SurvivalBlog Nonfiction Writing Contest Rules

For more than 20 years, SurvivalBlog ran a bi-monthly non-fiction writing contest. In all, we we awarded almost $990 thousand dollars in prizes.

The final round of the contest ended on May 31, 2026.

Note: We still accept guest articles written by blog readers. See our Editorial Guidelines for details.

A Note on our Writing Contest Sponsors

I want to thank our loyal writing contest sponsors. Their tremendous generosity inspired a lot of great nonfiction writers. By the way, when you do business with any of the sponsors, please thank them for their support of SurvivalBlog.

A Special Note to Previous Prize winners

Any prize winners with unused Elk Creek Company purchase credits have until December 31st, 2026 to spend them on pre-1899 antique guns or blackpowder guns. After that, they will be expired and void. Please note that these purchase credits are transferable. So, even if you live in a place with restrictive gun laws, you can still give them to a friend or relative in a Free State. – JWR

Congratulations to the First Prize Winners of the 124 Rounds of the Contest:

Round 1: B.H., for his article titled “On Preparing Your Children”, which was posted on October 24, 2005.
Round 2: “EMT J.N.” who wrote the article: “Getting Your Group to Buy In: The $20 Medical Kit” which was posted on January 13, 2006
Round 3: K.A.D., for his article titled: “Defending Your Home: An Outline of Security for Troubled Times” which was posted on March 28, 2006.
Round 4: Northwest Huey, for his article titled: “Using Rechargable Batteries” which was posted on May 28, 2006.
Round 5: TruthFirst, for his article titled: “How to Build an Inertial Well Slow Pump for Grid Down Emergencies” which was posted on July 31, 2006.
Round 6: R.E.M., for his article titled: “Maximizing Food Storage Life” which was posted on September 26, 2006.
Round 7: SF in Hawaii, for his article titled: “Wheat Sprouts and Wheatgrass as Survival Foods” which was posted on November 6, 2006.
Round 8: JLM, for his article titled: “Gardens For the Future” which was posted on January 26, 2007.
Round 9: E.C.W., MD, for her article: “Wound Care: An Emergency Room Doctor’s Perspective” which was posted on February 24, 2007.
Round 10: “Grandpappy” for his article “How to Harvest, Process, and Store Vegetable Seeds” which was posted on May 11, 2007.
Round 11: John O. MD for his article “Survival Labor and Delivery” which was posted on July 10, 2007.
Round 12: “Polar Bear” for his article “Converting Diesel Vehicles to Run on Waste Vegetable Oil” which was posted on September 10, 2007.
Round 13: “LP” for his article “Preparedness While on Business Travel –What to Pack” which was posted on November 24, 2007.
Round 14: J. Britely for his article “Prepare or Die” which was posted on January 30, 2008.
Round 15: Paul C., for his article “My Seven Favorite North American Edible Wild Plants” which was posted on March 25, 2008.
Round 16: KLK for her article “How To Prepare for Radiation Emergencies”, which was posted on May 16, 2008.
Round 17: Thomas G., for his article “The Tomato Rebuild–Machining Technology is Crucial to Modern Society”, which was posted July 16, 2008.
Round 18: Terry B., for his article “How To Make Den-Type Game Traps”, which was posted August 27, 2008.
Round 19: Carolyn W., for her article “Gardening and Seed Saving” which was posted on November 28, 2008.
Round 20: George S. for his lengthy article “Field Gear on a Shoestring Budget” which was posted on January 12, 2009.
Round 21: Dr. K. for his two part article: “TEOTWAWKI Medicine and Minor Surgery” which was posted on March 24 and March 26, 2009.
Round 22: Mike U., for his article “Unconventional Wisdom for CCW Permit Holders”, which was posted on May 19th, 2009.
Round 23: Mike S., for his article “GPS for Day-to-Day Use and Survival”, which was posted on July 14th, 2009.
Round 24: Old Dog in Alaska, for his article “Grub and Gear–Lessons Learned from an Alaskan Trapper”, which was posted on September 22nd, 2009.
Round 25: InfoRodeo for his article “The Dumpster List”, which was posted on October 31st, 2009.
