This literary contest is named after the inspirational Cleopatra VII of Egypt, who was an author of works about cosmetics, pharmacology and weights & measures. Established and sponsored by author Stephanie Dray, the competition is aimed at discovering and mentoring aspiring young female writers. In particular, the award seeks to foster new voices with an appreciation for women’s history.

Prizes

  • Teen Category Winner:  Choice of $100 cash or a brand new E-reader, in addition to an award certificate, a month-long writing mentorship with Ms. Dray, a feature article in her blog and newsletter, and a critique from NY literary agent, Jennifer Schober of Spencerhill Associates.
  • Young Women Category Winner: Choice of $100 cash or a brand new E-reader, in addition to an award certificate, a month-long writing mentorship with Ms. Dray, a feature article in her blog and newsletter, and a critique from NY literary agent, Jennifer Schober of Spencerhill Associates.
  • Finalists:  Constructive feedback from publishing professionals, mention on Ms. Dray’s blog and newsletter, an award certificate, and a free book courtesy of contest sponsors.

Eligibility

  • Females between the ages of 13-18 for the teen category
  • Females between the ages of 19-22 for the young women’s category
  • This is an international contest, so writers outside of the US are eligible

Themes

“Selene’s life is a lesson to us that the trajectory of women’s equality hasn’t always been a forward march. In some ways the ancients were more advanced than we are today; there have been setbacks before and may be more in the future.” ~Stephanie Dray

This year’s submissions must echo themes explored in Ms. Dray’s novel, LILY OF THE NILE, including, but not limited to:

  • The world of Cleopatra Selene
  • Women in Ancient History
  • Female Spirituality
  • Gender Roles Then and Now
  • Survival vs. Honor
  • The True Meaning of Home
  • Courage & Ambition
  • Betrayal & Forgiveness
  • Secrets & Deceit

Contest Rules

  • Entrants retain all publication rights
  • No entry fee is required; no purchase required
  • Awards will be judged by published authors and publishing professionals
  1. Short stories, essays, poems, and excerpts from novels and novellas are welcome, in any genre, as long as they focus on one of the themes listed above.
  2. All contest rules must be observed and all eligibility requirements met.
  3. Entries must be original English works. Plagiarized work will not be tolerated in any form, and entries cannot have been previously published or purchased by professional media.
  4. Entries are limited in length to 2,000 words. No cover letter is necessary.
  5. Send entries to cleopatracontest at gmail dot com with the subject header: Contest Entry
  6. Entries must include the author’s legal name, a pen name (if any), valid mailing address, telephone number, email address, a word count, and the age of the author.
  7. Entries should be included in the body of the email; please don’t include any attachments.
  8. All announcements regarding this contest will be made via Ms. Dray’s newsletter, so entrants must join.
  9. Entries must be received no later than 11 PM EST March 1, 2011. Semi-Finalists announcements are tentatively scheduled for May 1, 2011 and Finalists on August 1, 2011.
  10. Only one entry per author and all entries must be the final version. No revisions will be accepted once the entry has been submitted.
  11. Entries will NOT be judged by Ms. Dray, but by other published authors and industry professionals. The decisions of the judges are entirely their own, and are final.
  12. Contest judges reserve right to close contest before the deadline if overwhelmed by too many entries, so get yours in early!
  13. This contest is void where prohibited by law.

Visit the website for details: http://www.stephaniedray.com/fun/literary-award/