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The 2012 Adventure Writers' Competition
$1,000 grand prize: The Grandmaster Award
Unpublished writers in the adventure genre can vie to be the next Clive Cussler by submitting their original fiction manuscripts for a chance at the $1000 grand prize
The Grandmaster Award
Announcement:
We are pleased to announce the 2012 Adventure Writer’s Competition. This will be the third competition since the announcement of the format at the 2007 Clive Cussler Collector’s Society Convention in Charleston, South Carolina. Since that event, two winners have been crowned: the 2008 winner was Jeff Edwards for his manuscript The Seventh Angel, and the 2010 winner was Ian Kharitonov for his manuscript The Russian Renaissance. A bonus feature to the 2012 Competition is the addition of a Facebook page where news of the current competition, insight to authors and prior competitions, and questions can be addressed for a broader audience. Kerry Frey, our Director of the Adventure Writer’s Competition, will administer the site.Good luck to all participants – and in the words of the Grandmaster himself Clive Cussler – Here’s to Adventure!
Competition Rules:
Manuscripts will be accepted beginning October 1, 2011. The competition deadline is January 1, 2012 with a maximum of 25 entries/manuscripts. The competition will be closed with the receipt of the 25th manuscript.Eligibility:
(a) Participants must be 18 years of age by October 1, 2011.
(b) The Adventure Writers' Competition is open only to unpublished writers.*
An “unpublished writer" is defined as: an author whose fictional work has not appeared in book, magazine, or periodical format via a Fortune 500 recognized publishing firm. Self-published/Vanity Press authors are eligible as long as their work has not appeared in any of the formats listed above.
(c) Clive Cussler Collectors Society' Officers, Panel Judges, and their families/relatives are not eligible for the contest.
Rules & Submittal Requirements:
(a) Full-length submittals must be original and cannot include characters from another authors' work - i.e. fan-fiction is not allowed.
(b) The length of the manuscript shall not exceed 130K words or less than 50K words.
(c) Format: 12 pt.- Times New Roman font, paginated and double-spaced with one-inch margins, and numbered pages.
(d) Writers may only submit one manuscript.
(e) Submitted manuscripts must be of the action-adventure genre. The story must have action and conflict, and the reader must identify with the character(s) in order to draw them into the plot. Fantasy and Science Fiction entries will not be accepted.
(f) The deadline of the competition is January 1, 2012.
(g) Attendance to the Clive Cussler Collector's Society Convention is not required to claim the Grand Prize.
(h) A minimum of 10 entries/manuscripts will need to be submitted by the deadline for this competition to take place, with a maximum of 25 entries/manuscripts.
Judging:
The first 25 submitted manuscripts (which meet the requirements of the competition) will be judged by a select panel composed of recognized authors and members from the Clive Cussler Collectors Society. The manuscripts’ opening chapters will also be posted on the competition’s Facebook page for fans to vote for their favorite Top 5. Voters will do this by hitting the “like button”. The panel members input will be weighted heavier than the votes from the Facebook site. From a compellation of these votes, the 25 will be down-selected to the top three finalists.
Competitors' Rights:
(a) By submitting a manuscript to the competition, the author (i) certifies their eligibility per the contest eligibility rules, (ii) grants the Society the right to publish excerpts on the web site, Facebook page, and in conference material, (iii) grants the Society the right to forward the winning manuscript to participating Literary agents for consideration, (iv) represents or warrants their work to be original and to have not used licensed material owned by someone else - thus being libelous, or infringing or violating the rights of any third parties, (v) and agrees to not submit their work to any other publisher, competition or self-publish until notified of their elimination from the contest.
(b) By entering this competition, the author (i) acknowledges the competition will be conducted in good-faith by members of the Clive Cussler Collectors Society acting as judges and overseers of the process, and (ii) agrees to not hold the Society responsible for violating copyright infringements both during and beyond the competition.
The Prize:
(a) The Clive Cussler Award winner will receive a $1000 cash prize and additional amenities to be named at a later date.
(b) The winner will be announced at the 2012 Clive Cussler Collector's Society Convention. The location and date of the event will be announced at a later time.
(c) Dirk Cussler will select the winner from the top finalists.
How to Enter:
Information on the contest can be found on the Adventure Writer’s Competition Facebook page or solicited through Kerry Frey - c/o the Clive Cussler Collectors Society.