The Peter K. Hixson Memorial Award for Creative Writers

The Peter K. Hixson Memorial Award will open again on July 1, 2013. Subscribe to Submit Write Now! to stay informed.

Peter K. Hixson (1947-2007)
Read some of Peter’s work.

Peter K. Hixson (1947-2007) was a much-beloved client of Writer’s Relief. Peter’s creative roots were evident as far back as the third grade, when an encounter with an encouraging teacher fueled his passion for poetry. His interest developed in earnest in high school as a cathartic means for dealing with the death of his high school soul mate on Christmas day.

Peter’s love of art and learning led him to become a real “Renaissance Man.” He earned a PhD in speech-language pathology from Purdue University and spent his professional career developing programs, teaching, doing research, mentoring others, and serving as President of the Rochester Hearing and Speech Center, a large community nonprofit agency in upstate New York. For thirty years Peter also pursued his avocation as a dancer and choreographer. Later in life he enjoyed success as a woodworker, a volunteer fireman, a community volunteer, and a formidable tennis player. Apart from his many academic publications, Peter’s creative writing appeared in Concho River Review, Lynx Eye, The MacGuffin, North Atlantic Review, RE:AL, The Texas Review, and Whiskey Island Magazine.

When we at Writer’s Relief heard the news of Peter’s passing, we all grieved. Peter’s dedication was a true inspiration: In his writing, he was never afraid to tackle important issues, but he also had a lyrical and playful outlook.

Not only was Peter a talented writer, he was a caring and generous individual. His success in using our services inspired him to create a fund so that up-and-coming writers might have the opportunity to advance their careers with the help of Writer’s Relief.

Peter’s bequest of this award was an act of exceptional kindness and generosity. In spite of our sadness over his death, he continues to inspire us. Peter’s twin brother, Doug, notes, “I think his idea for a writing award grew from his understanding of how difficult it is to get published without losing hope.”

And in the words of Peter’s wife, Lois, “Peter often counted on the encouragement and support of the Writer’s Relief staff when he hit periods of discouragement that his writing would ever be of interest to anyone. Had an award like this been available to him, I believe he would have jumped at the opportunity and, once involved, would have found a way to stay connected because he so valued the help and encouragement he received.”

With funding from Peter’s estate, and this year additional contributions from family members, we at Writer’s Relief are deeply honored to offer the Peter K. Hixson Memorial Award for Creative Writers.

Click here to donate to the
Peter K. Hixson Memorial Award Fund

What The Award Entails

Watch our e-publication Submit Write Now! for announcements.

Please read all guidelines carefully before emailing us with your questions and comments.

This year (2013), the Peter K. Hixson Memorial Award will be presented to

• One poetry writer
• One short story writer
• One “wild card” writer (in the genre of poetry OR short stories)

Each winner of the Peter K. Hixson Memorial Award will receive approximately $1,800 in Writer’s Relief submission services free of charge.

Our services include cover or query letter creation, targeting, proofreading, tracking, and much more. We hope to make Peter proud in our commitment to his artistic ideals and dreams.

Winners will be selected by the Writer’s Relief Review Board based on 1) strength of writing sample and 2) strength of personal statement and financial (or other) need.

NOTIFICATION: Winners will be notified by phone; other applicants will be notified of their status via email.

Winners’ first and last names will be publicly announced online on the Writer’s Relief homepage, blog, and other websites. Writer’s Relief will NOT be publishing the winning texts in any way (in print or online). Winners retain all copyrights to their work. Winners are not required to continue as Writer’s Relief clients after their awards have been received.

Dear Ronnie and the Staff of Writer’s Relief,

I would like to again thank you, Writer’s Relief, and the Hixson family for all your wonderful work on my behalf.  Four of the five poems you submitted for me were published, one of which received a Willow Review Award of $100.  Also, by an odd confluence of events, the three journals arrived in the mail last Friday, Saturday, and Monday.

Sincerely,
Lauren Yaffe, 2011 Peter K. Hixson Memorial Award winner

Who Is Eligible To Apply

All writers eighteen or older are welcome, but early- to mid-career writers with financial or other need are especially encouraged to apply. To honor Peter’s too brief career in creative writing, preference will be given to writers who have not necessarily been widely published but who demonstrate exceptional technique, voice, and perspective.

Writer’s Relief clients past or present, employees past or present, and previous winners are not eligible.

No preference will be given to applicants who identify themselves as friends or family of Peter K. Hixson.

Writers from all nations and backgrounds are welcome! Submissions must be in English (for targeting primarily to American literary journals or American literary agencies).

Applicants must be at least eighteen years old. Applicants warrant that all writing is their original creation and has not been published in any form in print or online. We cannot work with previously published poetry and short stories; most editors won’t consider it. 

Writers are welcome to apply to both this award and to our Review Board (for admission to our Full Service client list) if they choose to.

Genres for the 2013 Peter K. Hixson Award

The award will be open for the following genres:

• Poetry
• Short stories

Click here to donate to the
Peter K. Hixson Memorial Award Fund

How To Apply – Submission Guidelines

Read all submission guidelines before submitting your application or contacting us about this opportunity. No phone calls, please. 

To apply to The Peter K. Hixson Memorial Award, use our online form to send us a sample of your writing (directions are on the form), a bio, and a personal statement of no more than two paragraphs.

