Announcing 2020 Pitch Wars Dates!

Hi Pitch Wars! As previously announced after the Agent Showcase, I’m thrilled to be serving as your 2020 Managing Director!

You may or may not have seen the announcement of our 2020 dates on Twitter, but we’re keeping the timeline similar to 2019. Though it might not make everyone happy, we’ve found this schedule best balances the needs and availability of mentors, agents, and future mentees. We understand the holidays are often a difficult time for revisions for both mentors and mentees, which is why we give a full three months.

We also understand how difficult it might be to get words on paper right now, and if you aren’t ready for Pitch Wars 2020, we will still be here for 2021. Self-care is more important than ever, and if that doesn’t include writing at this time, we still want to cheer you on and support you. We’ve always emphasized how important community is to this program, and we welcome you to participate in the fun on the hashtag, even if the words aren’t flowing at this time.

With all that said, here are the 2020 Pitch Wars dates!

June 22 – Mentor Applications Open
July 8 – Mentor Applications Close
August 10 – Mentors Announced
September 12-26 – Mentor Wishlists Posted
September 27-29 – Submissions Open
November 7 – Mentees Announced
February 10-15 – Agent Showcase

If you are interested in applying to be a mentor, you can sign up to receive a reminder email when applications open by filling out the form here.

If you are looking for #pitmad dates (remember: Pitch Wars is an annual mentoring program, #pitmad is a quarterly twitter pitch party; they are separate things), those can be found on the #pitmad home page.

I’m so excited for this coming Pitch Wars year, thank you for being a part of this community!

<3 Sonia Hartl

15 Comments

Eileen · April 30, 2020 at 7:54 pm

Are memoirs eligible for submission to Pitch Wars?

Rochelle Karina · May 26, 2020 at 8:43 pm

Pitch Wars is for fiction manuscripts. See more Pitch Wars FAQs See more Pitch Wars FAQs.

Bob DCosta · September 13, 2020 at 6:20 am

Thanks for this information Rochelle. I was asking if New Adult fiction is acceptable this 2020. I found submissions for Adult, Young Adult and Middle Grade mentioned.

Brenda Drake · September 13, 2020 at 10:22 am

Yes, many of our Young Adult and Adult mentors are accepting New Adult fiction. It will be listed in their wishlist posts if they’re accepting it. You’ll have to search through the wishlists to see who is accepting it.

Bob DCosta · September 14, 2020 at 9:06 pm

Thanks a ton, Brenda 🙂

Emilee · May 25, 2020 at 7:15 pm

So will we know who the 2020 mentors are on 6/22?

Rochelle Karina · May 26, 2020 at 8:41 pm

Mentors are announced on August 10, 2020. The entire Pitch Wars 2020 schedule can be found here here.

Nicole Rhoden · June 7, 2020 at 11:44 pm

I see that last year novellas were not accepted. Is that the case this year, and if so, what is the minimum word count for submissions?

Ann · August 29, 2020 at 10:08 am

I’m new to this and I’m trying to find out exactly what it is and how to participate. I’ve read the site but it just wasn’t clear.

Brenda Drake · August 29, 2020 at 10:25 am

The information is on this page: https://pitchwars.org/new-start-here/ You would check out our mentors wishlist during the blog hop September 12 – September 26 and find four that fit your category and genre, and who you’d want to work with if you received a spot. The submission window opens September 27 where you’d fill our our entry form on our site and attach your query, synopsis, and first chapter.

Leslie Kain · September 12, 2020 at 9:17 am

How can I find the Mentor Wish List for 2020 Pitch Wars?
Thank you.

Brenda Drake · September 12, 2020 at 10:32 am

Right here on the blog. It was posted last night.

Mary M Bartek · November 17, 2021 at 12:26 pm

While I did not participate in the mentor program, in reading the info. about it I thought that Dec. 3, 2021, was open to all. However, that date does not appear in the list above. Have I misunderstood?

Brenda Drake · November 20, 2021 at 2:02 am

We have two programs. The mentorship program is over and our mentees are busy revising. We do have a Twitter Pitch Party on December 2 that is open to all. You can read more about it here: https://pitchwars.org/pitmad/

Writers Need Media Followers – A Novel Approach · June 11, 2020 at 9:12 am

[…] bottom line here, is that when I go to pitch my story to an editor or publisher or agent, I may be asked if I have a fan base on social media. I will […]