Sharpen your pencils! It's time for the SIWC Writing Contest

Now that I’m not on the board anymore, I should enter this. Then again, email submissions are not allowed (honestly, is it SO hard???) and I don’t have a printer. Maybe I’ll make a web video of me typing it out on my old ’59 Hermes and get some juice out of it that way.

Wow, they’re getting specific with these. The deadline has a time as well as a date!

Deadline for entering is 4 p.m., Friday, September 10, 2010

1. The Surrey International Writers’ Conference Writing Contest is open to all writers 18 years and older. Young writers should check out Surrey Public Library’s Young Writers’ Contest.

2. Submissions from employees of the Surrey Continuing Education Department, instructors in the Surrey Creative Writing Diploma Program, and members of the Conference Board of Directors cannot be considered.

3. All submissions must contain original material, and may not have been previously published, accepted for publication, or have been a winner in another contest prior to the September 10th deadline.

4. Four Categories:

SIWC Storyteller’s Award: short stories 3,500 — 5,000 words

SIWC Non-fiction Award: maximum length 1,500 words

SIWC Poetry Award: one poem per submission: 40 lines max.

SIWC Writing For Young People Award: short stories, maximum length 1,500 words

5. Standard manuscript format — double-spaced, typed, one side only on white 8-1/2 x 11″ paper (letter-sized),each page to include title and page number only. No staples, please. Poetry may be single-spaced.

6. Blind submissions — the author’s name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript except cover page.

7. Include a cover page listing the writer’s name, address, email address, phone number, entry title, word length, and award competition category. Attach to manuscript with paper clip. All information is held in strict confidence, and will be destroyed after the contest winners are announced. Manuscripts are not returned.

8. In addition to hard copy, all entrants must be able to submit their work by email if requested. (This enables us to forward short-listed work to the final judges, and to produce the anthology of winning work in time for the conference). Short-listed writers will be notified in early October.

9. Entries are also accepted by email. Please follow the submission guidelines as noted above and copy your submission into the body of your email. Send your email to contest@siwc.ca. Attachments will be deleted, unread. The contest coordinator will print and format your submission (including a cover page) as per above instructions for consideration by the judges. Send your cheque or money order to

SiWC Writing Contest

SD #36, Unit 400, 9260 – 140 Street

Surrey, BC V3V 5Z4

Canada

Emailed entries will not be considered until the entry fee is received.

10. No entries will be returned. If you want the receipt of your entry acknowledged, please enclose a stamped,self-addressed postcard.

11. Final judges to be announced.

12. a) Mail deliveries:

SiWC Writing Contest

Unit 400, 9260 – 140 Street

Surrey, BC V3V 5Z4

Canada,

b) Courier or hand deliveries:

SiWC Writing Contest

Unit 400, 9260 – 140 Street

Surrey, BC V3V 5Z4

Canada,

c) Email entries:

Submit your work in the body of your email to contest@siwc.ca. Attachments will be deleted.

13. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: All entries must be postmarked by 4 p.m., Friday, September 10, 2010. No late entries will be considered.

14. All entries must be sent by email, regular mail, courier, or hand delivered. Faxed entries will not be accepted.

15. Only work which conforms to all the guidelines can be considered. Due to the volume of entries, we are unable to contact writers whose entries are incomplete. Check that yours meets every requirement before submitting.

16. The judges and conference/contest organizers cannot comment on individual entries.

17. Entry fees: $15 per submission. You may enter as many pieces as you like in one or more categories, but each entry must be accompanied by the $15 fee. You may combine fees in one cheque or money order. Fees must be received by September 10, 2010.

18. Cheques/money orders must be included with all entries, and be payable to SiWC. Emailed entries must send cheque or money order by mail to

SiWC Writing Contest

Unit 400, 9260 – 140 Street

Surrey, BC V3V 5Z4

Canada,

19. Winners will be informed by October 13, 2010. Prizes will be awarded at the Awards Ceremony on the first evening of the Conference, Friday, October 22. Winners will be listed on the conference website http://www.siwc.ca in the week after the conference.

20. Prizes:

Storyteller’s Award: 1st Place $1,000 and anthology; Honourable Mention(s) $150 each.

Nonfiction Award: 1st Place $1,000 and anthology; Honourable Mention(s) $150 each.

Poetry Award: 1st Place $1,000 and anthology; Honourable Mention(s) $150 each.

Writing for Young People Award: 1st Place $1,000 and anthology; Honourable Mention(s) $150 each.

In some cases, prizes might not be awarded exactly as noted, according to the discretion of the judges.

All winning entries will be published in the Writing Contest anthology which will be available at the conference Friday evening, immediately following the announcement of the winners.

21. Submission implies the author is granting first right of publication to the SiWC, as winners will be published in our annual anthology. Rights then revert to the author. Entering the contest also grants the SIWC the right to publish the entrant’s name in the contest anthology and the SIWC website, should the entrant be short-listed for, or win, a SIWC writing contest prize. Please see the SIWC website (siwc.ca) for the SIWC’s full privacy policy.

Direct any queries about the contest to kc dyer: contest@siwc.ca.

NB. Young Writers should investigate Surrey Public Library’s Young Writer’s Contest