Blue Ridge Writers
of Central Virginia
Blue Ridge Writers
of central Virginia
News & Events
Blue Nib Awards Ceremony
2026 THE BLUE RIDGE WRITERS
BLUE NIB WRITING CONTEST
Blue Ridge Writers (BRW) serves aspiring and published writers in Central Virginia. The annual BlueÂ
Nib Writing Contest accepts submissions from BRW members in three categories:
Fiction,
Nonfiction, andÂ
Poetry
Volunteer judges select first, second, and third place winners in each category, and winnersÂ
receive the following cash prizes:
$50 (first place), $25 (second place), and $15 (third place).
BRW hosts an annual, open-to-the-public "Social to Honor Blue Nib Contest Winners." In addition,Â
the submissions from first place Blue Nib winners are entered into the annual Virginia Writers ClubÂ
Golden Nib Contest, where participants compete for the following cash prizes:
$150, $100, and $75 (first, second, and third place winners, respectively).
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2026 SUBMISSIONS Are Closed
Previous Blue Nib Winners
The 2025 Blue Nib Writers Contest Winners
Congratulations!
Fiction:
1st Place - Francesca Flood, "Two Lives—One Soul"
2nd Place - Douglas Forness, "The Unlikely Happy Childhood of the Posthumously Published Poet"
3rd Place - Lillian Connor, "The Calm, the Anxious and the Exuberant"
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Judge: Louise Mitchell
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Nonfiction:
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1st Place - Francesca Flood, "Passages"
2nd Place - Diane Hernon Chavis, "Memory Within a Memory"
3rd Place - Lillian Connor, "The Pact: Anna, Margit and Xander"
​
Judge: Barbara Fuhrman
Poetry:
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1st Place - Douglas Forness, "The Hand of the Muse"
2nd Place - Joy Merritt Krystosek, "Nascent Sensation of Indulgent Pleasure"
3rd Place - Al Mirmelstein, "Tsunami"
​
Judge: Deborah Brooks