$250 Prize for Essay Contest for New Publication: Cultivate
Introducing Cultivate, a new publication, and its monthly essay contest.
Hello! I’m Mindy. The editor of Cultivate.
If you’re following this publication and scratching your head thinking when the heck did I follow this pub? No, you’re not crazy. What was once called The Audacity Project, is now Cultivate. Welcome!
A little bit of context without (hopefully) being boring…
When I started The Audacity Project I was a new and ambitious MPP writer. I was anxious to connect with other writers and see their stories thrive. I really had no idea what I was doing. I’m not entirely sure I know what I’m doing now, but I know that my idea for The Audacity Project has grown and evolved.
Medium has been a great resource for me as I’ve grown my own writing and content strategy business this year. And since Medium has given so much to me, I want to give back to other writers on the platform. Also, I want to grow this publication with quality stories, and I believe folks ought to get paid for quality writing.
So what the eff is Cultivate?
All of us have a wild heart within us. A heart that follows truth, justice, and belonging. A heart that demands to grow in its own wild way. That’s what I’m hoping to gain with Cultivate. I want this publication to be a home for stories about those wild hearts within us and how they’ve grown in unruly ways.
Monthly Essay Contest
As a beta campaign to grow the publication (wildly, I hope!) we’re offering a monthly essay contest with broad writing prompts through the end of 2021. So each month we’ll have a contest with a grand prize of $250, paid separately from Medium earnings.
I don’t really like rules for writers, but here are some high-level points to stick to when writing for the contest:
- Stick to shorter 5–7 minute reads.
- Creative, personal essays, only. No poems or fiction.
- Follow Medium’s Guidelines
- Be sure to tag #CultivateContest
Prizes
- Grand Prize: $250 Each month’s grand prize winners will also have the option to become regular columnists for Cultivate with their own featured tab on our homepage.
- 2nd Place: $100
- 3rd Place: $50
Submission Deadlines
- The deadline to submit is October 16
- Winners will be announced on or before Nov 1.
Judging Criteria
Stories will be judged on how well the writer communicates their narrative to an audience. Stories with a clear takeaway or learning experience are preferred.
How to Submit
- If you’re not a writer for our publication already, please leave a comment on this post to become one.
- Submit a published story to our publication with the tag #CultivateContest. Here’s how to submit to publications on Medium.
- Feel free to submit previously published work, but please don’t submit stories that have been previously published in other publications. Honor code, here y’all!
October Writing Prompt: Growth
How have you cultivated your wild heart? What is it to allow your own growth without resisting the scary stuff? How will you grow wild? How have you helped others grow? Are you a parent? A boss? A partner? A nemesis? This writing prompt should be about daring growth and how you learned from the experience.
