November Contest Update

This is the autumn of your 2010 contest journey.

Things are slowing down for the holidays

and there are only a few contests left until after the new year.

Today the vault is open and I am pleased to be giving away an IOU
for my debut release from Love Inspired, The Rancher's Reunion.
Doesn't the cover match our autumn theme nicely?

The 2011 Golden Heart and RITA entry deadline is almost here.
No guts! No glory!


More info available on the RWA website:


GH

November 15, 2010
Entry forms and fees must be received by the RWA Office.

December 2, 2010
Entered works must be received in the RWA Office. Failure to meet this deadline shall result in disqualification and forfeiture of the entry fee.


December 30, 2010
Preliminary-round judging begins.

March 1, 2011
Preliminary-round score sheets due to RWA Office.

March 25, 2011
Notification will be sent to finalists by two-day delivery. Phone calls to notify finalists will also commence. Release of official finalist list on RWA website by 2 p.m. CT.


RITA

September 21, 2010

December 1, 2010
Deadline for entry forms and fees to be received by the RWA Office.

January 4, 2011
Deadline for books to be received at the RWA Office. Failure to meet this deadline will result in disqualification and forfeiture of the entry fee.

January 20, 2011
Preliminary-round judging begins.

March 9, 2011
Preliminary-round score sheets due to RWA Office.

March 25, 2011
Notification will be sent to finalists by two-day delivery. Phone calls to notify finalists will also commence. Release of official finalist list on RWA website by 2 p.m. CT.



Published Author Contests

The National Reader's Choice Awards is now open and accepting entries. Deadline for entry is December 1 2010. All entries must have:

• an original copyright date of 2010, or "First US Printing" date of 2010 as evidenced by the copyright page or a letter from the publisher, and
• must have been available for sale sometime during 2010.

Unpublished Author Contests

Gotcha! Contest. E Deadline EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 7th. Entry consists of the first 15 pages. 1 published author and 3 experienced, trained writers. Lowest score is dropped and 3 highest determine final score. Top 4 winners in each category are sent to an editor. Winners have 2 weeks to revise the 15-page entry prior to editorial review.
Categories and Judges:

Harlequin/Silhouette Series:
Susan Litman, Silhouette

Single Title/Mainstream Contemporary:
Meredith Giordan, Berkeley/Jove

Mystery/Romantic Suspense:
Allison Lyons, Harlequin Intrigue

Historical (Before 1945):
Megan Records, Kensington

Paranormal (Specialty/Time Travel/Fantasy):
Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks

Inspirational:
Emily Rodmell, Love Inspired

The Enchanted Words Contest. Perfect Pitch 2010. Electronic only contest. Deadline extended to November 8. Entries include Query Letter, a Synopsis of up to 7 pages, and the first 5 pages of your manuscript. Each entry judged by an editor AND an agent!

Judges include:
Historical
Tina James, Senior Editor Love Inspired
Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency

Paranormal
Margo Lipschultz, Harlequin
Agent Judge Laurie McLean, Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents

Contemporary
Jhanteigh Kupihea, NAL
Lois Winston, Ashley Grayson Literary




The Pikes Peak Fiction Writers Contest: The Paul Gillette Awards. E Deadline is November 15. Submit an entire short story, or 1st 15 pp of novel plus synopsis (2-5 pp max) 4,000 word count limit on manuscript pages and a 1,250 word count on synopsis. All short story genres are entered into one category. More contest info can be found on the Pike's Peak Writer's home page here.

Contest Categories and judges:

Short Stories (fiction only; all genres
included in same category)-Angela James Executive Editor, Carina Press

Book Length:

• Children’s (for ages 8-12)-Danielle Chiotti,Upstart Crow Literary
  
• Historical Fiction-Rachelle Gardner, WordServe Literary
• Mainstream-Kathleen Gilligan, Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martins
• Mystery/Suspense/Intrigue- Denise Little, Ethan Ellenberg Agency
  
• Romance-Allison Lyons, Harlequin Intrigue
• Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror-Deb Dixon, President of Belle Books
  
• Young Adult (for ages 12-18)- Amy Boggs, Donald Maass Agency
  

The Write Stuff Contest. E-deadline: December 1, 2010. Entry: The first 20 pages of your manuscript (double spaced) and an optional one page synopsis (single spaced). The synopsis will not be judged. Entries will be limited to the first 85 submissions. Top prize: $100 in each category!

