2026 First Pages Contest
Agents, editors, and readers often decide within the first few pages whether to continue reading. Your opening matters.
Make yours impossible to put down.
The Keight Editing First Pages Contest is a professional contest for writers and novelists designed to recognize compelling manuscript openings and provide editorial feedback for unpublished works.
Whether you are preparing to query agents, revising your manuscript, or seeking professional insight into your novel opening, this contest can help you focus on the pages that matter most.
Key Dates
Submissions Open: May 15, 2026
Deadline: August 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM CST
Winners Announced: Late October 2026
Awards
One Winner Per Genre Category Receives:
Official Winner Trophy
Featured Winner Spotlight on KeightEditing.com
Instagram Winner Recognition
Official Digital Winner Badge
Professional critique of submitted first pages and synopsis. Feedback may address strengths, weaknesses, pacing, clarity, voice, and next-step revision opportunities.
Accepted Genre Categories
This year’s contest welcomes novel openings in the genres of Romance, Fantasy, and Mystery / Thriller / Suspense.
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Romance remains the bestselling fiction genre worldwide, generating massive reader demand and strong querying activity. Whether you write contemporary romance, historical romance, rom-com, or the wildly popular romantasy blend of romance and fantasy, your novel’s opening pages must deliver instant emotional connection, chemistry, and that irresistible hook.
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Fantasy continues to dominate writing communities and bestseller lists, with strong interest in epic, dark, and romantasy subgenres. A compelling fantasy opening needs to establish world-building, stakes, and an unforgettable voice without overwhelming the reader.
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Mystery and thriller novels thrive on tight pacing, escalating tension, and a gripping hook from the very first pages. Writers in crime, psychological thriller, and suspense categories know that agents often decide based on those crucial opening scenes.
Entry Fee
Standard Entry - $24.99
One manuscript submission.
Optional Critique Add-On - $19.99
Receive a professional 1-page critique of your submitted first pages and synopsis, regardless of contest placement. Feedback may address strengths, weaknesses, pacing, clarity, voice, and next-step revision opportunities.
All fees are non-refundable.
Entry Eligibility
The contest is open to writers submitting original, unpublished fiction manuscripts in the identified genre categories.
Multiple entries are welcome, but each must be a different manuscript and submitted separately.
Poetry and short stories are not eligible.
Manuscripts previously edited by Keight Editing, LLC are not eligible.
These eligibility guidelines apply to your status at the time of contest entry. Should you self-publish or secure a book contract after submission to the contest, your entry will still be eligible.