Contest: Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes (Deadline Nov. 1)

Overview and Current Guidelines
2008 Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes

The Bread Loaf Writers' Conference of Middlebury College sponsors the Bakeless Literary Publication Prizes, an annual book series competition for new authors of literary works in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The Bakeless Prizes, named for Middlebury College supporter Katharine Bakeless Nason, were established in order to support emerging writers. Winners of the Bakeless Prizes will have their book-length manuscripts published by Houghton Mifflin in its distinguished Mariner Original Paperback line. In addition to the publication prize each winner will be awarded a fellowship to attend the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference in August 2009. No judge is mandated to pick a winner if he or she does not deem the finalist manuscripts ready for publication.

Judges for the year 2008 Prizes: Antonya Nelson, fiction; Tom Bissell, creative nonfiction; Eavan Boland, poetry.

Rules of Eligibility
The Bakeless Prizes require that poetry manuscripts contain at least 50 pages of text; fiction, which includes novels and short-fiction collections, 150-450; creative nonfiction, 150-300.

The competition welcomes manuscripts from all authors, including non-US citizens, writing in English who have not yet published a book in their entry's genre. Scholarly, critical, and historical works will not be considered in the creative nonfiction category. Manuscripts may contain stories, poems, chapters, and essays that have already been published individually in magazines, anthologies, and periodicals, but the manuscript itself cannot have been published previously as a whole, commercially or privately. Multiple submissions of manuscripts are allowed but contestants are asked to notify the contest coordinator immediately if a manuscript has been accepted for publication elsewhere.

Guidelines for Manuscripts
Please observe the following standards when submitting manuscripts:

Typed and double-spaced pages on letter-size (8 1/2 x 11) paper
Poetry manuscripts may be single-spaced
Good-quality photocopied or letter-quality printed manuscripts are acceptable.
Include 2 cover pages: one containing the author's name, address, Phone number, manuscript title, and genre, the other containing only title and genre.
The author's name must not appear on any page of the manuscript, except for memoir.
Do not include an author's note or biographical information.
Do not include a publication acknowledgments page.
Revisions and additions will not be accepted once manuscripts have been received.
The above guidelines will help to insure efficient handling of the manuscripts as well as the process of judging them anonymously. In the case of a manuscript not conforming with the above guidelines, the manuscript becomes ineligible for consideration and the entry fee will be returned.

Requirements for Submission
Send one copy of each submission.
Include: a $10 processing fee for each submission, payable to Middlebury College; a self-addressed postage-paid postcard for confirmation of manuscript receipt; an SASE for receiving announcement of the judges' decisions. Manuscripts, even if accompanied by an SASE, cannot be returned.

Dates for Submission and Notification
Manuscript submissions accepted September 15 to November 1, 2007.
Manuscripts received with postmarks after November 1 cannot be considered.
Winners announced in May, 2008.

Please send manuscripts to
Mr. Ian Pounds, contest coordinator
The Bakeless Contest
c/o Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
Middlebury College
Middlebury VT 05753
E-mail: bakeless@middlebury.edu
Phone: 802 443-2018