The 2016 Saints and Sinners LGBT Literary Festival‘s Writing Contest’s Deadline has been extended to November 2, 2015.

The Saints and Sinners Literary Festival was founded in 2003 as a new initiative designed as way to reach the community with information about HIV/AIDS, particularly disseminating prevention messages via the writers, thinkers and spokes-people of the LGBT community while celebrating the literary arts.

The Festival has grown into an internationally-recognized event that brings together a who’s who of LGBT publishers, writers and readers from throughout the United States and beyond. The Festival, held over 4 days each Spring, features panel discussions and master classes around literary topics that provide a forum for authors, editors and publishers to talk about their work for the benefit of emerging writers and the enjoyment of fans of LGBT literature.

The contest’s Grand Prize includes:

• $500
• Complementary registration to 2016 Saints and Sinners ($150 Value)
• VIP Pass to the 2016 Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival ($500 Value)
• Publication in anthology New Fiction from the Festival (Bold Strokes Books)
• Invitation to read at Book Launch Party on April 2, 2016

Top Finalists’ stories will also be included in New Fiction from the Festival

Submissions should adhere to the following guidelines:

• Submissions should be between 4,000-7,000 words
• Story should include LGBT content on the broad theme of “Saints and Sinners”
• The contest is open to authors at all stages of their careers and to stories in all genres
• Only previously unpublished stories will be accepted
• Previous stories that have won this contest are ineligible; their authors remain eligible
• Stories submitted to this contest in previous years that did not place in the top ten are eligible
• Stories that won any other writing contest are ineligible

Full details about the contest (including online submission process and prizes) are available on their submission page.