2024 Annual Contest
Contest opens August 17, 2024 and close September 21, 2024
Contest opens August 17, 2024 and close September 21, 2024
OCWI Annual Contest for Members Only
| ocwi_contest_cover_sheet.docx |
| ocwi_contest_cover_sheet.pdf |
Contest Rules
General Information
Oklahoma City Writers, Inc. conducts an annual writing contest for its members only. The contest opens on the date of the August meeting (8/17) and closes on the date of the September meeting (9/21).
NOTE: We are encouraging entries online at [email protected].
There will be no August Meeting due to the Metro Library Lit Fest. Printed entries can still be brought to the September meeting. If mailed, the postmark deadline is midnight on the day of the September meeting (9/21).
Submissions
Please follow the general contest rules and submission guidelines below for all submissions.
To qualify for a cash prize, a category must have at least five (5) entries. A category with fewer than five submissions will still be judged, but no cash prize will be awarded to the winner(s).
Contest winners will be announced at the November meeting. First-, second-, and third-place winners in all categories will receive certificates and a cash prize (if the category qualifies as stated above). The awards are as follows:
- First place receives $40
- Second place receives $25
- Third place receives $15
- The Crème-de-la-crème award is given to the best of the best submissions overall. This prize comes accompanied by a $50 cash award.
- Honorable mention awards may be awarded at the judges’ discretion but will not receive a cash award.
Contest Chair: The Contest Chair is appointed by the President, and at the President’s discretion, a Co-Chair may also be appointed. No one working on the contest, including the chair and the Co-Chair, is permitted to enter the contest.
Contest chair for 2024 is Mark Edward Jones - [email protected]
Cover sheet: The chair will remove the cover sheet before the entries are sent to the judges and retain it to identify the winner when the manuscript is returned.
Disqualification: To protect the integrity of the writing contest, any manuscript that is not the author’s original work will be disqualified. The Contest Chair is required to disqualify anyone not adhering to the rules and submission guidelines (see below). An ad-hoc committee composed of the Contest Chair and President will convene to resolve any questions that may arise during the contest.
Note: All entries must include a cover sheet for identification which includes your name. However, your name cannot appear anywhere on the entry itself.
Oklahoma City Writers Inc. Contest Categories:
- Humor: fiction, non-fiction or poetry. Maximum length 2,000 words.
- Inspirational: fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Maximum length 3,000 words.
- Juvenile: juvenile fiction, non-fiction, picture books, and book-length fiction and non-fiction for middle grades and up. The maximum length of any submission that is not book-length should be 3,000 words. If your entry is a book-length project, please send only the first 15 pages plus a synopsis or outline. The synopsis/outline should not exceed 750 words.
- Essay: any subject that informs, entertains, or persuades. Maximum length 2,000 words.
- Poetry: any length, style, or theme, traditional or free-verse. Maximum length 20 pages.
- Short story: any short fiction for adult readers. Maximum length 5,000 words.
- Flash fiction: an extremely short but complete work of fiction for adult readers. Maximum length 500 words.
- Feature article: non-fiction article on any subject. Maximum length 2,500 words.
- Nostalgia: factual story or poem reflecting the past. Maximum length 3,000 words.
- Book (adult): includes fiction and non-fiction for adult readers. Each entry should include only the first 20 pages (or less) and a separate document containing the book synopsis for fiction or outline for non-fiction, not to exceed 750 words.
- Crème-de-la-Crème: All first-place winners (regardless if the categories make) will compete for a $50 best-of-the-best award.
Contest Results Announced at the OCWI meeting on the third Saturday of November
Contest Rules:
To avoid disqualification, please follow the rules outlined below before submitting your manuscript(s).
Every entry must contain a cover sheet.
- Only members of the Oklahoma City Writers Inc. can enter the contest. If entries are co-authored, both authors must be OCWI members. Dues must be current at the time of the contest.
- You may enter only one (1) unpublished manuscript per category. The same manuscript cannot be entered in more than one category.
- Any manuscript that has won a cash prize (1st, 2nd, 3rd place or Crème-de-la-crème award) in any previous Oklahoma City Writers Inc. contest may not be entered again. Manuscripts may have been submitted for publication as long as they have not yet been accepted or published in any format.
- The entry fee for the contest is a one-time payment of 10 dollars. Please make the check or money order ONLY payable to the Oklahoma City Writers, Inc. (No cash will be accepted this year). Fees can be paid at the meeting or mailed to:
621 NW 32nd Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
- All entries must be “editor ready” in proper manuscript format. This includes proofreading for grammar, spelling, or any other mechanical and stylistic issue that would cause points to be taken from the entry.
- Entries may be e-mailed to [email protected]. Please indicate 2024 Contest in the subject line, Include only one manuscript and attached completed cover sheet for each submission. A cover sheet in either the .doc or .pdf format will be accepted, and the signature may be typed.
- Submitting files in .docx, .doc, .pdf, or .rtf is recommended. Files in .pages cannot be submitted. Use 8 ½ by 11-inch pages, double-spaced, and printed on one side only. Please use a size 12 font and type all entries using an easy-to-read font such as Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica.
- In the upper right header of the first page of each manuscript, include:
● the category name and number
● the number of lines for poetry, the number of words for fiction or non-fiction, or the number of pages for books
All pages must include the manuscript name and page number.
Do not include your name, address, or other identifying information on the manuscripts.
- If you submit printed work on paper, please use a paperclip (no staples) to hold all pages.
- If you are submitting a printed copy, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) in your envelope so that your submission can be returned to you. If you plan to pick up your submission at the November meeting, please note it on the submission envelope. Please use a 9x12-inch envelope for your submission and a similarly large envelope for your SASE.
Please Note: Judges will provide a completed score sheet for each entry. They are not required to comment on the manuscripts they judge but are encouraged to do so. Feed back for emailed entries will be returned by email.
- First place receives $40
- Second place receives $25
- Third place receives $15
- The Crème-de-la-crème award is given to the best of the best submissions overall. This prize comes accompanied by a $50 cash award.
- Honorable mention awards may be awarded at the judges’ discretion but will not receive a cash award.
Judging: The club will not pay any monetary stipend or payment for services of judging entries in the Oklahoma City Writers Inc. contest. All judging is done on a volunteer basis. We appreciate and thank our judges.
Contest Chair: The Contest Chair is appointed by the President and, at the President’s discretion, a Co-Chair may also be appointed. No one working on the contest, including the chair and the Co-Chair, are permitted to enter the contest.
Cover sheet: The cover sheet will be removed by the chair before the entries are sent to the judges and retained for identifying the winner when the manuscript is returned.
Disqualification: To protect the integrity of the writing contest, any manuscript that is not the original work of the author will be disqualified. The Contest Chair is required to disqualify anyone who is not adhering to the rules and submission guidelines (see below). An ad-hoc committee composed of the Contest Chair and President will convene to resolve any questions that may arise during the contest.
Contest Chair: The Contest Chair is appointed by the President and, at the President’s discretion, a Co-Chair may also be appointed. No one working on the contest, including the chair and the Co-Chair, are permitted to enter the contest.
Cover sheet: The cover sheet will be removed by the chair before the entries are sent to the judges and retained for identifying the winner when the manuscript is returned.
Disqualification: To protect the integrity of the writing contest, any manuscript that is not the original work of the author will be disqualified. The Contest Chair is required to disqualify anyone who is not adhering to the rules and submission guidelines (see below). An ad-hoc committee composed of the Contest Chair and President will convene to resolve any questions that may arise during the contest.
