The N.C. State Fiction Contest is accepting entries for its 2016 competition.

The contest is free and open to all North Carolina residents. Entries must be mailed by Oct. 11 to NC State Fiction Writing Contest, Campus Box 8105, English Department, N.C. State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8105.

Tenure-track professors in the University of North Carolina system, writers with a published book or previous winners cannot enter. Entries may not have been published in print or online. Previous finalists must submit new work.

All entries must be double-spaced and typed, with a word count on the first page. Entrants should not include names on stories, but attach a separate cover sheet with name, email address and phone number, along with any additional contact information. Contestants may enter one story in each of the two contest categories:

• The James Hurst Prize for Fiction: $500 — An unpublished short story of no more than 20 double-spaced typed pages, limited to 5,000 words. In addition to the winner, several honorable mention awards will be presented.

• The Shorter Fiction Prize: $250 — An unpublished short story of no more than five double-spaced typed pages, limited to 1,200 words. One honorable mention award will be presented.

No emailed entries are accepted. N.C. State cannot return stories. This year’s guest judge is Percival Everett, author of 30 books and novels, including “Assumption,” “Erasure,” “I Am Not Sidney Poitier” and “Glyph.” Everett will read from his work at the Fiction Contest Awards Ceremony at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16, in Caldwell Hall Lounge, NC State University.

For more information, visit go.ncsu.edu/fictioncontest.

Writers’ Workshop classes

Classes for any level writer meet at Providence Presbyterian Church, Providence Rd., Charlotte. Registration is in advance only, by mail or at www.twwoa.org. Financial aid in exchange for volunteering is available. For information, writersw@gmail.com/828-254-8111.

Oct. 1: Writing and Pitching Narrative Nonfiction with Charli Kerns— Both beginning and experienced writers will be given a complete guide to telling the story and pitching it for publication. The class will learn tips on what makes a story, how to research for it, and how to edit the final copy for print. Students will also learn how to pitch their story to editors at newspapers and magazines, and address what they are looking for in a story.

Kerns is a contract writer and editor for several outdoor, action sport, and lifestyle publications. Meets Saturday, 12-5 pm. $75/$70 Workshop members.