Announcing the 2026 Stiletto Contest

The Stiletto Contest celebrates and recognizes excellence in the contemporary romance genre for published and unpublished novels.

Contemporary Romance Writers focuses on the contemporary romance genre, and the Stiletto Contest upholds the organization’s goal of bringing awareness to the best work by authors and writers in contemporary romance.

Submissions open: May 1, 2026
Submissions close: May 31, 2026
Winners announced: Sept. 18-19, 2026 at our Virtual Conference.

The Entry Categories for the Published and Unpublished Division:

All entries in the 2026 Stiletto Contest will be Contemporary Romance (works primarily set after 1990.) Entrants will determine which category and second-choice category best defines their entry. The entry categories for Published and Unpublished Divisions are:

Contemporary Short (20,000 to 80,000 words)
Contemporary Long (over 80,000 words)
Contemporary Young Adult / New Adult
Contemporary Speculative / Paranormal (includes Urban Fantasy with romance)
Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Anti-Discrimination Policy

The Stiletto Contest does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, or religion. We expect the same from our judges and entrants with a zero tolerance policy.

Any questions should be directed to president@contemporaryromance.org.