Competition for Best Unpublished Literary Work 2024 – Win a Scholarship and Get your original work published!
The Department of Creative Writing at the University American College Skopje in collaboration with the publishing house Ars Lamina presents
Competition for Best Unpublished Literary Work
The competition encourages writing practices that stand out with linguistic and stylistic originality and thematic relevance. The competition is open to persons above the age of 18. Each author can submit a maximum of two works (short stories, poetry, digital fiction, and mixed genres) written in Macedonian, Albanian, or English. There are no thematic or genre restrictions, except that the length of the work must not exceed 1500 words.
- Works: should be sent to the email address creative.writing@uacs.edu.mk as an attached Word or PDF document along with the author’s contact details (address and phone number).
- Submission Deadline: August 23, 2024.
- Main prize: scholarship of 2750 EUR for full tuition for the first Master’s Program in Creative Writing at the School of Foreign Languages (University American College Skopje), provided by Triglav Penzisko Drushtvo AD.
- Download the Call by clicking ON THIS LINK
Manuscripts will be evaluated by a five-member committee consisting of Nikola Madzirov, Arlind Farizi, Ivan Dodovski, and Ivana Trajanoska (heads of the Creative Writing Program at University American College Skopje), and a representative from the publishing house Ars Lamina.
The committee will award first, second, and third place. The winning works will be announced on September 12, 2024.
In case the first-place author does not meet the admission criteria for the master’s program or is unable to enroll in the master’s program for personal reasons, the organizer will award the scholarship to the author of the next best work that meets the admission requirements.
More information about the master’s program in creative writing can be found at the following link: Master’s Program in Creative Writing.
A selection of the best works will be published in a special edition by the University American College Skopje and the publishing house.
The main sponsor of the competition is Triglav Penzisko Drushtvo AD.
About the UACS Master’s Program in Creative Writing
The Master’s program in Creative Writing is a one-year study program consisting of six courses, a writing workshop, and a master’s thesis in the form of a writer’s portfolio. It delivers integrated training in the writing of literary and media texts. Instruction is conducted in English, except for courses on literary translation and some electives on Macedonian literature.
The Courses:
Through well-designed elective courses, candidates can make choices that align with their interests, career plans, experience, or previous education.
The elective courses provide knowledge and enhancement of writing skills in areas such as marketing, advertising, and public relations (courses like Content Writing, Integrated Marketing Communications, Public Relations, Language, Discourse, and Social Media); in interdisciplinary study fields suitable for candidates with an educational background in psychology or other social sciences and the humanities (Psycholinguistics, Conversation Analysis); as well as in language and literature (Semantics, Pragmatics, Stylistics, Nobel Prize Poets, Contemporary Balkan Drama etc.).
About the teaching staff:
The teaching staff includes university professors with many years of academic experience both locally and internationally, established writers, and relevant industry experts.
Every year the Program will host a Writer-in-Residence to supplement existing Creative Writing courses by providing students with access to a working, professional writer for feedback and support through workshops and various other events. For the academic year 2024/2025 the Writer-in-Residence will be the poet Nikola Madzirov.
Who can enroll and why?
Candidates with completed four-year undergraduate studies in any field are eligible to enroll in the Master’s program in Creative Writing. The program is designed for everyone who wants to write, with or without previous experience, and it enables the enhancement of creative writing skills, critical and analytical thinking skills, and research and communication skills in both English and Macedonian. The program equips students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies suitable for professional careers such as writer, content writer, copywriter, media text writer, language data analyst, translator, editor, etc.
The program also provides guidance and access to calls for writer residencies, creative projects, and publication of literary works. Candidates can develop their writing discipline, culminating in their literary portfolio. Additionally, the Master’s program in Creative Writing at UACS offers networking and collaboration with several creative writing master’s programs at universities in the USA and other countries through the Global Partners in Education program, in which the UACS has been a member since 2009.