Judges:

• Contemporary Romance – Lauren Plude, Editor, Grand Central
• Historical Romance– Katherine Pelz, Editor, Berkley
• Paranormal Romance– Kevan Lyon, Agent, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
• Adult Mainstream Fiction– to be announced.
• Young Adult Fiction– Annette Pollert, Editor: Pulse (Simon & Schuster)

Great Expectations. Deadline December 11, 2010. Great Expectations is no longer accepting mailed entries. Electronic entry fees will be processed through Paypal. Mailed entry fees will be deposited January 15, 2010. Entry consists of a single page query letter and 25 manuscript pages.

Note the Eligibility Requirements:

Open to everyone meeting these requirements:

• Entrants must be unpublished and uncontracted in book-length romantic fiction, or
• Published authors must be unpublished and uncontracted in the category entered.

Final Round Judges:

Contemporary Series, Victoria Curran, Editor with Harlequin Books

Erotic Romance, Katherine Pelz, Editorial Assistant with Berkley Heat

Historical, Megan Records, Associate Editor, Kensington Books

Inspirational, Natalie Hanemann, Senior Editor with Thomas Nelson

Mainstream with Romantic Elements, Danielle Poiesz, Editor Pocket Books

Romantic Suspense, Elizabeth Bistrow, Editor, New American Library

Single Title, Holly Blanck, Assistant Editor with St. Martin’s Press

Specialized, Talia Platz, Editorial Assistant with New American Library

Young Adult, Meredith Giordan, Editor, Berkley Books






Just For Fun!


WOW: Women On Writing Fiction Quarterly Contest. Open September - November 30th, Midnight (Pacific Time). "WOW! hosts a (quarterly) writing contest every three months. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, communication, and well-rewarded recognition to contestants. The contest is open globally; age is of no matter; and entries must be in English. We are open to all styles of writing, although we do encourage you to take a close look at our guest judge for the season and the flavor of our sponsor, if you are serious about winning. We love creativity, originality, and light-hearted reads. That's not to say that our guest judge will feel the same... so go wild! Express yourself, and most of all, let's have some fun!"

Maximum: 750--Minimum: 250 The title is not to be counted in your word count. We use MS Word's word count to determine the submitted entry's word count.Open Prompt: Open to any style and genre. From horror to romance!

Entry Fee: $10.00 We are limiting the amount of entries to a maximum of 300 stories. Please enter early to ensure inclusion. If we reach 300 entries, we will disable the PayPal buttons.

Check out the great prizes, including cash! Final judge is Literary Agent, Wendy Sherman.





Folger's Home For the Holiday's Essay Contest- Deadline November 30th.

Create an original essay describing "What is the best part of wakin' up at home during the holidays with Folgers® coffee?" ("Essay"). Essay must be in English and must be 200 words or less. Go to www.folgers.com/holiday during the Contest Period and follow the on-screen directions to submit your Essay. Entries must be received by Noon ET on 11/30/10. Enter as often as you wish, but each Essay entered must be different. Entrant must be the sole creator of the Essay. Essay may not have won a previous award, may not have been published previously.


Grand Prizes: Each consists of a seven-day/six-night trip for Winner and up to 3 guests to travel to Winner's home destination within the 48 contiguous United States (collectively "Trip"). Trip includes round-trip coach airfare between a U.S. gateway airport in the 48 contiguous United States nearest the Winner's residence (selected by Sponsor in its sole discretion) and the major commercial airport nearest the Winner's selected home destination, room accommodations (one room/quadruple occupancy) for six nights at a hotel designated by Sponsor, seven day use of a full size rental car (certain restrictions apply) designated by Sponsor, $1,000 spending money, one digital camera, and a Folgers Gift Basket. The approximate retail value ("ARV") of each prize: $7,900.


That's it for November!



