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Winter Contest - Wishful Traveling

  • Tuesday, December 01, 2020
  • 12:00 AM
  • Monday, February 15, 2021
  • 12:30 AM

Registration

  • If money, time, or safety were no issue, where would you go? Who would you like to meet? What would you do?

Registration is closed

WINTER '21 CONTEST: 

WISHFUL TRAVELING



Contest Registration Opens: Dec 01, 2020
Submission Deadline: February 15, 2021

Enter up to three times!
($35 entry fee for each entry)

$250 to the Winning Entry!
$150 Second Place! 


Full Contest Prompt: 

In the movie Midnight in Paris, the main character is transported back to 1920 Paris and meets up with Hemingway, Steinbeck, and Gertrude Stein, among others. It’s a fascinating look at a time in which we as writers would love to participate, if only someone would grant our wish.

If you could, and money and safety were not issues, where would you go, and why? Would you try someplace new, or go back to a favorite haunt? Would you go in this time frame, in the future, or in the past? Explore what you see, smell, and learn, and who you would want to meet.

Let your imagination soar; in this world anything is possible!


PLEASE SEE THE RULES AND JUDGING CRITERIA BELOW.

We look forward to reading your entries!

Register Here

Entry Submission Rules

Be sure to comply with all requirements. As with most professional writing submissions, there is no leeway on the rules. Questions? Please contact: kathy.weyer@att.net.

  1. Must be a member of Palm Springs Writers Guild with current status.
  2. Entries accepted between the opening date and submission deadline posted above.
  3. Please enter contest by registering online with a $35 entry fee for each entry; you can enter up to 3 times. Submit multiple entries separately.
  4. Each entry is 2500 word maximum
  5. Must be submitted as a MS Word document
  6. One inch margins, double-spaced
  7. 12-point Times Roman or Times New Roman
  8. Indented paragraphs
  9. Title must be included in the document headerYou may not use the contest theme as your title
  10. Pagination must be included in the document footer.
  11. Do not include your name anywhere on the submitted document, only in the body of your e-mail.
  12. Please submit your entry as an email attachment and send it to kathy.weyer@att.net, no hard copies accepted. You may enter as many times as you like.
  13. The subject line of your email will read the title of your work (not the contest theme name)
  14. Blind submission entries  are judged by selected Guild members who are professional, published authors. 
  15. Winner receives any cash prize offered at the next regularly scheduled General Meeting that occurs at least 30 days after contest deadline. 
  16. Winner may be announced via email, and if permission of the author is granted to PSWG, the winning entry may be published on our website.


Judging Criteria

  1. Adherence to all rules above.
  2. Adherence to the theme or prompt.
  3. Compelling and original plot:
    a. Traditionally consists of a beginning (exposition), middle (development), and end (climax and resolution).
    b. However, if your piece is fiction, very short pieces often consist of a “slice of life.” The narrative should still exhibit a plot-like arc so that the story feels self-contained and complete.
  4. Compelling and original characters:
    a. At a minimum, the viewpoint character has dimension, with a substantial stake in the story’s resolution, making the reader care.
    b. Dialogue is believable and suited to each character.
  5. Consistency of narrative voice: 
    a. Point of view; first, second, or third person.
    b. Level of omniscience: omniscient or all-knowing narrator, limited-omniscient narrator, or non-omniscient “objective” narrator.
  6. Fundamental writing skills:
    a. Spelling. Punctuation. Grammar. Usage.       
  7. The writer’s “secret sauce” that, when blended with the above criteria, makes the story stand out. For example:
    a. Artistry and clarity of language.
    b. Creation of mood through setting, description, and detail.
    c. 
    Distinctness of voice.
  8. PLEASE NOTE THAT IN ORDER TO BE FAIR, WE MUST HAVE AT LEAST TEN DIFFERENT MEMBERS ENTER THE CONTEST (Multiple entries by the same author do not count towards that minimum)


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