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Utah RWA Heart of the West Contest
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16th Annual Heart of the West Writers Contest Sponsored by the Utah Chapter of
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| Contemporary: | Single title; category; mainstream, young adult in a contemporary setting. |
| Historical: | Single title; category; Regencies; suspense, mainstream, young adult in an historical setting. |
| Paranormal: | Time travel, ghost, futuristic, paranormals of all other kinds. |
| Mystery/Suspense: | Single title; category; suspense, mainstream, or young adult. |
| Insprirational: | Single title; category; historical or contemporary setting. |
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**Published Will Be Judged Collectively** NOTE: URWA's Golden Pen Contest, FOR URWA MEMBERS ONLY, is additional to the Heart of the West Writers Contest. URWA Chapter Members who enter the Heart of the West Writers Contest are automatically entered in the URWA Golden Pen. | |
Awards
An individual may enter more than one manuscript, may enter in more than one category and may enter more than once per category; however, each submission must have its own entry fee and completed entry form. Manuscripts that won in previous Heart of the West Writers Contests not accepted.
Each entry will receive three scores; The lowest score will be dropped.
First through fourth place will be awarded in the following areas:
- Unpublished authors in each submission category: Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal, and Mystery/Suspense, Inspirational.
- Unpublished manuscripts by published authors (not separated by category).
First-place finalists will be awarded $40 and a certificate. Second, third, and fourth place finalists will receive certificates. First- through fourth-place finalists will be recognized in the Romance Writers Report.
First round entries will be judged by experienced, qualified, or published judges, who are encouraged to comment on entries.
2008 Finalist judges are:
Tips on the Judging Criteria:
Is this contest right for your manuscript?
- Is your story, regardless of sub-genre, a romance?
- Does the opening hook the reader? Does it begin in the right place and give enough information to intrigue the reader?
- Is the setting intertwined? Does it enhance the plot and allow reader to see the characters there?
- Are the hero's and heroine's characterizations strong enough to allow the reader to see them? Are their motivations clear enough for the onset of the story?
- Does the romance (interaction between hero and heroine) begin within the contest submission? Can the reader begin to see the conflict? Is the attraction between the hero and heroine apparent and believable?
- If the hero and heroine do not have any interaction within the first 20 pages, does the story begin where it needs to? Can the reader wait to see them together?
- Is the point-of-view clear and easy to follow? Are transitions smooth?
- Does the dialogue flow naturally and move the story forward? Is there an effective mix of dialogue tags, action, and dialogue standing alone?
- Does your story address more of the characters' lives than simply their romance? Do the conflicts and subplots enhance the story?
- If secondary characters appear, are they believable and necessary to the plot? Do they remain minor characters with less importance/interest than hero and heroine? If they do not appear, does the story flow well without them?
- Is the story paced as to maintain tension? Does the story unfold at an appropriate rate? Are all elements (dialogue, action, description, etc.) in balance?
- Is the story told in your unique voice, with fresh, varied language?
- Is your entry neat, free of grammatical and spelling errors, and in standard format? (See entry check-list.)
Submission Checklist:
EACH entry MUST include a completed entry form
Contest fee of $25, paid via PayPal, check or money order, drawn on U.S. funds, made payable to Utah/Salt Lake Chapter RWA®. (Each entry must be accompanied by the entry fee.)
1st chapter, up to twenty (20) pages of your manuscript. This may include the prologue. Do not submit more than twenty pages; only twenty pages will be judged.
Submissions should be in standard manuscript format:
- 1" margins
- Double-spaced
- Typed in an easily read font that is acceptable for submission to publishing houses, such as Courier
- A maximum of 25 lines per page. In the header on each page, include title, category, and page number.
- Your name must not appear on any manuscript page. Your name may only appear on the entry form. If authors name(s) appear on the entry pages, the entry will be disqualified and the entry fee will be forfeited.
PLEASE SEND YOUR SUBMISSION AS AN ATTACHMENT IN .RTF FORMAT
For all questions and comments, please contact the contest coordinator, Cami Checketts
Send all entries to: camichecketts@yahoo.com
To Enter: Please fill out the electronic entry form by clicking below. After you complete and submit the entry form, you can mail your entry fee of $25 to:
P.O. Box 9057
Midvale, UT 84047
Click here for Manual Entry Form.
Contest Entry Form:
Electronic Entry Form
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