PUB: essay contest

9th Annual FundsforWriters Essay Contest

Co-sponsored by Literary Database

Toss the Writer's Market. Target and Time your submissions with LITERARY DATABASE. At a glance, you’ll know when, where and how to submit your short stories, essays, and poetry. Literary Database has hot links to each publication’s website. It’s designed by writers, for writers.

Theme for 2010: "When Writing Made a Difference"

We want to know how someone's words made a difference. You could address another author of years long past, whose writing affected you, a classroom or an entire population. You might talk about a mentor's writing. Maybe your writing impacted someone else and altered one person's life or the lives of thousands. Did your writing finally sell and pay off the wolf at the door or send you on a grand retreat or vacation? Did your writing impact a child, a senior, a lover, a friend, or a complete stranger?

Here and now or sometime in the past? You or another author? Did you read the words or write the words that made a difference? You can take this topic and spin it in all sorts of directions, but the point we want to make is that words impact people. Let's hear your take on it.

We offer the same two categories - the $5 FEE category and the NO FEE category. Many writers do not believe in paying while others have no contrary opinion about an entry fee. Here we offer both so everyone has a choice. This way no one has an excuse not to submit.

Remember...this is an essay, a nonfiction entry. No fiction, no poetry. Entries are welcome from any race, religion, gender, nationality or other diverse group. Prize money will be forwarded via PayPal or check. (NOTE: If outside the US, we refuse to spend more than reasonable postage to send it to you. No wires.)

Prizes:

$5 ENTRY FEE Category

  • First Place - $300

  • Second Place - $100

  • Third Place - $50

NO ENTRY FEE Category

  • First Place - $50

  • Second Place - $30

  • Third Place - $20

Our Gold Sponsors:

Are you one of those people who never submits your writing for publication because you think it isn't good enough? What if there were someone you could show it to — someone who would be both objective judge and supporter? I'm Nancy Wick, a Seattle-based writer, editor and writing coach. Send me your manuscript for a developmental edit that will help you make the next draft better or a copyedit that will polish a finished piece for submission. Let me be your partner in prose.   E-mail: wicknb@juno.com" target="_blank"> wicknb@juno.com / Website: www.enlightenededits.com

Contest Guidelines:

What to Put In/On your Email Submission:

  1. The title of the essay (do NOT use the theme, "When Writing Made a Difference" as your title)
  2. Your name.
  3. Your email address.
  4. Note Entry Fee or No Entry Fee category.
  5. The word count.
  6. The essay itself in the body.

Guidelines:

  • Not to exceed 750 words.
  • Essay/nonfiction only. NO fiction, poetry or children's writing.
  • Receipt deadline Midnight (Eastern Time), October 31, 2010.
  • Email entry to hope@fundsforwriters.com. (No more fax and snail mail submissions.)
  • No attachments to emails. Embed in the email itself. (Viruses are nasty creatures.)
  • Entry fee $5 or ZERO dollars. Payable via PayPal or check. Put name, email address and essay title with check if you send via mail.
  • Note ENTRY FEE or NO ENTRY FEE on your submission. 
  • Same piece cannot be submitted in both ENTRY FEE and NO ENTRY FEE categories.
  • Must be original and unpublished.
  • Must be in English but entries accepted internationally. Entry fees must be in US dollars.
  • No limit to the number of submissions.
  • All writers must be 18 or older.
  • Do not bother with SASE for winners lists. Winners posted on website and in newsletters.
  • Single or double-spaced accepted.
  • Winners and public notified by December 1, 2010.
  • Winners published in December 5, 2010 FundsforWriters newsletters.
  • Other submissions will be considered for publication, but will be paid the standard rate of $45 if selected.
  • Final determination of winners is not negotiable.
  • You do NOT have to be a FundsforWriters reader to enter the contest.
  • You will not be added to any sort of mailing list.

 

I am paying $5 for the ENTRY FEE category and will include my PayPal email address on my entry to aid identification or entry with entry fee.

 

Direct any additional questions to Hope Clark at hope@fundsforwriters.com . Checks can be mailed to: C. Hope Clark, c/o FundsforWriters.com, 140A Amicks Ferry Road, Box 4, Chapin, SC 29036

 

FEEL FREE TO USE THE FOLLOWING ON YOUR WEBSITE, BLOG OR NEWSLETTER.

9TH ANNUAL FUNDSFORWRITERS ESSAY CONTEST

FundsforWriters.com and Literary Database team up to co-sponsor the 9th Annual FundsforWriters Essay Contest. Theme: Writing that made a difference. Both entry fee and no entry fee categories. First place winner receives $300. Six awards given. Limit 750 words. Deadline October 31, 2010. Winners announced December 1, 2010.  www.fundsforwriters.com/annualcontest.htm / www.literarydatabase.com

 

Read our past winners . . .

2009 WINNERS - Theme: Invisible Writing

2008 WINNERS - Choice of two topics. Theme: The Best Advice I Ever Had

2007 WINNERS - Choice of two topics. Theme: Make Us Want to Be You

2006 WINNERS - Choice of four themes on mentoring and grants

2005 WINNERS - Theme: They Actually Paid Me To Write

via fundsforwriters.com