Falling Dusk Publishing
FDP's Second Annual Catholic Fiction Writing Contest
Falling Dusk Publishing is excited to welcome writers back for our second annual contest. If you have a completed novel-length manuscript that reflects the beauty of the Catholic faith—explicitly or implicitly—we would love to hear from you.
Entries Close November 1
Countdown to the submission deadline
All contest entries must be received by November 1, 2026.
Celebrating Last Year's Winners
The First Falling Dusk Publishing Writing Contest
Last year, we received 18 wonderful entries. Instead of selecting only one prize winner, we chose three authors whose stories stood out for their creativity, faith, beauty, and heart. Three very different stories—each full of heart and hope.
Angelina Salvaggio
Secret Dwellings
A winning story recognized for its creativity, faith, beauty, and heart.
Allison Ramirez
The Divided Kingdom
A winning story recognized for its creativity, faith, beauty, and heart.
Tiffany Germain
Converging Darkness
A winning story recognized for its creativity, faith, beauty, and heart.
Contest Eligibility
Who may enter
The contest is designed to encourage emerging Catholic fiction writers and help them move their work closer to publication.
Author & manuscript eligibility
- Open to self-published authors or writers with completed manuscripts who are preparing to self-publish.
- Work must be novel length. No short stories, please.
- Any genre is welcome, but entries must be geared toward a Young Adult audience or older. No Middle Grade or younger.
- All entries must be a clean read that portrays the beauty of the Catholic faith, either explicitly or implicitly.
- Writers of all ages and experience levels are welcome.
- Previous winners are not eligible for two years following their winning.
- If you have more than five published novels, please do not enter. The goal is to help writers get established.
What we're looking for
- Manuscripts do not need to be fully edited, but they should be easy to read. Some professional editing is highly recommended.
- Authors do not need to have a cover, reviews, or an established following to enter.
- Stories should be well-crafted, with exciting plots and well-formed characters.
- Stories should reflect the original work and creativity of the author.
- Works generated by AI or copied from other sources are not eligible for entry.
- No prior publishing accolades, reviews, or marketing history are required.
Contest Prizes
Supporting the next step in your writing journey
Winners will receive a $500 prize to help move their manuscript or author career forward.
Per Winner
Use the prize toward editing, cover design, marketing, or other writing and publishing-related expenses.
Submission Guidelines
How to submit
Please have the following ready before opening the submission form.
Your manuscript
- Submit the complete manuscript. No partial manuscripts, please.
- The manuscript should be easy to read and ready for contest review.
- Your work must meet the eligibility requirements listed above.
About you
- Include a short author bio.
- Include a brief statement describing how your faith guides your writing.
- No prior accolades, reviews, marketing history, cover, or established following are required.
Enter the Writing Contest
Ready to share your story?
If you have a completed novel-length manuscript that reflects the beauty of the Catholic faith, we would love to hear from you. Entries close November 1.
Questions or Submission Help
Need help?
For questions about eligibility or issues with submission, email Kalynn Franklin at kalynn@jacqueline-brown.com.
Falling Dusk Publishing
Faith-filled fiction deserves to be discovered.
Home of Jacqueline Brown's books and a growing community of writers committed to clean, compelling Catholic fiction.
