Announcing our Summer Contest
Once Upon
A Time
Send us the first 2500 words of your book, fiction or non-fiction. If you already have it, you’re ahead of the game - just polish it up! If you haven’t begun a novel yet, you have six weeks to put down 2500 words to begin.
If you are not working on a book, you can enter a short story - just make sure to mark it that way. “Little Red Riding Hood - a short story”
No published works - this should be a work in progress.
No poetry - only prose.
We will award two prizes - first and second prize; winners will receive publication on our website, a reading at a meeting, and your membership will be extended for a year.
PLEASE SEE THE RULES AND JUDGING CRITERIA BELOW.
We look forward to reading your entries!
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.
- Must be a member of Palm Springs Writers Guild with current, active status.
- Entries accepted between the opening date and submission deadline posted above.
- Please enter contest by registering online with a $30 entry fee for each entry; you can enter up to 3 times. Submit multiple entries separately.
- Each entry is 2,500 word maximum
- Must be submitted as a MS Word document
- One inch margins, double-spaced
- 12-point Times Roman or Times New Roman
- Indented paragraphs. First paragraph should NOT be indented.
- Title must be included in the document header, centered. You may not use the contest theme as your title
- Footer must include: pagination on the right, word count on the left.
- Do not include your name anywhere on the submitted document, only in the body of your e-mail.
- Please submit your entry as an email attachment and send it to kathy.weyer@att.net, no hard copies accepted.
- The subject line of your email will read the title of your work (not the contest theme name)
- Blind submission entries are judged by a professional editor.
- There are no refunds for this event.
Judging Criteria
The judge, our editor Denice Hughes Lewis, will judge on the following:
- Opening “hook” draws the reader in for fiction or establishes concept of non-fiction work
- Well-paced plot that moves the story forward or concise layout of facts and ideas.
- Characters have distinct traits that meld and conflict with each other or facts that clearly delineate ideas for non-fiction
- Point of view is clear, voice is consistent
- Holds reader’s interest
- Spelling is correct, no grammatical or tense errors
Interested in becoming a PSWG Member? Click here.
