Please read and abide by these rules. Any entries that do not abide by the rules will be disqualified, and the entry fees for them forfeited.
- Entrants must be the authors, producers (in the case of video or film), or creators (in the case of art) of the entered work. An editor may not be listed as an entrant in any special award category. An entry may be submitted by someone other than the author or creator, as long as the author or creator is listed as the entrant.
- Instructions for the Michael Brim Distinguished Service Award and the Amy Shojai Mentor Award appear on their respective Entrance forms.
- AI-generated content is ineligible for entry into the contest. While it is accepted that most writers do use some AI tools, no work written or generated by an AI application will be accepted. Read our full AI policy here.
- Entries in the Special Awards must contain at least two-thirds cat-specific content. Applicability to cats IS NOT sufficient.
- All Entries must be newly published or broadcast (or, for Fine Arts, created) between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, and NOT previously published in any medium.
- No entry limits exist in the special award categories.
- All entry materials in the special award categories must be in a digital format.
- Entry fees for Special Award categories are:
- $30 for non-CWA members
- $15 for CWA members in good standing (renewed by February 28, 2025)
- There is no entry fee to nominate someone for the Michael Brim Distinguished Service Award or the Shojai Mentor Award.
- You will receive an email confirmation of each entry form you complete. Entries are not completed until payment is made: you must keep a tally of the number of entries you are submitting for your payment. Only one payment platform is being used this year; you can pay by card via Stripe (you do not need a Stripe account to do this).Please note that the closing date for entries will not be extended past May 4, 2025 under any circumstances.
To contact the Contest Committee, please email contest@catwriters.com.
