Contest: William Saroyan Society (Deadline March 15)

The William Saroyan Centennial Prizes
for Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Drama

The William Saroyan Society and The San Joaquin Valley Writing Project announce the first William Saroyan Centennial Prizes for original short fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama for adults, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Saroyan’s birth. Undergraduate students are not eligible. Winning writers will receive a $500 prize, publication in the journal In the Grove, and inclusion in the Saroyan Archive at the Fresno County Library. Judging will be blind. The fiction contest’s finalists will be judged by Steve Yarbrough, author of Visible Spirits, The Oxygen Man, The End of California and other novels and short story collections. The creative nonfiction and drama contests’ judges will be announced later. Information on the prizes, and announcement of the winners and finalists, may be found on the Society’s website: www.williamsaroyansociety.org.

Deadline: March 15, 2008. Mail paginated wordprocessed manuscript with 2 title pages--one with title and genre only, and the other with title, genre, and contact information (author’s name, email address, phone and address). No name or other information that would identify the writer may appear on any page of the manuscript. Include a $15.00 reading fee by check or money order, payable to The Saroyan Society. Mail to Megan Bohigian, The Saroyan Centennial Prize, 742 E. Home Ave., Fresno, CA 93728-1811. Indicate which contest the entry is for on the outside of the envelope. Writers may submit more than one story, essay, or play, but each must be mailed separately with its own reading fee. Manuscripts will not be returned. Include a SASE for list of winners and finalists. Failure to meet the requirements of the guidelines will result in disqualification.

Guidelines:
Fiction: Original, previously unpublished literary short story in English, 5-10 pages, double spaced and wordprocessed. There is not a theme, but stories should aspire to high literary standards. No genre pieces, pornography, or collaborations. The winner will receive a prize of $500, be published in the journal In the Grove, and be included in the Saroyan Archive at the Fresno County Public Library. A public reading will be scheduled as part of the Saroyan Society’s celebration of Saroyan’s birthday in August, 2008. Send paginated wordprocessed manuscript with 2 title pages--one with the title only, and one with contact information (author’s name, email address, phone and address). No name or other information that would identify the writer may appear on any page of the manuscript. Write “fiction contest” on the envelope. Include a $15.00 reading fee by check or money order, payable to The Saroyan Society. Mail to Megan Bohigian, The Saroyan Centennial Prize, 742 E. Home Ave., Fresno, CA 93728-1811. Writers may submit more than one story, essay, or play, but each entry must be mailed separately with a separate reading fee. Manuscripts will not be returned. Include a SASE for list of winners and finalists.

Creative Nonfiction: Original, previously unpublished literary essay in English, 5-10 pages, double spaced and wordprocessed. There is no specific theme, work should aspire to a high literary standard in subject matter and language. No collaborations. The winner will receive a prize of $500, be published in the journal In the Grove, and be included in the Saroyan Archive at the Fresno County Public Library. A public reading will be scheduled as part of the Saroyan Society’s celebration of Saroyan’s birthday in August, 2008. Mail paginated wordprocessed manuscript with 2 title pages--one with the title and genre only, and one with title, genre, and contact information (author’s name, email address, phone and address). No name or other information that would identify the writer may appear on any page of the manuscript. Write “nonfiction contest” on the envelope. Include a $15.00 reading fee by check or money order, payable to The Saroyan Society. Mail to Megan Bohigian, The Saroyan Centennial Prize, 742 E. Home Ave., Fresno, CA 93728-1811. Writers may submit in more than one category, or more than one story, essay, or play, but each entry must be mailed separately with a separate reading fee. Do not send original copies of manuscripts; they will not be returned. Include a SASE for list of winners and finalists.

Drama: This prize is for a short one-act play in English, 10-20 pages in length. The winner will receive a prize of $500, publication in the journal In the Grove, and inclusion in the Saroyan Archive at the Fresno County Public Library. A public reading will be scheduled as part of the Saroyan Society’s celebration of Saroyan’s birthday in August, 2008. Mail paginated wordprocessed manuscript with 2 title pages--one with the title and genre only, and one with title, genre and contact information (author’s name, email address, phone and address). No name or other information that would identify the writer may appear on any page of the manuscript. Write “one-act drama contest” on the envelope. Include a $15.00 reading fee by check or money order, payable to The Saroyan Society. Mail to Megan Bohigian, The Saroyan Centennial Prize, 742 E. Home Ave., Fresno, CA 93728-1811. Writers may submit in more than one category, or more than one story, essay, or play, but each entry must b e mailed separately with a separate reading fee. Do not send original copies of manuscripts; they will not be returned. Include a SASE for list of winners and finalists.