RULES
FOR THE 2019 NORMAN GALAXY OF WRITERS’ ANNUAL CONTEST Deadline10/12/2019
Dues-paying
Galaxy members are invited to enter our annual contest. Enter as many
categories as you wish, but only one entry per category.
CATEGORIES:
Nonfiction
Feature Article: 1,500 words maximum
Short
Story (fiction): 2,000 words maximum
Rhymed
Poetry: Any length
Unrhymed
Poetry: Any length
Nostalgic
Essay (personal): 1,500 words maximum
Children’s
Fiction (for readers 8-12 years of age): 1,000 words maximum
(New
Category) Flash Fiction: 500 words maximum
(New
Category) Novel: first pages with a synopsis to a maximum of 15 pages
CONTEST RULES:
1.
In
order to enter, you must be a dues-paying member of Norman Galaxy of
Writers. Dues are $25. You may pay dues to the treasurer at any meeting or send
a membership form and check, money order, or cash to the Norman Galaxy of
Writers at P. O. Box 5581, Norman, OK
73070.
2.
Manuscripts
may be entered as a hard copy or by electronic submission. Send your digital
entry as an attachment to the contest chair (cuethelight@cox.net) on or before the deadline,
October 12, 2019. Electronic entries must be sent in the form of doc (any
version), PDF, or RTF. Include the word Contest and the name of the category in
the email subject line. Example: Contest/Nostalgic Essay. Send a separate email for each entry. A cover
sheet must accompany each entry.
3.
Hard
copy submissions may be hand delivered to the contest chair (Lisbeth McCarty) at
any meeting or send by mail TO REACH the Norman Galaxy of Writers’ Contest
Chair, P. O. Box 5581, Norman, OK 73070 on or before the deadline. We suggest
mailing your entries two weeks prior to the deadline to ensure proper credit. All
entries must be unpublished or unaccepted for publication at the time of
submission.
4.
Any
manuscript entered must be your own original work.
5.
No
erotica or sexual assault.
6.
Previous
money-winning manuscripts (1st, 2nd, 3rd or
Crème de la Crème) may not be entered again in any Galaxy contest.
7.
A
$2.00 entry fee PER MANUSCRIPT must be enclosed. If you are entering by email,
send your check, money order, or cash to the treasurer before the deadline, or
bring it to the October meeting.
8.
You
may enter each category once. No manuscript may be entered in more than one
category.
9.
Entries
must be typed on 8 1/2” x 11” white, 20-weight printer copy paper and must be double-spaced,
except for poetry and the novel synopsis. Every page is single-sided. On the
first page, type the category in the upper right corner followed by the word
count. If the entry is longer than one page, type the title of your entry in
the top left corner of every succeeding page. Page numbers should appear in the
top right corner (except for page one).
10.
A
cover sheet must accompany every entry. It must contain the name of the category,
title of entry, word count, your name, your phone number and email address, as
well as the amount of money accompanying your entry. For convenience, you may
use the attached entry cover sheet (a copy to be found on the website) or you
may make up your own to include the required information in the order given
above. Attach the cover sheet to each manuscript with a paperclip or send it
with your digital entry. DO NOT STAPLE.
11.
The
author’s name MUST NOT appear on any page of the manuscript.
12.
If
you will not be attending the December awards luncheon, please arrange for
someone at the luncheon to pick up your hard copy entries or enclose a stamped,
self-addressed envelope.
NOTICE:
·
Judges
will be selected by the contest chairperson based on the judges’ experience in
the genre and their willingness to write critiques. Judges’ decisions are
final. There must be a minimum of three entries in a category before it will be
judged and prizes awarded.
·
Awards
will be presented at the annual December awards luncheon, December 14, 2019.
Manuscripts will be returned at that time.
·
Certificates
and cash will be awarded in each category. First place: $15; second place, $10;
third place, $5. Certificates will go to honorable mentions. The Bonnie Speer
Crème de la Crème Award ($30) will go to the best of the first place winners.
TIPS
TO PUT YOUR MANUSCRIPT’S BEST FOOT FORWARD
1.
Before
submitting, use spell check. Recheck your grammar and punctuation. No obvious
corrections or dog-eared pages. DO NOT STAPLE. If
submitting your manuscript(s) in hard copy, put them in a large envelope
labeled with your name.
2.
Follow
the contest rules for the headers on page one and subsequent pages.
3.
Use
industry standards for formatting. The font is generally Times New Roman or
Courier.
A. Poetry is in 12-point, single-spaced, and
centered on the page.
B. Manuscripts are in 12-point and
double-spaced. On the first page, drop down 1/3 to 1/2 of the page before typing
the title. This gives the judge a place
to make notes or for an editor to give instructions to his printer. All other
margins are 1 1/4.”
C. Novel category. Novels are in 12-point. The
synopsis should be single-spaced. Manuscript pages must be double-spaced.
Follow the standard format described in part B above.
4. Our judges are all volunteers. Some of them
may judge the same category more than one year in a row.
GALAXY
CONTEST CATEGORIES
1.
Nonfiction
Feature Article: This is a factual manuscript on any topic of general interest
that might appear in a newsstand magazine, not a fictional or opinion piece. 1,500
words maximum.
2.
Short
Story (fiction for adults): The story revolves around a protagonist with a goal
or a problem to solve. The five key elements are character, setting, conflict,
plot, and resolution. It is similar to a novel, only shorter. 2,000 words maximum.
3.
Rhymed
Poetry: Poems use figurative language, sound, and rhythm to tell a story, or to
evoke imagination or an emotion. A single line is called a verse. Verses
grouped together make a stanza. Any length.
4.
Unrhymed
Poetry: Free verse uses the effects of rhythm and sound to create a story, mood
or emotion. Contains one or more stanzas. Any length.
5.
Nostalgic
Essay (personal): This is a first-person narrative that focuses on one of the
author’s real life experiences. 1,500 words maximum.
6.
Children’s
Fiction (for readers 8-12 years of age): This is a short story focusing on a
child protagonist having a goal or a problem that s/he works to solve with or
without a sidekick. It has character, setting, conflict, plot, and resolution. 1,000
words maximum.
7.
Flash
Fiction (for adults): New category. This is a short, short story that includes characters,
setting, conflict, plot, and resolution. Maximum
500 words.
8.
Novel:
New category. Manuscripts from a wide variety of genres (sci-fi, romance,
historical, mystery, horror, mainstream, etc.) will be accepted. An interesting
point-of-view character with a strong plot, conflict, and a satisfying
conclusion are expected. Submit the first consecutive pages with synopsis, for
a total not to exceed fifteen pages.
NORMAN
GALAXY OF WRITERS
2019
CONTEST ENTRY COVER SHEET
CATEGORY
__________________________________________________________________
TITLE
OF MANUSCRIPT _______________________________________________________
WORD
COUNT _______________________________________________________________
NAME OF
WRITER ___________________________________________________________
PHONE
______________________________________________________________________
EMAIL
ADDRESS _____________________________________________________________
AMOUNT
TENDERED ($2 PER ENTRY) __________________________________________
GOOD
LUCK!!!
