48 Hour Books Writing Contest: Missed Connections

For this year’s writing contest, we chose a theme that is centered within the romance genre. Typical “missed connections” stories involve themes of brief encounters, unlikely friends, meet-cutes, and potential love. Your story does not have to involve a romantic connection, so feel free to get creative and interpret this theme however it may inspire you!

This contest is FREE to enter!

Winner receives:

·      Printing for 50 paperback books (*Black & white interior with full-color Gloss UV cover, 60# paper, any size up to 300 pages).

(If your book order has upgrades or does not fit within the prize parameters listed above, we’ll instead give you $500 off the total order cost (can be applied to one order only; cannot be redeemed for cash or on multiple orders, even if the total order cost is less than $500).

·      Cover design (if needed)

·      ISBN and barcode

·      Winning submission will be featured on our blog and announced in our newsletter

Runners up receive:

·      2nd Place will receive code for $100 off book printing

·      3rd place will receive code for $50 off book printing

Contest Rules:

·      Entries should be 1,000 words minimum and 3,000 words maximum

·      Entries must be submitted in a Word Document or other word processing program format (not a pdf)

·      Include the word count on your email submission or in your document

·      Entry must be titled

·      Submissions will be accepted until Friday, March 14, 2025

·      1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be notified via email on Monday, March 31, 2025

·      Winners will be announced via newsletter to participants only on Wednesday, April 2, 2025

·      Winning submission will be featured on the 48 Hour Books Blog  

You are welcome to submit an excerpt of your book if it adheres to the contest prompt. Please do not submit a full book or a PDF of your book – this will not qualify for the contest.

No entry fee is required and all rights in the story remain the property of the author. All entries must be original works by the entrant.

Your submission should only be 1,000 – 3,000 words. If your submission does not fall within this range, it will not be considered for judging.

Contest Theme: 

The theme for this contest is Missed Connections.

To help get you started, some story elements for this theme could include:

·      “What if” scenarios

·      Missed opportunities

·      Potential love; unrequited love

·      Unlikely friends

·      The power of a single moment

·      The desire for connection

*Submissions can be fiction or nonfiction.

*For this contest, poetry submissions will not be accepted.

What We’re Looking For:

Prizes will be awarded to submissions that are:

·      Well-written

·      Exhibit principles of good storytelling

·      Adhere to the contest prompt/theme

To Enter:

·      Email a Word Document of your writing to [email protected] with the subject: “Writing Contest”

·      Email must include your first and last name and word count

Winners will be notified on Monday, March 31, 2025!

For more information on contest rules and limitations, visit our website.