AWW Contest Rules & Entry Info
Guidelines for the AWW "Good Read" Fiction Book Competition and the AWW "Truth to Tell" Non-Fiction Book Competition
We are more interested in a good story well told and a point well made than in attempts to sound literary or poetic. Send us your best, simplest work. Make us love or hate your characters, believe or disbelieve your thesis, by your excellent prose composition. Get us involved in the narrative, or interested in the facts, by moving us skillfully from point A to point B.
AWW is a resource for creative women. We want to encourage work by, for and about women, but stories about men will not be overlooked. Just be sure that your viewpoint rings true and the experiences you portray are authentic to the character and setting. Be natural.
Do not use special script for emphasis. Read rules for the use of italics and do not use italics for simple emphasis. Do not overuse the exclamation point. Books will be judged on objective standards and demerits will be assigned for: word repetition, incorrect grammar and syntax, incorrect punctuation, improper formatting of paragraphs, weak characterizations, contradictory or illogical plot development, unbelievable or inconsistent setting. It will also be judged subjectively by our editors, as nearly as possible to mimic the experience of a new enthusiastic reader who has picked your book off the shelf and is embarking on the adventure of involvement in the world you have created. What stops, bores, or confuses that reader/editor will stop, bore, and confuse a larger audience.
Read the instructions carefully and submit accordingly. Inattention to detail can result in disqualification. The editors of AWW are themselves contest entrants (and occasional winners) and are well acquainted with the frustrations of getting it wrong and kicking oneself for having gotten it wrong. Please, read. For questions, email us.
Important: Contestants should be 18 or older. Submitting your entry certifies that you are eligible, and that all work submitted is your own. Entry fees are non-refundable and are payable only through PayPal. Judge's decisions are final.
Instructions for submissions to the AWW Book Competition:
1. Entry fee is $40.00 for all submissions and includes a thorough, thoughtful critique with up to ten pages of line editing comments and corrections. You will be given an opinion and suggestions about character and plot development/ logic and rationale.
You then have the option to resubmit the entire book, having applied changes based on our comments and suggestions. This resubmission will be accompanied by a $20 reading fee and represents your final entry into the competition.Entries submitted initially for critique will be judged if not resubmitted. Resubmissions will be judged as the final entry in place of the original entry, with no exceptions. Payments must be made via PayPal (specify on your payment if the entry is fiction (Good Read) or non-fiction (Truth to Tell):
2.YOU MUST SUBMIT ONLY THE FIRST 75 PAGES OF YOUR BOOK. You must also send a detailed, chapter-by-chapter plot synopsis for the entire book; the synopsis can be up to two single-spaced pages.
3. You must email your work to the editor as a Microsoft Word document (the file extension should be .doc), font size 12 points, Times New Roman, 1.5 line spacing. (Send emails to awomanswrite (a) yahoo.com)
4. All work must have the author's last name at the top left and page numbers on the top right of every page.
5. All work must be accompanied by a one-page cover letter that includes the statement: "I understand and agree to comply with all contest rules and instructions." The letter must also include a brief biography of the author. (The cover letter and chapter-by-chapter synopsis may be separate document files, but the first 75 pages of the book must be submitted in a single document file.)
6. All submissions should include the author's full name, mailing address, phone number, email address, title of work, and total word count. We will use the email address provided to notify entrants of any extensions or changes and to contact winners at the end of the contest. Please be sure to notify us of any changes in your contact information.
7. Do NOT include a table of contents for the Good Read competition. DO include a Table of Contents for the Truth to Tell competition.
8. Do not include illustrations.
9. Do not use special fonts.
10. Absolutely no pornography or any material that is intentionally degrading to any group will be accepted. Keep four-letter words to a minimum -- our staff is easily embarrassed.
11. Denote a break in action with an extra line break. Do not use lines, asterisks or other special marks.
12. Denote a chapter ending by skipping to the next page and beginning the new chapter at the top of that page.
13. A book, for purposes of this competition, should be at least 150 pages long, or at least 60,000 words.
14. Entries to the Good Read competition must be sent no later than November 30 annually.
15. Entries to the Truth to Tell competition must be sent no later than August 31 annually.
16. Critiques will be sent by email within one month of receipt of work.
17. Prize winner will be informed no later than 45 days from the closing date of the competition.
18. If an entry is considered in the final judging process, you may be asked to submit the complete novel electronically. Judges will advise you if this is the case. (Failure to submit the complete book on request within one week is grounds for disqualification.)
Competition Prizes
GOOD READ: One award of $500.00 will be awarded to the fiction book judged best by our judges. Winner will also receive a certificate and notification on the AWW website.
TRUTH TO TELL: One award of $300 will be awarded to the non-fiction book judged best by our judges in the initial (2010-11 year) – prize may increase based on response.
Editors may at their discretion award an "Honorable Distinction Prize" to include a certificate and notification on the AWW website.Note: In the event that fewer than 13 entries are received for either competition, the prize award may be reduced according to fees received.