Round 26: Lin for her article “Feeding Your Family Well During Hard — and Harder — Times”, which was posted on December 9th, 2009.
Round 27 : Dan in Oklahoma for his four part article: “The Home Foundry, Metal Casting”, that was posted in February, 2010
Round 28: C.F., for “A Southwesterner’s Experience in Family Preparedness”, which was posted on April 2nd, 2010.
Round 29: Old Dog in Wisconsin for “Getting My Lists Together”, posted on July 15th, 2010.
Round 30: Nomad Medic for “Dealing With Diarrhoeal Diseases”, posted on September. 26th, 2010.
Round 31: T.K. for Bugout Base Camp: “My Solar School Bus”, posted on November 15, 2010.
Round 32: J.E. for “Preparing for the Aftermath–Lessons from the 1930s”, posted on December 24, 2010.
Round 33: K.M. for “What is a Well-Stocked First Aid Kit?”, posted on March 15, 2011.
Round 34: J.B. in Montana for “Preparing Kids for Disasters”, posted on May 28, 2011.
Round 35: R.B. for “The Will to Act: Your Ultimate Bug-out Kit”, posted on July 30, 2011.
Round 36: David J. for “Small Scale Alternative Energy in Suburbia”, posted on September 22, 2011.
Round 37: Paul B., for “Staple Foods Storage By The Numbers”, posted on November 10, 2011.
Round 38: A.A.A, for “Barter, Post-TEOTWAWKI: The Micro Store” posted on December 22, 2011.
Round 39: Jim B., for “The Extreme Solar Still Concept” posted on March 31, 2012.
Round 40: Barefoot Yankee Gal for “Kitchen Cupboard Medicine”, posted on April 3, 2012
Round 41: Dr. Moutaintop for “The ABCs of Trauma”, posted on July 29, 2012.
Round 42: Dan in Alabama for “Make Your Own Retort Style Charcoal”, posted on September 19, 2012.
Round 43: D.A., DVM for “A Veterinarian’s Perspective on Prepper Medicine”, by D.A., DVM, posted on November 6, 2012.
Round 44: T.S.H., MD for “Field Care For Your Newborn”, posted on December 20, 2012.
Round 45: Lockstich for “Industrial Sewing Machines for Prepared Families”, posted on February 8, 2013.
Round 46: Steven in Alabama for “When Bugging Out is Not an Option: Hunkering Down with a Quadriplegic”, posted on May 24, 2013.
Round 47: Sophie for “Prepping the Texas Cowboy Way”, posted on July 12, 2013.
Round 48: Tennessean for “Protection from Radioactive Fallout”, posted on September 12, 2013.
Round 49: TX ER DOC, for So, “You Bought Fish Antibiotics. Now What?”, posted on November 20, 2013.
Round 50: Mountain Top Patriot for “Want to Raise Pigs?”, posted on January 1, 2014.
Round 51: G.A. (RN) for “Setting up a Sick Room in Your Home”, posted on February 26, 2014.
Round 52: T.Y. for “Low Moisture Aged Cheese – Hard food for Hard Times”, posted on April 2, 2014
Round 53: M.H. for “Killing, Dying, and Death – Part I” and “Part II”, which was posted on Sunday, July 27 and Tuesday July 29, 2014
Round 54: Leo Medic for “Musings of a Law Enforcement Paramedic, Part 1”, “Part 2”, “Part 3”, “Part 4”, and “Part 5”, which was posted on September 2-6, 2014.
Round 55: ShepardFarmerGeek for “Ebola Unafraid: A Preliminary Ebola Treatment Protocol, Part 1” & “Part 2” as well as “Making Your Own, Part 1” & “Part 2” which was posted on October 27, 28 and November 11, 12, 2014
Round 56: I.S. for “Motorizing a Country Living Grain Mill for 12-volt Battery and Solar – Part 1” & “Part 2”, which were posted on January 21st and 22nd, 2015.
Round 57: M.R. for “Your Brain On Paper—How to Write Useful Operating Instructions – Part 1”, “Part 2”, and “Part 3”, which were posted on February 27th and 28th and March 1st, 2015.
Round 58: Florida Mom for “Our Founding Fathers Were Right” which was posted on April 1st.
Round 59: Prepperdoc for “Protecting Both Tube and Transistor HF Communications Equipment From E1 EMP Pulse – Part 1” and “Part 2” which was posted on June 5th and 6th.
Round 60: Iowa Farm Boy for Traversing the Hinterlands – (“Parts 1”, “Part 2”, & “Part 3”) which were posted on three successive days in August of 2015.
Round 61: TLS for “An Alternative to Calcium Hypochlorite” which was posted on November 21st.
Round 62: J.R. for for “What’s For Dinner – Part 1”, “Part 2”, “Part 3”, “Part 4”, “Part 5”, and “Part 6”, which was posted on January 8th, 9th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th, 2016
