July Contest Update

Welcome to another contest update.

The prize vault is open and one reader commenter gets a surprise Seeker book and one writer commenter wins a paperback copy of The Emotional Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.

  
Published  Author Contests

Published Beacon Award, Deadline June 30.

 Unpublished Author Contests

Put Your Heart In A Book. Deadline July 1. Electronic. Submit the FIRST chapter of your manuscript (with or without a prologue), along with a synopsis. Submission should not exceed thirty pages total, including chapter and synopsis.

Short Contemporary
Agent: Michelle Grajkowski, Three Seas Literary Agency
Editor: Patience Smith Bloom, Silhouette Special Edition
Multi-published Author: Leanne Banks

Single-Title Contemporary
Agent: Jessica Alvarez, Bookends
Editor: LaToya Smith, Grand Central Publishing
Multi-published Author: Susan Wiggs

Historical
Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan Sandford, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates
Editor: Tessa Woodward, Avon Books
Multi-published Author: Sabrina Jeffries

Paranormal
Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency
Editor: Junessa Viloria, Ballantine/Ivy
Multi-published Author: Heather Graham

Romantic Elements
Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency
Editor: Aubrey Poole, Sourcebooks
Multi-published author: Lisa Verge Higgins

Young Adult Romance
Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency
Editor: Liz Pelletier, Entangled Publishing
Multi-published author: May McGoldrick

Romantic Suspense
Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal-Lyons Agency
Editor: Elizabeth Bass, Carina Press
Multi-published author: Mary Burton





Get Your Stiletto in the Door Contest. Deadline July 6. Electronic. Submission consists of the first  5,000 words of your manuscript (judged) and one (1) Electronic Synopsis of no more than 500 words (not judged) in the same document.Because the synopsis is not judged, it is optional but highly recommended.

Single Title:
Agent: Chelsea M. Gilmore,Maria Carvainis Agency
Editor: Laura Fazio, Penguin
E-Publisher: Jennifer Miller, Samhain

Women’s Fiction:
Agent: Victoria Sanders, Victoria Sanders & Associates
Editor: Emily Beth Rapoport, Berkley
E-Publisher: Kimberlee Williams, Vanilla Heart Publishing

Mystery/Suspense:
Agent: Bernadette Baker-Baughman, Victoria Sanders & Associates
Editor: Kathleen Gilligan, St. Martin’s Press
E-Publisher: Raelene Gorlinsky, Ellora’s Cave

Paranormal:
Agent: Amy Boggs, Donald Maass Literary Agency
Editor: Ann Leslie Tuttle, Harlequin
E-Publisher: Abby Rose, Lyrical Press

Young Adult:
Agent: Mary Kole, Andrea Brown Literary Agency
Editor: Aubrey Poole, SourceBooks
E-Publisher: Nicole Langan, Tribute Books

Louboutin Stiletto Award:
Agent: Lois Winston, Ashley Grayson Literary Agency




Indiana Golden Opportunity. Deadline July 8. Electronic. Each entry shall be no longer than 55 pages. The entry should include a copy of the opening of your manuscript, including prologue if there is one, and a copy of your synopsis (no more than 10 pages).

Historical     Jesse Feldman (NAL)
Mainstream w/ Strong Romantic Elements     Angela James (Carina Press)
Paranormal     Suzie Townsend (Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation)
Romantic Suspense     Aubrey Poole (Sourcebooks)
Single Title     Latoya C. Smith (Grand Centeral
Young Adult*     Anna J. Webman
Erotic Romance     Michele Paulin (Total-E-Bound)
Best-of-the-Best     Meredith Giordan (Berkley)

Hearts of the West. Deadline July 15. Electronic. Enter the opening twenty (20) pages of romance novels of all sub-genres (projected length of at least 50,000 words). Contest is open to published and unpublished authors. Unpublished authors are ranked separately from published authors. Published authors may submit only unpublished, uncontracted manuscripts. NOTE: If you have a romance novel published by a traditional publisher OR are self-published, Utah RWA Considers you to be published.

  Contemporary, Jennifer Lawler, Crimson Publishing
  Historical, Rachael Ekstrom, Irene Goodman Literary and Film Agency
  Paranormal, Andrea Somberg, Harvey Klinger Agency
  Mystery/Suspense, Loretta Barrett , Loretta Barret Literary Agency
  Young Adult, Adrienne Rosado, NY Literary
  Published, Cheryl Pientka, Jill Grinburg Literary Managers
  Golden Pen, (for URWA members only) Anita Mumm, Kristen Nelson Agency

 7th Annual Dixie Kane Memorial Contest.

***PLEASE NOTE**Extended from an original due date of July 15 to an  extended due date of August 1, 2012.

NO ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS. First 5 double-spaced pages. Also, one-page, single-spaced synopsis (not judged).  

Short/Long Series Contemporary, Stacy Holmes, Senior Editor, Yellow Rose Line.
Single Title Contemporary, Rhonda Penders, Editor-in-Chief, The Wild Rose Press
Historical Romance, Allison Byers, Editor, Historical Line
Paranormal, CallieLynn Wolfe, Senior Editor, Black Rose Line
Inspirational, Nicola Martinez, Editor in Chief, Pelican Book Group/White Rose Publishing.

