The Department of Sociology at Coastal Carolina University (CCU) will host its second statewide South Carolina Creative Sociology Writing Competition

South Carolina Creative Sociology Writing Competition 2025

The Department of Sociology at Coastal Carolina University (CCU) will host its second statewide South Carolina Creative Sociology Writing Competition. Students across South Carolina are encouraged to write inspiring pieces that combine The Sociological Imagination and the craft of creative writing to cultivate perspective-taking among readers. We invite submissions of short fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction that explore the theme:

This contest is open to undergraduate and graduate students from any academic discipline who want to use creative writing as a tool to think critically and creatively about our social world.

Cash prizes will be awarded to contest winners: First place: $500; Second place: $300; Third place: $200. Winners may also be published in Waccamaw: A Journal of Contemporary Literature. 

Description

The Sociological Imagination—a perspective that places ‘individual troubles’ and ‘personal problems’ within the context of broader public issues—is the cornerstone of all sociological coursework and scholarship. The purpose of this contest is to encourage the practice of a more public, interdisciplinary sociology and to make The Sociological Imagination accessible, relevant, and engaging to a wider audience. Moreover, its purpose is to demonstrate the intersection of academic and creative thinking in ways that forge micro-macro connections and cultivate empathy within participants and readers. 

This year’s theme welcomes submissions that explore families in any form or configuration—from the families we are born into, to the families we choose throughout our lives, and everything in between. The theme ‘Family Matters’ may be interpreted broadly; stories about the importance of family, as well as the unity or conflict within families, are all encouraged. Topics may include but are not limited to the evolution of parent-child and sibling relationships; the adherence to or breaking of family traditions and patterns; the dynamics of intergenerational households or caregiving; the impact of adoption, foster care, marriage, and divorce on kinship bonds; or the influence of broader trends in politics and the economy on family life.  

Creative pieces, regardless of topic, must be accompanied by a 500-word exegesis that highlights key sociological concepts, theory, and scientific research that contextualize the work.  

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Other Ongoing Writing Competitions

• Submit to Kent & Sussex Poetry Competition 2025
• The Plough Poetry Competition 2025 | £1,000 Cash Prize 
• South Carolina Creative Sociology Writing Competition 2025
• The Caterpillar Poetry Prize 2025 | $1,000+ Cash Prizes 
• Magma Poetry Competition 2025 | £1,000 Cash Prize 

Guidelines

Entrants must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student in a South Carolina college or university during Spring 2025.  

Entrants may submit one poem, work of short fiction, or work of creative nonfiction. Poetry should be limited to 40 lines or fewer, while short fiction and creative nonfiction should be no longer than 3,000 words. Other than length, there are no restrictions as to the style, form, content, or subject of submissions, as long as the entry meets the contest theme of “Family Matters.”  

Entries must be accompanied by a brief (500 word) exegesis that highlights the sociological concepts, theories, and scientific research that contextualize the creative work. 

Please email contest entry and exegesis as an attached PDF or Word document to creativesoc@coastal.edu with the subject line “Creative Sociology Writing Competition.” In the body of the email, please include the following information:  

- Your name, email address, and phone number 

- Your college or university 

- The title of your submission 

- Submission genre (poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction) 

Your name, the name of your institution, and your email must not appear on the manuscript of your entry. Your entry manuscript must have a title, but all other identifying information should appear only in the body of your email. 

Entries must be received by Feb. 3, 2025. There is no entry fee. 

All entries will be blind-reviewed by an interdisciplinary panel of faculty judges. 

Cash prizes will be awarded: 1st place: $500; 2nd place: $300; 3rd place: $200.  

Winners may be invited to read their work at a virtual reading event on March 28th, 2025.  

Winners may also be published in Waccamaw: A Journal of Contemporary Literature.