Did anyone miss my subtle hints above. Extended deadlines means they need entries, which really makes your odds skyrocket.

What do you say? Are you up to the challenge???

September Seekerville Contest Update

Welcome to the September Contest Update. The contest vault is open and all you have to do for a shot at two copies of Ruth Logan Herne's newest release, Ready Made Family, is tell us what your contest plans are for September. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.



Ready or not here's the Golden Heart and RITA submission time line for 2011 More info available on the RWA website:

GH

September 21, 2010
Golden Heart contest will open for entries. Contest entry form will be available on this date.

November 15, 2010
Entry forms and fees must be received by the RWA Office.

December 2, 2010
Entered works must be received in the RWA Office. Failure to meet this deadline shall result in disqualification and forfeiture of the entry fee.


December 30, 2010
Preliminary-round judging begins.

March 1, 2011
Preliminary-round score sheets due to RWA Office.

March 25, 2011
Notification will be sent to finalists by two-day delivery. Phone calls to notify finalists will also commence. Release of official finalist list on RWA website by 2 p.m. CT.


RITA

September 21, 2010
RITA contest entry is available for Eligible Novels and Novellas. Contest entry form will be available on this date.

December 1, 2010
Deadline for entry forms and fees to be received by the RWA Office.

January 4, 2011
Deadline for books to be received at the RWA Office. Failure to meet this deadline will result in disqualification and forfeiture of the entry fee.

January 20, 2011
Preliminary-round judging begins.

March 9, 2011
Preliminary-round score sheets due to RWA Office.

March 25, 2011
Notification will be sent to finalists by two-day delivery. Phone calls to notify finalists will also commence. Release of official finalist list on RWA website by 2 p.m. CT.

Unpublished Contests

Finally a Bride. Electronic Deadline September 10th (Extended!). THANKS RENEE! Each manuscript must have finaled, but not won in a previous RWA or RWA chapter-sponsored contest. Submit the first thirty pages of your manuscript. The first place winner in each category will receive a lovely engraved knife and cake server, suitable for cutting the cake in celebration of THE CALL. In addition, any book that is published as a result of this contest will receive a free entry into the National Readers' Choice Award the first year of eligibility. TWO EDITORS JUDGES EACH CATEGORY.

Traditional/Inspirational
Melissa Endlich -- Steeple Hill
Barbara Scott -- Abingdon Press

Series Contemporary
Patience Smith -- Silhouette
Wanda Ottewell -- Harlequin

Romantic Suspense
Charles Griemsman -- Silhouette
Alex Logan -- Grand Central Publishing

Historical/ Regency
Deb Werksman -- Casablanca Sourcebooks
Carly Corcoran -- Harlequin Historical

Paranormal/Time-Travel/Futuristic/Fantasy
Margo Lipschultz -- HQN
TBA

Mainstream with Romantic Elements
Keyren Gerlach -- HQN
Esi Sogah -- Avon

YA
Anne Bensson -- St. Martin's
Leah Wilson - BenBella Books




Launching a STAR. Electronic deadline of September 8. First 25 pages. One editor and one agent judge in each category. The overall contest winner has a star named in their honor through the International Star Registry. An engraved, star-shaped paperweight is presented to the first place winner of each category, and stars cover the frameable certificate provided to all finalists.

BTW The *Launching A Star Contest* is low on *Inspirational *and *Romantic
Suspense* categories.

FINAL JUDGES:

Single Title:Selina McLenmore, Grand Central-Becca Stumpf, Prospect Agency

General Paranormal:Meredith Giordan, Berkley/Jove-Laurie Mclean, Larsen-Pomada Agcy

Futuristic/Fantasy:Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester-Suzie Townsend, FinePrint Literary

Historical:Talia Platz, North American Library-Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Agcy

Series Contemporary:Susan Litman, Harlequin Special Edition-Roberta Brown, Brown Agcy

Romantic Suspense:Katherine Pelz, Berkley-Laura Bradford, The Bradford Agency
Inspirational:Natalie Hanemann, Thomas Nelson-Rachelle Gardner, WordServe Lit.
Young Adult:Kristin Daly, Harper Collins-Elaine Spencer, The Knight Agency