Novel w/ SRE, Rhonda Penders, Editor-in-Chief, The Wild Rose Press.    

Romantic Suspense, Lori Graham, Senior Editor for Crimson Rose.

Erotic Romance, Diana Carlile, Senior Editor, Scarlet Rose Line.

The 2012 Golden Rose Contest. Deadline August 1. Electronic. Accepting entries up to a maximum of fifty (50) pages including prologue (if any). Your entry may include an optional non-judged two-page synopsis. The synopsis does not count toward the 50-page maximum for the manuscript, however the synopsis cannot exceed two pages even if the manuscript is shorter than 50 pages.

Contemporary Series Romance-Roberta Brown, Roberta Brown Literary Agency
Contemporary Single Title-Alex Logan, Grand Central Publishing
Historical-Chelsey Emmelhainz, Avon/HarperCollins
Mainstream Novel w/ SRE-Sarah E. Younger, Nancy Yost Literary Agency
Paranormal-Nicole Resciniti, The Seymour Agency
Romantic Suspense-Aubrey Poole, Sourcebooks
Young Adult-Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency

The Golden Pen. Deadline August 15. Early bird deadline July 15. Electronic. A Golden Pen contest entry shall include a synopsis (not to exceed fifteen pages) plus the first consecutive pages of the manuscript in one document, together totaling not more than fifty-five pages.

 Contemporary Single Title Romance – Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks Inc.
 Inspirational Romance – Melissa Endlich, Steeple Hill
 Novel with Strong Romantic Elements – Valerie Gray, MIRA Books and SPICE Books
 Paranormal Romance – Leis Pederson, Berkley Publishing Group
 Romantic Suspense – Elizabeth Poteet, St. Martin’s Press
 Series Romance– Susan Litman, Harlequin Enterprises
 Historical Romance– Katherine Pelz, Berkley Publishing Group
 Young Adult Romance – Regina Griffin, Egmont USA

Fun for Everyone Contests


  Deadline is August 31 for the...Wow! Women on Writing Summer 2012 Flash Fiction Contest.

Word Count:Maximum: 750, Minimum: 250 OPEN PROMPT! Open to all styles of writing, although we do encourage you to take a close look at our guest judge for the season if you are serious about winning. We love creativity, originality, and light-hearted reads. That's not to say that the guest judge will feel the same... so go wild! Express yourself, and most of all, have some fun!  Entries limited to a maximum of 300 stories. Please enter early to ensure inclusion. The winner not only gets cash and goodies but an agent read! The guest agent judge is Maria Lamba.

 FamilyFiction CREATE Romance Short-Short Fiction Competition is now accepting Submissions. Deadline July 31st 2012. The Grand Prize Winner will be announced in the November 20 issue of FamilyFiction Weekly. Submit an original short (1000 words or less) romance story  along with their twenty-five dollar ($25.00) entry fee.  Entrants may enter as many times as they choose, as long as a separate entry form is used for each story entered, and a separate entry fee is paid. Check out the prize info here.



2012 Family Circle Fiction Contest. Contest begins March 1, 2012, and ends September 7, 2012. Entries must be postmarked on or before September 7, 2012, and received by September 14,2012.Submit an original (written by entrant), fiction short story of no more than 2,500 words. Entries must be unpublished and may not have won any prize or award. Cash prizes.



Enter the Guideposts Writers Workshop Contest!  
Deadline June 20. "Win a week with us at the Guideposts Writers Workshop, all expenses paid! We’ll teach you everything we know about inspirational storytelling. Your story could end up in our magazine and on our websites. We’re looking for true, first-person stories, not sermons or essays. It can be your own story or something you’ve written for someone else. Study the magazine. Get a feel for our style. We’ll pick 12 of you for the Workshop in Port Orchard, Washington, October 15-19, 2012."

How to apply: Submit an original, unpublished, true, first-person story in 2,000 words or less, typewritten and double-spaced, about an experience that changed your life. Show how faithful living has made a difference. Or you can ghostwrite for someone else. Tell us about yourself and your writing experience.

 
The Fifth Annual, Real Simple, Life Lessons Essay Contest.

When did you first understand the meaning of love? Maybe you were a child, witnessing a generous act by your father or mother. Maybe the lesson came later, as you grappled with the challenges of being a friend, a spouse, or a parent yourself. Whatever made you understand love—and yourself—better, tell us about it.

Enter Real Simple’s Fifth Annual Life Lessons Essay Contest and you could:

• Have your essay published in Real Simple
• Win round-trip tickets for two to New York City, hotel accommodations for two nights, tickets to a Broadway play, and a lunch with Real Simple editors
• Receive a prize of $3,000

To enter, send your typed, double-spaced submission (1,500 words maximum, preferably in a Microsoft Word document) to lifelessons@realsimple.com. Contest begins at 12:01 a.m. EST on May 12, 2012, and runs through 11:50 p.m. EST on September 13, 2012. All submitted essays must be nonfiction. Open to legal residents of the United States age 19 or older at time of entry. Void where prohibited by law. (Entries will not be returned.) Click here to see complete contest rules.

And remember, the contest update remains available on the Seeker web page all month long.