside the realm of conventional journalism and has relevance to North Carolinians. Subjects may include traditional categories such as reviews, travel articles, profiles or interviews, place/history pieces, or culture criticism. The first-, second-, and third-place winners will receive $1,000, $300, and $200 respectively. The winning entry will be considered for publication by Ecotone.

Eligibility and Guidelines

• The competition is open to any writer who is a legal resident of North Carolina or a member of the North Carolina Writers’ Network.
• The postmark deadline is January 15.
• The entry fee is $10 for NCWN members, $12 for nonmembers.
• Entries can be submitted in one of two ways:
  1. Send two printed copies through the U.S. Postal Service (see guidelines and address below), along with a check for the appropriate fee, made payable to the North Carolina Writers’ Network.
  2. Submit an electronic copy online at ncwriters.submittable.com, and pay by VISA or MasterCard.
• Simultaneous submissions ok, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted elsewhere.
• Each entry must be an original and previously unpublished manuscript of no more than 3,500 words, typed in a 12-point standard font (i.e., Times New Roman) and double-spaced.
• Author’s name should not appear on manuscripts. Instead, include a separate cover sheet with name, address, phone number, e-mail address, word count, and manuscript title. (If submitting online, do not include a cover sheet with your document; Submittable will collect and record your name and contact information.)
• An entry fee must accompany the manuscript. Multiple submissions are accepted, one manuscript per entry fee: $10 for NCWN members, $12 for nonmembers.
• You may pay the member entry fee if you join NCWN with your submission. Checks should be made payable to the North Carolina Writers’ Network.
• Entries will not be returned. Winners will be announced in March.
• When you submit online at ncwriters.submittable.com/submit, Submittable will collect your entry fee via credit card ($10 NCWN members / $12 non-members). (If submitting online, do not include a cover sheet with your document; Submittable will collect and record your name and contact information. For more information about Submittable, click here.)
  • To submit as a Member of NCWN ($10), click here.
  • To submit as a Non-Member of NCWN ($12), click here.
• If submitting by mail, send submission to:

North Carolina Writers’ Network
ATTN: Rose Post
PO Box 21591
Winston-Salem, NC 27120

Past Winners

2023
First Place: Diane Milhan, Mount Airy, NC
Second Place: Allison Kirkland, Durham, NC
Third Place: Andrea Hunter, Greensboro, NC

2022
First Place: Jasmin Morrell, Asheville, NC
Second Place: Ashley Memory, Randolph County, NC
Third Place: Dianne Fecteau, Asheville, NC

2021
First Place: Heather Bell Adams, Raleigh, NC
Second Place: Emily Dunlap Carter, Beaufort, NC
Third Place: Lucinda Trew, Raleigh, NC

2020
First Place: Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin, Cullowhee, NC
Second Place: Judy Goldman, Charlotte, NC
Third Place: Patricia Poteat, Asheville, NC

2019
First Place: Pam Van Dyk, Raleigh, NC
Second Place: Ashley Memory, Pittsboro, NC
Third Place: Barbara Furr, Corrales, NM

2018
First Place: Elaine Thomas, Wilmington, NC
Second Place: Virginia Ewing Hudson, Raleigh, NC
Third Place: Jane Shlensky, Bahama, NC

2017
First Place: Joseph Mills, Winston-Salem, NC
Second Place: Beth Browne, Garner, NC
Third Place: Jessica Jacobs, Asheville, NC

2016
First Place: Karen Smith Linehan, Carolina Beach, NC
Second Place: Amy Rowland, Princeton, NJ
Third Place: Agnes Stevens, Raleigh, NC

2015
First Place: Jillian Weiss, Wilmington, NC
Second Place: Beth Browne, Garner, NC
Third Place: Robert Wallace, Durham, NC

2014
First Place: Laura Herbst, Pittsboro, NC
Second Place: Jason Hess, Wilmington, NC
Third Place: Joanna Catherine Scott, Chapel Hill, NC

2013
First Place: Jennifer Bringle, Greensboro, NC
Second Place: Jane Andrews, Raleigh, NC
Third Place: Helen Aitken, Swansboro, NC

2012
First Place: Anthony S. Abbott, Davidson, NC
Second Place: Terri Sherrill, Hillsborough, NC
Third Place: Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin, Cullowhee, NC

2011
First Place: Pepper Capps Hill, Rocky Point, NC
Second Place: Cynthia Lewis, Davidson, NC
Third Place: Cynthia Lewis, Davidson, NC

2010
First Place: John Picard, Greensboro, NC
Second Place: Rachel E. Pollock, Durham, NC
Third Place: Deborah Gold

2009
First Place: Stephanie Whetstone, Durham, NC
Second Place: Cynthia Lewis, Davidson, NC
Third Place: Sheilah Zimpel, Denver, CO

2008
First Place: Bob Mustin, Asheville, NC
Second Place: Lynne Tanner, Rutherfordton, NC
Third Place: David Frauenfelder, Durham, NC