Round 63: R.C. for “Winter Survival- Part 1”, “Part 2”, and “Part 3”, which was posted on February 23rd, 24th, and 25th, 2016.
Round 64: B1 for “Crises Preparation- Part 1”, “Part 2”, and “Part 3”, which was posted on April 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2016.
Round 65: D.D. for “Tracking Dogs- Part 1”, “Part 2”, and “Part 3”, which was posted on June 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, 2016.
Round 66: J.P.R. for “Quick Reference Manual Regarding Disaster Survival and Recovery on the Road- Part 1”, and “Part 2“ which was posted on September 6th and 9th.
Round 67: L.M. for “Purchasing Power: Past, Present, Future- Part 1”, “Part2”, “Part 3”, “Part 4”, and “Part 5” which was posted on November 8th through November 12th, 2016.
Round 68: J.U. for “Prep Your Ride – Part 1”, “Part 2”, and “Part 3” published on January 3rd, 5th, and 6th, 2017.
Round 69: J.R. for “Vinegar As An Essential Multi-Purpose Tool for TEOTWAWKI – Part 1”, and “Part 2” published on March 14th and 15th, 2017.
Round 70: J.D. for “Austere Dentistry and Temporary Fillings” published on April 1st, 2017.
Round 71: J.E. for “Horizontal Relationships: The Key to True Independence- Part 1” and “Part 2” published on July 4th and 5th, 2017.
Round 72: J.F. Texas for “Recognizing and Resolving Common Vitamin Deficiencies” published on August 6th, 2017.
Round 73: Florida Mom for “A Stitch in Time – Part 1” and “Part 2” published on November 17th and 18th, 2017
Round 74: Alaskan Gardeners for “Mid-Scale Grain Gardening in Alaska- Part 1”, “Part 2”, “Part 3”, and “Part 4”, published on December 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th, 2017.
Round 75: J.M. for “Perspectives on Patrolling-Part 1”, “Part 2”, “Part 3”, “Part 4”, and “Part 5”, published on March 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th, 2018.
Round 76: A.&J.R. for “Bring Your Own Bandaids- Part 1”, “Part 2”, “Part 3”, “Part 4”, “Part 5”, and “Part 6”, published on May 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th, 2018.
Round 77: B.M. for “Getting Home Long Distance in the Event of An EMP/Solar Flare- Part 1”, “Part 2”, and “Part 3”, published on June 28th, 29th, and 30th, 2018.
Round 78: JBH for “Survival Fitness and Health-Part 1”, “Part 2”, “Part 3”, and “Part 4”, published on September 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th, 2018.
Round 79: I.S. for “How to Build a Compact, Portable Range Barricade- Part 1” and “Part 2”, published on November 24th and 25th, 2018.
Round 80: K.B., M.D., for Medical Action Sheets (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, & Part 4) which was published December 26-29, 2018.
Round 81: Nivek, for New Zealand: Thoughts After Seven Years (Part1, Part 2, Part 3) which was published February 7-9, 2019.
Round 82: L.R. for It is Planting Time (posted in two parts on May 7 and May 8, 2019).
Round 83: Doctor Dan for Family Medical Preps Part 1 & Part 2, posted July 17 & 18, 2019.
Round 84: T.R. for Build the Plan vs. Test the Plan, which was posted in five parts from August 20 to August 24, 2019.
Round 85: M.B. for his four-part article Black Powder for Self-Reliance, which was posted on October, 8th, 9th,10th, and 11th, 2019.
Round 86: St. Funogas, for his two-part article that ran Jan. 9-10, 2020: Rocket Water Heater – Part 1 and Part 2.
Round 87: Greg X. for Generators for Family Readiness – Part 1 and Part 2
Round 88: PapaP for his two-part article: The $100 Homestead Grain Winnower. It was posted on May 30th, 2020 and May 31st, 2020
Round 89: Lisa for Adventures in Central Texas Gardening, which was posted on July 21, 2020 (Part 1), and on July 22, 2020 (Part 2).
Round 90: A Advocate, for his article Finishing an 80% AR Lower Receiver. It was posted in three parts on September 18-19-20, 2020. Links: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
Round 91: A.D.C. for: Kitting Out The Kalashnikov which ran in four parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 — posted November 5-8, 2020.
Round 92: Steve A. for: Simple Heat Treating for a High Carbon Steel Knife Blade — posted in two parts on January 19th and 20th, 2021. Links: Part 1 and Part 2.
