International, open to anyone who enjoys expressing innermost thoughts and feelings in the beautiful literary art of poetry and/or writing a story that is worth telling everyone. This poetry contest and writing contest is open to everyone and international. It is held semi-annually with closing dates in the winter and summer of every year since 2005. We are excited about showcasing the creative wr
iting and poetic talent, skill, and ability of all poets and writers. We hope that you have inspiration to display the beauty and art of writing short stories and poems for the entire world to see your "gift of a dream." Eligibility:
The Dream Quest One Poetry and Writing Contest is open everyone, international to all poets and writers whether published or not, regardless of experience. Current and former employees of Dreamquestone.Com or their relatives are not eligible. Previously published poems and short stories in other contests, books, magazines, etc are accepted and welcomed as long as they are original works created by the contest entrant(s). All poems must be 30 lines or fewer, may be either neatly handwritten or typed, single or double line spacing, on any subject or theme. All entries must be original works. Remember, the title(s) of your poem(s) do not count as lines. All short stories may be on any subject or theme. For example, any fiction, non-fiction, creative nonfiction stories, essays, short screenplays, diary, blog and journal entries are accepted. Contestants will enter their short stories either neatly hand printed or typed, single or double line spacing, within a maximum of (5) pages or less. You may submit entries to both the poetry contest and the writing contest, at the same time. Multiple entries are accepted. Note: All poems and short stories may be revised and resubmitted, and will be accepted until the contest's postmark deadline. Prizes:
Poetry First Place is $250.00, Second: $125.00, Third: $50.00
Writing First Place is $500.00, Second: $250.00, Third: $100.00
Fees:
The entry fee is $5.00 (US dollars) per poem. The entry fee is $10.00 (US dollars) per short story. These fees may be paid by mail or PayPal (online payment service). If fees are paid online, a $2.00 transaction fee will be added per poem or story entry fees. Each poem/story entry must be paid individually if using the PayPal payment option. Note: Submitted poems/stories that come without an entry fee will be disqualified. If sending entry fees via mail, Dreamquestone.Com accepts cash, money orders, cashier's checks, and personal checks. Dreamquestone.Com will not accept any foreign currencies as payment. Cash in the form of U.S. Dollars or International money orders may be used for international entries. However, remember when sending cash by way of postal mail, make sure your envelope is well-secured and covered such that your cash cannot be seen through the envelope. *Note: Cash is accepted but must be sent via postal mail at your own risk. All fees must be paid in the form of US currency dollars. Poetry/Writing Entries Via Mail:
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1. Print out the Mail in entry form.
2. Fill out the entry form with your current and correct information.
3. Included Poem(s) and/or Short story(ies) Contest entries must be neatly hand printed or legibly typed and submitted with poet's/writer's name, address, phone number, and email address (if applicable) in the upper left-hand corner of the entry.
4. Include payment $5.00 for each poem along with a (SASE) Self Addressed Stamped Envelope for entry confirmation and notification. Include payment $10.00 for each short story along with a (SASE) Self Addressed Stamped Envelope for entry confirmation and notification.
5. Multiple and simultaneous poetry and writing contest entries are accepted. There are no limits to your entries.
6. Make personal checks, cashier's checks or money orders payable to: "Dreamquestone.Com". Cash payments are accepted, but will be sent at your own risk. (Entries from outside the United States are fine, but entry fees must be made in US dollars. Foreign entrants are strongly urged to use international money orders rather than personal checks). Personal checks must be cleared-- entries will not be considered valid until they do. Dreamquestone.Com is not responsible for lost entries or payments.
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Submitting Poetry/Writing Contest Entries Via PayPal:
1. Please use the PayPal link on the "Enter Now!" page to enter.
2. The entry fee of $7.00 for each poem and $12.00 for each short story submission will be entered. (Note: Electronic submissions require a two dollar ($2.00) transaction fee to be included with the entry fee). After completing the transaction, send your entry electronically by email.
3. Entries submitted electronically must be sent as email attachments in a word processing document such as, Microsoft Word (.doc) or (docx), Word Perfect (.wpd) or Rich Text Format (.rtf), Open Document Format (.odt), etc. 'Poetry Contest Entry' or 'Writing Contest Entry' must be typed in the subject line of the email. The information requested on the entry form may be either included in the typed Word processing document or typed into an email message body area. If included in the Word document, entry form information should be on the first page. The contest poem(s) or short story(ies) entry must be on a separate page from the entry form information. You may use only one Entry Form for all entries. PayPal payment must be made before submitting all entries.
4. Multiple and simultaneous poetry contest and writing contest entries are accepted. There are no limits to your entries.
5. Entrants cannot send payment by mail and submit electronically. Either both payment and entry must be sent by mail or both must be sent electronically. Entries will not be returned.
