Writers Contests - Houston Writers Guild--Deadline July 30

Writers Contests - Houston Writers Guild

http://www.houstonwritersguild.org/Contests.htm

(visit website to get entry blank)

 

FALL 2009 WRITERS CONTESTS - $500 First Prize Novel!

Entry Deadline Postmark July 30, 2009 or Hand Delivery to Meeting

go to

http://www.houstonwritersguild.org/Contests.htm

 for Entry Blank

Contest entry Fees:

Novel: Members -- $15 for first entry, additional entries $12 each. 

Non Members -- $18 for first, additional $12 each.

Lifetime award Novel for published authors $20 each.

 

No nonmember surcharges on the following: 

Short stories  $10 per entry

Personal Essays, $10 per entry

Poems:  3 poems for $10, 6 poems: $15

Entry Blank

GENERAL RULES APPLY TO ALL ENTRIES

Contest #1: Novel - Any Genre 

Mainstream, Literary, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Historical, Saga, Mystery, Thriller, Spy, Action, Adventure, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Non-Fiction, Memoir

PRIZE: $500 FIRST PLACE

In case of ties, prize money will be divided among tie holders

First 10 pages your Novel, Book, or Screenplay + Synopsis

Contest entries in English only

Open to all unpublished and not under contract novelists & screenwriters anywhere in the world

 Submit TWO COPIES of the first 10 pages of your novel or screenplay and TWO COPIES of a 1 page synopsis - Do not send the entire manuscript!

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Contest #2 Short Story - Any Genre

PRIZE: $50 FIRST PLACE

Want to win? Make sure your story has a

Beginning, a Middle and an End and Opens With a Hook

Limit: 2500 WORDS (more or less)

Submit TWO COPIES

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Contest #3 Personal Essay

PRIZE: $30 FIRST PLACE

Inspire us! Make us Laugh or cry! Something Personal -- your opinion on any subject or a character study or a slice of life piece.

Limit: 1,500 words

Submit TWO COPIES

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Contest #4: Poetry

PRIZE: $30 FIRST PLACE

3 poems or 6 poems

Only one poem per page

Submit TWO COPIES each poem

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Contest #4: Lifetime Award Novel - Any Genre

PRIZE: $100 FIRST PLACE

The exception to the rule - Previously published novelist may enter

Rules applicable to novel Contest #1 apply

Submit TWO COPIES of each entry

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Financial Awards in each category will depend on a minimum of  ten entries in that category. Categories may be combined. Prize money for each category will be divided among tie winners for that category and prize.

Winners announced at workshop on September 12, 2009

Winners will also be posted to this website mid-October, 2009

Entry Blank

 

GENERAL RULES

You do not have to pay/attend the workshop in order to enter the contest. Membership is not required to attend workshop or enter contests; however, a $10 fee is charged non-members in addition to the workshop and/or contests entry fees (only one $10 fee for both workshop and all contests).

YOU MAY ENTER MORE THAN ONE CONTEST, AND YOU MAY SEND MORE THAN ONE ENTRY TO ANY CONTEST.

SEND TWO (2) COPIES

OF EACH ENTRY.

No limit to number of entries.

All entries must be in English and from unpublished writers anywhere in the world who are not under contract to any publisher anywhere EXCEPT entrants in the short story contests may have been previously published in periodicals, but the entry cannot have been published.

Unpublished writers who have previously won first place in a novel contest may submit another novel. Unpublished writers may resubmit any novel that has not won first place in a previous FBWG contest. Our judging factors have changed slightly and so have the judges.

If you are not attending the Workshop, include adequate postage on SASE for return of score sheet and manuscript.

You do not have to pay for the workshop in order to enter the contest.

Leave your name off the manuscript. Use the "header" to install like this: Great American Novel/Contest #1  (Insert page # on right). Substitute the title of your novel or other work for "Great American Novel." (The title counts as part of the scoring. It should not be banal.)

Your name should only appear on the cover page. One cover page is sufficient if you detail all your entries on it.

Novels should include a brief synopsis no more that one page, single-spaced (two copies). Less is better. Give us the two-sentence dramatic statement (see Dwight Swain, Techniques of the Selling Writer. State your genre. The synopsis is not judged. Send two copies of the one-page, single-spaced synopsis

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All entries must be double-spaced in Times New Roman or Courier 12-point font. Do not use a smaller font in order to crowd more words on the page as our judges are already half blind. Be sure to number the pages and include title in the header, but omit your name.  The title page does not count as a page.

Margins should be at least 1 inch (22-24 lines per page).

Pages must be numbered.

No staples. Paper clips only.

Discounts may be available for students and others. Send email to learn if you qualify:. (replace (at) with @)