Case Study: Owl Canyon Press achieves 1,000+ submissions and a streamlined contest workflow with Submittable

Finding a Robust Contest Audience and Streamlining Workflow

Owl Canyon Press, a Boulder-based book publisher, launched a quirky Short Story Hackathon and needed a way to promote the contest and manage submissions and judging. They chose Submittable, using Submittable’s submission-management software and marketing services to set up, announce, and administer the event.

Submittable’s platform streamlined submission intake, sorting, judging, and bulk communications, saving organizers hours of manual file handling and spreadsheet work. The contest drew nearly 1,000 completed submissions (about 3,000 in progress before the deadline) from 33 countries, produced three winners and 24 finalists whose work was published in an Owl Canyon anthology, and led to a repeat partnership — tangible audience growth and workflow efficiency delivered by Submittable.

Owl Canyon Press

Tom Strelich

Contest Organizer and Judge