The Writers' Collective

NON-FICTION CONTEST ENTRY FORM

The Winnipeg Free Press / Writers’ Collective

2011 Non-Fiction Contest

CHOOSE YOUR NON-FICTION THEME:

“Now that was funny!”  or  “A fork in the road”

All winning entries will be published in The Winnipeg Free Press and

The Collective Consciousness, the quarterly journal of the Writers’ Collective.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

• This contest is open to Adults (18+)

• Submit four (4) copies of your story, typed, one-sided, double-spaced, individually stapled, on 8.5 x 11 paper. Must be original,

unpublished works of NON-FICTION, no more than 1,500 words in length.

• Author’s real name should not appear on the manuscript. Manuscripts will not be returned.

• Each entry must come with a $15 entry fee (non-members), or $5 for Writers’ Collective members, payable to: The Writers’

Collective. Only one prize awarded per person.

• Multiple entries are accepted, but each must include a completed form and entry fee.

• A written evaluation of your entry is available for an additional fee of $25. Please allow 10-12 weeks from deadline date for evaluations. Include an e-mail address to receive a list of winners. Entrants not complying with these rules will be disqualified.

• Entries must be postmarked by Monday November 14, 2011.

•  Winners will be notified by phone in early December. Winning entries will be celebrated at an awards evening Dec. 8, 2011.

YES! I am a Writers’ Collective member ($5 entry fee) *Need to renew your membership? Fill out a membership form & send it to us.

No, I am not a member ($15 entry fee) *Thinking of joining? You can fill out a membership form now and pay only $5 per entry.

YES! I would like an evaluation of my non-fiction entry ($25)

Enclosed is my cheque for $___________

NAME: _________________________________

ADDRESS: __________________________________________________

POSTAL CODE: _________________    PHONE: _______________________

EMAIL: ________________________________

Please add me to your e-mail newsletter list

(your address will not be shared with any other organization and you can unsubscribe at any time)

TITLE OF STORY: ___________________________________________  WORD COUNT: _____________

Mail to:

Winnipeg Free Press  / Writers’ Collective Non-Fiction & Poetry Contests

c/o The Writers’ Collective, The University of Winnipeg, 4th Floor Library, 515 Portage Ave.  Winnipeg, MB  R3B 2E9

How did you hear about this contest?

Check all that apply

Winnipeg Free Press    Winnipeg Library

Rural newspaper    Rural library

School rWriters’ Collective website

Writers’ Collective e-newsletter

Poster

Other :_______________

NON-FICTION PRIZES

1st prize $500

2nd Prize $300

3rd Prize $100

For more info call (204) 786-9468 or email: [email protected]

 

So you’d like to enter our Non-Fiction contest . . . .

Glad to hear it!

Now let’s go over a few things you should know

Because we cater to new, emerging writers (many who have never submitted a manuscript before) we feel it is important to explain a few of the following guidelines and rules.

GENERAL

1. This is a Non-Fiction Contest

Non-Fiction means a true story, something that has happened to you or someone you know. It doesn’t have to be written 100%

factual, but the core details need to be true.

2. Theme – choose to write something humourous “Now that was funny!” or a bit more serious, “A fork in the road,” however, the actual words of the theme do not have to appear in the story and in many ways it is better if they don’t. Show us the theme, don’t tell us!

3. Title – your story should have a title that reflects the overall feeling and message of your story. Using the theme as the title shows no imagination whatsoever, and if it’s one things writers have, it’s an imagination! So give your story an accurate, thought-provoking title.

4. Prior entries – yes, it is okay to submit a prior entry – but you MUST re-write it. You didn’t win before because there were flaws in it and those won’t go away without re-writing. Keep in mind that there are people associated with the contest who see the entries year after year. Re-writing shows a serious commitment to both your story and your desire to be the best writer you can be.

5. Word count – this is very important. Keep within the stated word count. You should be able to tell your story with approximately

1,500 words. Write too few words and chances are your story will not be fleshed out enough and you’ll leave your reader hanging with unanswered questions. Write too  many and your story runs the risk of becoming boring and repetitive or full of irrelevant information.

6. The deadline – most writers are notorious procrastinators. That’s because much of the work we do takes place first in our heads

before it is put down on paper. The problem is that waiting until the last minute to write your story gives you no time to go over it.

We suggest writing the story as soon as you can, then take a break and go back and re-read it over to make changes. Please make sure it is mailed before the deadline.

7. Your name – should not be anywhere on the manuscript, only on the entry form. That is because the contest is judged blind, meaning they do not know whose story they are reading. This helps maintain the integrity of the contest.

FORMATTING & SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1. We require Four (4) copies of your story – that’s because a copy must be given to each judge and one is kept in the office for reference. These copies are all destroyed once the contest is over.

2. Your story must be typed – it doesn’t matter how neat your handwriting is, it is an industry standard that when submitting a story to a contest or publication that it MUST be typed. Choose a basic font (typestyle) like Courier, Times or Roman. Make the font size 12 point. And double space, with 1/2 to 1” margins all the way around. That way the judges can make notes in the margins if they want. Only print on one side of the paper, no double sided entries please!  Following these suggestions will make your submission easy for the judges to read.

3. Save your electronic file on a computer or disk – if you win we will be asking for it so we can print the story in the Free Press and our journal, the Collective Consciousness.

Good luck and good writing!

 

 

Lindsey Childs