Applicants who are not already receiving our free, informative e-publication, Submit Write Now!, will be automatically subscribed. Submit Write Now! offers free publishing leads, guidelines, calls for submissions, and articles about submission techniques and etiquette. You are welcome to unsubscribe at any time; however, if you unsubscribe, anti-spammer precautions used by our email management system will prohibit us from contacting you to notify you about your award status.

We are anticipating a large turnout for this competition. For that reason, candidates will NOT be personally notified if their applications fail to meet requirements; in other words, applications that don’t meet guidelines may be disqualified without notification or opportunity for resubmission.

Be sure to follow all instructions. 

For all genres:

• IMPORTANT: *Your file name must include both your last name and the title of at least one of your pieces in some manner.* To minimize the risk of a mix-up, do NOT call your file anything like “poetry.doc” or “mysubmission.rtf.”
• Acceptable file types are .DOC or .RTF only.
• Applicants must use our online form (no snail mail, no email).
• One application per writer. Duplicates will result in disqualification.
• Simultaneous submissions are acceptable.
• Applicants must include a personal statement (1,000 characters MAX). See tips below. Personal statement must be pasted into our online form.
• Applicants must include a bio detailing publication credits and experience (1,000 characters MAX). Bio must be pasted into our online form.
• There is no fee to apply.
• Submissions that fail to meet any of these guidelines may be disqualified.
• Deadline: July 17, 2013. Midnight, Eastern Time. 

• Upload all poems in one .DOC or .RTF file.
• No previously published work will be considered. Poems may not have appeared anywhere online or in print.
• No children’s poetry.
• Format: one-inch margins (minimum), 12 pt Times New Roman or other standard font, single-spaced. One poem per page, please.
• Send 5 previously unpublished poems. Applications with more or less than five poems will be disqualified. Sorry! No exceptions. NOTE: If you win, you’ll need to have ten poems ready for submission.
• Include all contact information in some manner on the first page of your submission.

• Upload two short pieces in two different files.
• Each piece must be fewer than 3,000 words.
• No previously published work will be considered. Fiction should not have appeared anywhere online or in print.
• Format: Double-spaced, 12 pt font, one-inch margins.
• Include all contact information in some manner on the first page of your submission.

• Novels and memoirs only. No self-help, how-to, or children’s books. Young adult books are welcome only if they have some crossover appeal to adult markets.
• Upload a sample query letter using our form. Single-spaced, 12 pt font, standard margins. OR upload a 1-3 page synopsis using our form. Double-spaced, 12 pt font, one-inch margins.
• Upload the FIRST ten pages of your book. Double-spaced, 12 pt font, one-inch margins.
• Submissions that contain more or less than the first ten manuscript pages or that do not include a synopsis or sample query letter will be disqualified.
• Writers must hold all rights to their books, but self-published books are welcome.
• Include all contact information in some manner on the first page of your submission.

Dear Ronnie,

Thank you again for all your work on my behalf. It was a great honor to receive the Peter K. Hixson Award and to receive your Full Service package. I learned much, but more importantly, I felt supported as a writer.

Sincerely,
Lisa Cheby, 2011 Peter K. Hixson Memorial Award Winner
Work accepted by Eclipse and Compass Rose

Please Help Us Continue Peter’s Legacy

The Peter K. Hixson Memorial Award for Creative Writers is 100% free for all applicants. However, this year, we are welcoming any donations in support of Peter’s vision.

This award was established to help struggling writers. If you, like Peter, would like to support your fellow writers and help ensure that this unique award will stay open for years to come, we encourage you to make a small donation.

• All donations will be dedicated to the Peter K. Hixson Memorial Fund.
• Donations of $2 or more are recommended (absolutely every little bit helps!).
• No preference will be given to writers based on their donation (judges will not know if you donated or what amount you donated).

Writer’s Relief will match donations up to $5,000 for future awards!

If you would like to make a donation to help a deserving writer but do not wish to enter, please visit this link. 

Click here to donate to the
Peter K. Hixson Memorial Award Fund

Additional Tips For Your Personal Statement

In your personal statement, please tell us (in first person) a little about yourself and any personal circumstances (financial or other hardships) that would make this award especially meaningful/helpful for you. How would this award improve your career/life? The personal statement may not exceed two paragraphs (1,000 characters MAX).

Have a question about this award? We may have already answered it on this page. Be sure you read carefully. We cannot make exceptions to the contest’s published rules.

If after rereading this page you still have questions, email info@wrelief.com. Do not send applications or writing samples via email (all applications sent via email will be disqualified and deleted).

Previous Winners Were…

2012 Awards (All Genres)

Poetry Winner: Laura Wendorff
Short Prose Winner: Josh DuBose
Book Winner: Barbara Cockrell

2011 Awards (Poetry Only)

Lisa Cheby
Christina Kapp
Patricia McMillen
Lauren Yaffe

2010 Awards (All Genres)

Poetry Winner: Kim Waggoner
(with honorable mentions for Heather Bartlett, Keith Gaboury, Marissa Mollot, and Adrienne Sneed)

Short Prose Winner: Elishia Heiden
(with honorable mentions for Byron Campbell, Pittershawn Palmer, and Maria Carvajal)

Book Winner: Rebecca Elswick
(with honorable mentions for Lynda Martin and Lynda Letona)

Wild Card Winners: Jackleen Holton and Daniela Petrova