Gateway to the Best. Deadline September 10. Electronic entry includes the first 25 pages. Each entry will be judged by three experienced judges with the lowest of the three scores dropped from the final tabulation. The Grand Prize Winner will receive US $100, a full reading and critique of her entire manuscript by a MORWA Published Author, a certificate, and a "Gateway to the Best Grand Prize Winner" electronic banner announcing the win for the author’s website. The final judges for each category are:
Contemporary Series - Laura Barth, Editor, Harlequin
Historical - Esi Sogah, Editor, Avon
Single Title - Katherine Pelz, Editor, Berkley
Paranormal - LaToya Smith, Editor, Grand Central Publishing
Romantic Suspense - Margo Lipschultz, Editor, Harlequin
Young Adult - Kathy Dawson, Editor, Dial Books/Penguin Group




Fiction From the Heartland. Deadline September 10. Prologue/First Chapter and Synopsis (35 pages total). Finalists entries will be judged by both an editor and an agent. Each entrant will receive two one-page written critiques and detailed score sheets. This is a snail mail contest and electronic contest.

Manuscripts that final are read by BOTH an Editor and an AGENT

Editors
Category Romance - Susan Litman, Harlequin/Silhouette
Contemporary Single Title - Danielle Poiesz, Pocket Books
Historical - Tessa Woodward, Avon Books
Romantic Suspense - Lauren Plude, Grand Central Publishing
Paranormal - Meredith Giordan, Berkley Publishing Group
Erotic Romance - Meghan Conrad, Ellora's Cave Young Adult - Natashya Wilson, Harlequin Teen
Inspirational - Melissa Endlich, Steeple Hill

Agents

• Sara Megibow, Nelson Literary Agency
• Helen Breitwieser, Cornerstone Literary Agency
• Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary
• Agency Karen Solem, Spencerhill Associates
• Claudia Cross, Sterling Lord Literistic

Beacon Award, Unpublished. October 1 deadline. Electronic Entries only. The first 30 pages. First place per category - Beacon Lapel Pin, and .gif for website (if applicable).
Final Round Judges:

Single Title / Contemporary
Editor: Georgia Woods - Samhain
Agent: TBA

Erotic Romance
Editor: Raelene Gorlinski - Elora's Cave
Agent: TBA

Contemporary Series
Editor: Rhonda Penders - Wild Rose Press
Agent: Michelle Grajkowski - 3 Seas Literary Agency

Romantic Suspense
Editor: Tessa Woodward - Harper Collins Publishers
Agent: Paige Wheeler - Folio Literary Agency

Paranormal
Editor: Leis Pederson - Penguin / Berkley
Agent: TBA

Inspirational
Editor: Elizabeth Mazer - Steeple Hill
Agent: TBA

Chick Lit / Mainstream
Editor: Mercedes Fernandez - Kensington
Agent: TBA

Young Adult
Editor: TBA
Agent: Sara Crowe - Harvey Klinger Agency

Historical
Editor: TBA
Agent: Amy Boggs - Donald Maass Literary Agencyp

First Kiss. October 1 e-deadline. Send the scene from your book where your couple first kisses. The scene should convey the emotion and romantic conflict between the characters, sparkle with creative dialogue, description, and characterization, and move the story forward. As one of our authors said, “Good kiss scenes are essentially emotional discoveries. The first kiss brings a new closeness… but also a new set of complications.” The final judge is Patience Smith, Senior Editor, Silhouette Romantic Suspense at Harlequin, will judge six finalists.
Cash Prizes. Submission : 10 page maximum scene, plus one set up page.

The Suzannah. October 1 e-deadline. Limit 120 entries. Entry should be a maximum of 7,200 words (including synopsis that can be any length, so long as entire entry does NOT exceed 7,200).

"The Suzannah is different from most other writers’ contests in that published authors and unpublished writers all compete against one another in a single pool of entries without categories. Yep, you read that right. Published and unpublished writers all hashing it out together for a spot as one of the six finalists. The only criteria we require is that the manuscript fit within the romance genre and that it be unpublished and uncontracted."


