Golden Nib Writing Contest 2009

Categories and subject matter: Entries will be accepted on any subject the poet or author so chooses, in the categories of Fiction, Non-fiction and Poetry.

Tiers and Eligibility: In the First Tier, entries must be submitted by geographical region, and will be judged within the VWC Chapter serving that region. If there is no active Chapter serving one’s geographic region, entries are to be submitted to the Chapter nearest the entrant. (For contact information and region details, see this page.) Each participating Chapter will accept entries from (1) VWC members who are members of that Chapter, (2) writers who belong to the Chapter but have not yet joined the VWC, (3) VWC members who are not members of that Chapter but who live closer to that Chapter than any other, and (4) writers who, as part of the process of entering the contest, submit a membership application to VWC or a Chapter.

At the Second Tier, first tier winners in each category will compete against one another. No entries will be accepted from the general membership at this tier. Each Chapter president will forward only the winning entry in the First Tier (Chapter) competition, in each of the three categories. Winners of a First Tier winning entry will not be eligible for, or forwarded to, the state-wide Second Tier competition unless they are members of the VWC, or submit a VWC application and the annual VWC dues of $30 with their winning entry. It is the responsibility of each Chapter president to verify VWC or Chapter membership of all submissions to the First Tier competition, and verify VWC membership of winning entries before forwarding them for the state-wide competition. With submissions from ten Chapters, only 30 entries will be forwarded for the state-wide competition--ten entries total per category, one entry per category and Chapter.

Fees: There is no fee for entering the contest; however, those writers joining the VWC as part of the contest must submit annual VWC dues of $30 with their completed application and their entry. Those who join a Chapter must pay the customary dues for that Chapter.

Awards: Winners at both levels will be reported in The Virginia Writer or the email newsletter, or both, and in press releases issued by the VWC. Chapters are responsible for first-tier awards and presentation. Second-tier winners will be announced at the VWC Annual Meeting in November (details forthcoming). Second-tier prizes are: 1st Place, $100.00; 2nd Place, $50.00; and 3rd Place, $25.00.

Deadlines: First Tier contest deadlines will be established independently by each of the ten Chapters. For the Second Tier contest, Chapter presidents must mail qualifying First Tier winning entries to

H. Gregory Mitchell
2nd Vice President
P.O. Box 3451
Fredericksburg, VA 22402-3451

not later than Friday, 4 September 2009. Entries must be received by this date to be eligible.

Official Rules

1. Manuscripts must be the original, unpublished work of the entrant, and must not have won at any level in any other competition.

2. Entrants may submit not more than one entry per category of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

3. Fiction and non-fiction entries must be not longer than 3,000 words. Poetry entries must be not longer than 40 lines.

4. Format:

a. Detachable cover sheet including author’s name, address, telephone number, email address (if available), category (fiction, non-fiction, poetry), and title.
b. All other pages must show contest category, title and page number in the header. If the author’s name appears on any page of the manuscript other than the cover sheet, the entry will be disqualified.
c. Prose (fiction and non-fiction) manuscripts must be printed in a plain, legible font, such as Times New Roman, 12-pitch, double-spaced on 8½ by 11-inch white paper with one-inch margins top, bottom and left, and a ragged right margin.
d. Poetry manuscripts must be printed in a plain, legible font, such as Times New Roman, 12-pitch or larger, on 8 ½ by 11-inch white paper with one-inch margins top and bottom.
e. No hand-written manuscripts will be accepted.

For clarification of any of the above, please contact Greg Mitchell by e-mail or telephone: 540-786-2859.