Decisions:
Judges are blind panel members of the Dream Quest One -Dare to Dream Master Selection Committee. All poems are judged on the basis of originality, creativity, characterization, artistic quality, adherence to the 30 line limit, and the ability to dream. All short stories are judge based on originality, creative imagination, character introduction and development; plot development, adherence to the (5) page limit, and the ability to dream. All decisions of the judges are final. Privacy Policy:
Dream Quest One.com does not release or sell customer or contest entrant information to third parties or mailing lists, nor will you receive telephone solicitations, whatsoever. We occasionally send customer, contest entrants and members of our mailing news about Dream Quest One products and contests (no more than twice a month). You may opt out of these notices at any time by sending a request to [email protected] or by using the 'Safe Unsubscribe' link inside our email newsletter. Rights:
All poems and stories remain the property of the artist who has written or created them. By submitting a poem/story to this contest, the artist may also be eligible for the publication of her or his work by Dreamquestone.Com. However, if any contest winner does not wish to have hers/his winning poem and/or story published online, one may request to have hers/his entry(ies) omitted. Refunds and Payments:
In case you want to receive entry fee(s) refund or having any problems with PayPal, checks or other entry fee(s) payment(s) methods while entering the Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest: If you would like to receive a refund before the contest deadline, please contact Andre L. West, Editor via email at [email protected]. Henceforth, I will gladly submit your entry fee(s) refund and your poetry/writing contest entry(ies) will be withdrawn, as soon as possible. If you have any questions/problems with PayPal, checks or about other entry fee(s) payments, I will be eager to resolve them as well. Our main focus is inspire, motivate and encourage poets and writers to continue doing so, while enjoying the journey by expressing oneself, through growth and development in the Fine Arts & Writing community. Notification:
All Prizewinners will be notified by postal mail, email or by telephone. The top three winning entries, poets/writers, their names and brief biographical information may be published in the Dare to Dream pages at the Dream Quest One Poetry and Writing Contest website upon the completion of each contest run. For further information, contact:
c/o Andre L. West, Editor
Dream Quest One
P.O. Box 3141
Chicago, IL 60654
USA
You may find all previous Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest Winners from Winter 2005-2006 to the present in our Dare to Dream pages, and in the POETRY PLACE and WRITE THIS WAY! ENTER NOW! For details on how to enter, visit our 'Official Rules' page at http://www.dreamquestone.com/rules.html
01/19/2026
Words from my book "The Poetry of Us" available at link on my page. 📖 ❤️🌹
01/07/2026
WOW! Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest
Deadline: January 31, 2026 WOW! Women on Writing is seeking creative nonfiction on any topic (1000 words or less) and in any style--from personal essay and memoir to lyric essay and hermit crab, and more! The mission of this contest is to reward bravery in real-life storytelling and create an understanding of our world through thoughtful, engaging narratives. Electronic submissions via e-mail only; reprints/previously published are okay; simultaneous submissions are okay; multiple submissions are okay....
WOW! Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest
Deadline: January 31, 2026 WOW! Women on Writing is seeking creative nonfiction on any topic (1000 words or less) and in any style–from personal essay and memoir to lyric essay and hermit cra…
01/07/2026
WOW! Winter 2026 Flash Fiction Contest
Deadline: February 28, 2026 Guest Judge: Literary Agent Emily Williamson WOW! Women on Writing is seeking flash fiction of any genre between 250 - 750 words. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, great writing, and provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants. Electronic submissions via e-mail only; reprints/previously published are okay; simultaneous submissions are okay; multiple submissions are okay. Open internationally....
WOW! Winter 2026 Flash Fiction Contest
Deadline: February 28, 2026 Guest Judge: Literary Agent Emily Williamson WOW! Women on Writing is seeking flash fiction of any genre between 250 – 750 words. The mission of this contest is to…
12/29/2025
🙏...and for this I am truly grateful...🙏
The cheat code we don't often talks about...... GRATITUDE
We're literally days away from 2025, and most of us are stressed about what we didn't accomplish, what we re still chasing, what's still missing.
But can we hit pause for a second?
Why are we do focused on the next level that we forgot to celebrate this level
The roof over your head? Someone's praying for that.
The ability to read this right now? Someone lost that.
The people in your life who still pick up when you call? That's WEALTH.
Gratitude isn't about toxic positivity or pretending life is perfect. It's about recognizing that even in the mess, there are miracles
That body you criticize? It's keeping you alive.
That journey you're frustrated with? It's shaping who you're becoming.
What you appreciate, APPRECIATES
When you shift your focus to what's working, more things start working,When you celebrate what you have, more comes. It's not magicit's energy.
So before this year ends, I'm challenging you and myself...
Cultivate the habit of gratitude
No pressure.
No performance.
Just real, raw gratitude.
Let's flood this space with appreciation and watch what happens. 🙏✨
Because gratitude doesn't just change what you see it changes WHO you become.
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