Writers Contests - Houston Writers Guild
Click here for Spring 2010 Contests Winners!
Click here for Fall 2009 Contests Winners!
NDEADLINE - September 3, 2010
Fall Contest
Novel/Screenplay
By Genre
$2,000 TOTAL PRIZES
Six First Prizes
$300 for first place in each genre
Plus $200 more for the
Cream of the Crop: Total-- $500
(no ties)
1. Mystery/Thriller
2. Mainstream/Upmarket/Woman’s Fiction
3. Romance
4. Narrative Nonfiction
5. Action/Adventure/ Sci-fi
6. Young Adult (any genre)
$25 per entry
Add a second entry for $15
No membership requirements
First 12 pages your Novel or Screenplay
Click here for Entry Blank
You May Send Payment by PayPal
GENERAL RULES APPLY TO ALL ENTRIES
1. New rule: Even though you won first place in a previous contest, you may enter this contest with a different novel.
2. 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.
3. YOU MAY SEND MORE THAN ONE ENTRY.
4. All entries must be in English.
5. All entries in the Novel & Screenplay Contest must be from unpublished writers who are not under contract to any publisher anywhere or receive royalties for a published novel or screenplay that they did not pay to have printed. Published short story writers may enter new, unpublished novel or screenplay manuscripts. All entries must not have been published anywhere by anyone (royalty paying publisher or self-published) in whole or in part.
6. Do not send the entire manuscript. Send the first 12 pages only.
7. SEND TWO (2) COPIES OF EACH ENTRY. Failure to do so may disqualify your entry.
8. Leave your name off the MS. Use the "header" to install like this:
Title of your novel/Genre (Insert page # on right)
9. Your name should only appear on the cover page. One cover page is sufficient if you detail all your entries on it.
10. Novels require a brief synopsis, no more that one page single-spaced (two copies). Less is better. Give us a two-sentence dramatic statement that explains the direct line of action of your main character. State your genre. The synopsis will be judged. Work on it! Send two copies of the one page single-spaced synopsis.
11. The title counts as part of the scoring. The title should be exciting.
12. 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. The title page does not count as a page.
13. Margins should be at least 1 inch (22-24 lines per page).
14. Pages must be numbered.
15. Chapter should start 1/3 of the way down the page. Failure to do will cost you points.
16. You may resubmit any novel that has not won first place in a previous contest of ours. If you placed 2nd, 3rd, etc., you may re-enter the same novel, but bring it up to snuff.
17. No staples. Paper clips only.
18. We cannot accept e-mail attachments. Our poor old computer is already overloaded.
19. We can accept payment through PayPal on our Entry Blank page on this website.
20. Prize money for any category will be divided among tie winners for that category and prize.
HINT! The most ignored rule in contests was failure to send TWO (2) copies. If you send less than two (2) copies, your entry will be discarded, but NOT your check! Look over your entry very carefully before sealing the envelope.
Click here for Entry Blank
You May Send Payment by PayPal
Winners of the screenplay-novel contest will be announced at the pre-conference party and all winners will be announced at the workshop and posted to this website.
Scored manuscripts will be returned to Workshop attendees. Other manuscripts will receive score sheets from judges if SASE is provided with entry.
Map to Conference Workshop Location
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HOUSTON WRITERS GUILD
12523 Folkcrest Way :: Stafford, TX :: USA :: 77477
