The Knoxville Writers’ Guild is thrilled to announce submissions are being accepted now through midnight, Tuesday, June 30 for its 2015 writing contest.

More than $1,000 in prizes are being offered in six different categories, including the Libba Moore Gray Award for Poetry, the KWG Award for Creative Nonfiction, the KWG Award for Genre Fiction, the Young Writers’ Prize and the Leslie Garrett Award for Literary Fiction.

“Every year the contest receives many submissions from out-of-state writers, which enhance the prestige of and esteem for our contest and the fine writers of Knoxville and East Tennessee,” 2015 KWG president, Donna Kapa, said.

“This year’s contest chair, Jeff Shoffner, has reached out to the membership with a survey, as well as personal emails and phone calls to ensure the interests the Knoxville Writers’ Guild are represented by the contest categories and organization.”

Judges will be announced shortly. Please see the below General Contest Guidelines, followed by Specific Contest Guidelines.

Questions should be sent to contest@knoxvillewritersguild.org.

For more information, please visit www.knoxvillewritersguild.org/contest.

 

General Contest Guidelines

The following guidelines apply to all KWG contests. See specific guidelines under each contest heading for individual exceptions or additions. Contestants may submit work through midnight, June 30, 2015.

Note: Failure to adhere to any rule renders your entry subject to rejection with forfeiture of contest entry fee. Please read the rules carefully; they help us process entries more efficiently and fairly.

  1. Contests are open to all individuals above the age of 18 with the following exceptions: Members of the KWG board of directors and contests committee may not submit entries to KWG competitions. Previous first prizewinners are barred from the contest they won for one year. Also, see Specific Guidelines under Young Writers Prize for exceptions to that contest.
  2. Use black type on a white page with 12 point Times New Roman or Courier fonts. Set your margins to one inch, and do not justify.
  3. Contestants may enter more than one contest simultaneously. Additionally, contestants may enter a single contest more than once, with the exclusion of the Leslie Garrett Award for Literary Fiction. A separate entry fee is required for each submission.
  4. All submissions must be emailed before midnight Eastern Standard Time on June 30, 2015. No printed copies will be accepted this year. Electronic versions only.
  5. You can submit entries in two ways.

Fill out the form at knoxvillewritersguild.org/contest/entry, once for each entry.

OR

Send a separate email for each entry to contest@knoxvillewritersguild.org, with the subject line formatted as follows:

Category, Entry Title (as it appears below)

The email body should also indicate which contest you are entering and should include the following:

-Author name

-Mailing address

-Phone number

-Payment method and reference (check number or PayPal confirmation number).

-Word count, poem count, or estimated length as dictated by category-specific guidelines below.

We are accepting only electronic submissions in order to process entries in a more efficient and standardized manner. Your local library or copy center should be able to help you convert your printed document to an electronic format for emailing.

  1. Entries must be submitted through the entry form on www.knoxvillewritersguild.org or as email attachments in any reasonable electronic format. Likely candidates include rtf, plain text, pdf, and various flavors of Word or OpenOffice. The title of your attachment should match the title of your submission. You should receive an automated email confirmation that we’ve received your entry. Please send a follow-up inquiry if you don’t.
  2. Do not put your name, pen name or any other identifying information on the entries themselves. Failure to follow this rule will result in rejection of your entry and forfeiture of your entry fee.
  3. Do not submit previously published works.
  4. See below for descriptions of individual contests, deadlines, and any specific rules for a particular contest.
  5. Except for the Leslie Garrett Award for Literary Fiction and the Young Writers category, contests charge a $20 entry fee for nonmembers and $10 for Guild members. The Young Writers category charges a reduced fee of $5 per entry.

Guild membership is $30 per year; $15 for students. To join, make checks payable to KWG or pay by credit card at www.knoxvillewritersguild.org.

  1. Note: You can pay entry fees in two ways: either by personal check to the address below or by credit card via PayPal at www.knoxvillewritersguild.org.

If you opt to pay by check, include the title of your entry in the memo line and the check number in your entry email.

Payments by check should be sent to:

(Name of Contest)
Awards Office
The Knoxville Writers’ Guild
P.O. Box 10326
Knoxville, TN 37939

  1. The following prizes will be awarded for each category: First Prize – $100, Second Prize – $50, Third Prize – $25.
  2. KWG reserves the right to award only one prize if there are insufficient entries in a given category.
  3. No one person may win multiple prizes in a single category.
  4. KWG reserves publishing rights and electronic rights for one year from the date winners are announced. Afterwards, all rights revert to the author.
  5. Winners and runners-up will be announced on the KWG website.
  6. A collection of winning contest entries will be published later in the year.

Specific Contest Guidelines

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Leslie Garrett Award for Literary Fiction

In memory of the late Knoxville author, Leslie Garrett.
Fee: There is no fee for entering this contest.
Specific Guidelines:

  1. Entry consists of one short story totaling no more than 3,000 words, double spaced.
  2. Only one entry per contestant.
  3. See General Guidelines

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The KWG Award for Novel Excerpt

Send us something that makes us want to read more.
Fee: $10 for KWG members; $20 for nonmembers.
Specific Guidelines:

  1. Entry consists of typed, double-spaced novel excerpt or novella totaling no more than 10,000 words.
  2. Please include the word count on the cover sheet. See General Guidelines.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Libba Moore Gray Award for Poetry

In memory of Libba Moore Gray, noted local author, actress and educator.

Fee: $10 for KWG members; $20 for nonmembers.
Specific Guidelines:

  1. Entry consists of no more than three typed poems totaling 100 lines or fewer. If more than one poem is entered, poems will be judged as a collection.
  2. There are no restrictions as far as style, content or spacing.
  3. See General Guidelines.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The KWG Award for Creative Nonfiction

Creative nonfiction is the truth as you know it; the telling of a true story using the tools of fiction. However, names of people and places can be changed.
Fee: $10 for KWG members; $20 for nonmembers.
Specific Guidelines:

  1. Entry consists of one typed, double-spaced nonfiction essay of no more than 3,000 words.
  2. See General Guidelines.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The KWG Award for Genre Fiction

Fee: $10 for KWG members; $20 for nonmembers.
Specific Guidelines:

  1. Entry consists of one short story in genre style (e.g. romance, mystery, science fiction, etc.) totaling no more than 3,000 words, double-spaced.
  2. See General Guidelines.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Young Writers Prize

Fee: $5
Specific Guidelines:

  1. Entry consists of:

– one short story or stand-alone novel excerpt totaling no more than 3,000 words, double-spaced.

OR

-no more than three typed poems totaling 100 lines or fewer with no restrictions as far as style, content or spacing.  Poems will be judged as a collection.

  1. Open to all high school students, grades 9 through 12, of the Greater Knoxville area of East Tennessee. No identifying information on stories themselves.
  2. If you are a teacher or school submitting entries on behalf of your students, please add the following in the email body (in addition to the information required by the General Guidelines):

-School name

-School address

-School phone number

  1. Please contact KWG President Donna Kapa if your school or club needs any additional information for bookkeeping or payment purposes.

For more information, contact:

Adria Amos

Publicist

Knoxville Writers’ Guild

865-214-7650

AdriaAmosKWG@gmail.com

For more information, please visit www.knoxvillewritersguild.org/contest.