Round 93: J.T. for Volume Vegetable Gardening. (Links: Part 1 and Part 2.) It was posted on March 16th and 17th, 2021.
Round 94: K.B., MD, for Medical Emergency Sheets., which was posted in four parts from April 14 to 17, 2021. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.)
Round 95: S.B. for An Electric Car for TEOTWAWKI? (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) posted on June 3-4-5, 2021.
Round 96: Mike V., for Combating Sheep Flock Parasites Part 1, and Part 2, posted on August 14-15, 2021.
Round 97: Anthony B., for Progressive Reloading for Beginners, posted on November 24, 2021.
Round 98: J.M., for An Ultralight Get Home Bag ( Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5), posted January 18-22, 2022.
Round 99: SaraSue, for Shortages, a 7-Year Food Supply, and Beating Inflation – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 which was posted February 22-25, 2022.
Round 100: Steve A. for Lathe-Cutting Screw Threads – Part 1 and Part 2 which was posted on May 3 &4, 2022.
Round 101: J.M., for Basic Electronic Repair – Part 1 and Part 2, posted July 29 & 30, 2022.
Round 102: Always Learning, for Fire Preparedness and Firefighting – Part 1 and Part 2, which was posted on August 5-6, 2022.
Round 103: St. Funogas, for My Ten-Day Test-My-Preps Adventure Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. which was posted on October 13-17 2022.
Round 104: A Grateful Mechanic, for Career Change to a Durable Trade which was posted on January 24, 2023.
Round 105: Greg X., for Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location. (Posted March 14-16, 2023. See: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.)
Round 106: G.F., for: Pest Control for Keeping a Bug-Free Home. (Posted April 26-27, 2023. See: Part 1 and Part 2.)
Round 107: PrepperDoc, for: Assembling a Stealth Prepper Group, posted on July 18-19. 2023. See: Part 1, and Part 2.
Round 108: Reelfisherman, for: Vintage Car Repair Part 1 and Part 2, posted on August 29 and 30, 2023.
Round 109: SaraSue, for: Homesteading – A Cautionary Tale, posted on November 10-11-12, 2023. See: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
Round 110: A.F., for Winter Plumbing Preparedness, posted on January 13-14, 2024. See: Part 1 and Part 2.
Round 111: E.R., for A Water System Adventure, posted February 15-16, 2024. (See Part 1 and Part 2.)
Round 112: R.B., for Tree Planting and Care, posted on May 21, 2024.
Round 113: A.F., for: Stocking Up: OTC Medications Part 1 and Part 2, posted on July 9-10, 2024.
Round 114: N.C., for Basic Sewing: Cloning Clothes. (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, posted August 9-11, 2024.)
Round 115: Soyez Ferme, for: Hurricane Milton After Action Review. See: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, posted on October 23-24-25, 2024.
Round 116: Rural Pharmacist, for Prescription Drug Preparedness, (Part 1 and Part 2.) posted on December 24th and 25th, 2024
Round 117: M.B., for: 3D-Printed Gun Components, posted March 11-16. See: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6.)
Round 118: R.T. for: The Repair Teardown. See Part 1 and Part 2. It was posted April 12-13, 2025.
Round 119: A.F. for Preps Starter Kits for Reluctant Families. See: Part 1 and Part 2. It was posted July 8-9, 2025.
Round 120: AppComms, for Memoirs of a Disaster Survivor. (See: Part 1 and Part 2.) It was posted August 1-2, 2025.
Round 121: The Chemical Engineer, for Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge. See: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8. It was posted October 20-27, 2025.
Round 122: A.F., for Introducing Your Community to Emergency Preparedness. It was posted January 8-10, 2026. See: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.)
Round 123: Lodge Pole, for Raising, Hunting, and Harvesting Animals. It was posted Feburary 11-16, 2026. See: (See: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6.)
Round 124: SaraSue, for Small Farm Dairy Cattle. It was posted in five parts on May 12-16, 2026. (See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.)