The final round judges will rank each of the six finalists from 1st place to 6th place. The total of all the rankings will be added and the lowest ranking entry will win the grand prize. No other rankings will be given. The respective rankings of the 5 other finalists will not be publicized and all 5 will be listed (and celebrated) on all publicity as finalists, without regard to final round ranking. (see FAQs for examples.) The entrants will receive their final score, but information regarding which judges gave which score will not be given.


Grand Prize Winner Receives Three hundred dollars in cash, donated in memory of romance author Suzannah Nelson Davis, and a trophy.
Final Round
All six finalists will have their entries evaluated by the full panel of agents and editors.

• Danielle Poiesz - Pocket Books
• Emmanuelle Alspaugh -- Judith Ehrlich Literary
• Alexandra Machinist -- Linda Chester Literary Agency
• Jill Marsal -- Marsall Lyon Literary Agency
• Keyren Gerlach -- Harlequin/Silhouette
• Lauren Plude, Grand Central Publishing
• Dr. Julie Nelson, sponsor of The Suzannah

MERA: Synospis is not a Four-Letter Word. October 1 deadline. USPS and electronic entries. Submit a synopsis of ten pages or less.The top entry in each category will go to a final judge, an acquiring editor, to choose the overall winner.
Categories: Contemporary Romance- Historical Romance - Paranormal Romance -Romantic Suspense - Romance Elements.

Ask us to write a synopsis (which we hate) and don't tell us the final judge. Arrgh.





Get Your Stiletto In The Door. e-deadline is October 2. First 5,000 words and an optional synopsis.
Final Round Slate Judges for 2010:

Single Title:
Agent: Paige Wheeler, Folio Literary Management
Editor: Amanada Bergeron, Harper-Collins

Women’s Fiction:
Agent: Scott Eagan, Greyhaus Literary Agency
Editor: Leis Pederson, The Berkley Publishing Group

Thrill:
Agent: TBA
Editor: Kathleen Gilligan, St. Martin’s Press

Paranormal:
Agent: Chelsea M. Gilmore, Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc.
Editor: Megan Records, Kensington Publishing

Inspirational:
Agent: Kelly Mortimer, Mortimer Literary Agency
Editor: Beth Adams, Guideposts Books

Red Hot:
Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency
Editor: Sharon DeVita, Red Sage Publishing

Young Adult:
Agent: Mandy Hubbard, D4EO Literary Agency
Editor: Emilia Rhodes, Simon Pulse





The Emily. Deadline October 7. All electronic. Submit the first 7 thousand words of your manuscript. No synopsis. Each finalist will go to both an editor and an agent and a bookseller.

TALK ABOUT BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!!!

Contemporary Single Title

Agent – Jessica Faust, Bookends, LLC
Editor – Frances Jalet-Miller, Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group USA
Bookseller – Stacy Morris, Katy Budget Books

Contemporary Series
Agent – Scott Eagan, Greyhaus Literary Agency
Editor – Patience Smith, Harlequin Enterprises, Silhouette Romantic Suspense
Bookseller – Diana Perini, Barnes & Noble (Town and Country)

Erotic Romance
Agent – Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency
Editor – Martin Biro, Kensington Publishing
Bookseller – Arshi Naqvi, Katy Budget Books

Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal
Agent – Emmanuelle Morgen, Judith Ehrlich Literary Management
Editor – Amanda Bergeron of Avon Books, HarperCollins Publishers
Bookseller – Gary Robson, Red Lodge Books

Historical Romance
Agent – Jenny Bent, The Bent Agency
Editor – Caitlin Alexander, Random House, Inc.
Bookseller – Kathy Robson, Red Lodge Books

Novel with Elements of Romance
Agent – Stephany Evans, FinePrint Literary Management
Editor – Esi Sogah, Avon Books, HarperCollins Publishers
Bookseller – Teresa Kennedy, The Book Cellar

Romantic Suspense
Agent – Elizabeth Pomada – Michael Larsen, Elizabeth Pomada Literary Agents
Editor – Susan Litman, Silhouette Special Editions, Harlequin Enterprises
Bookseller – John Kwiatkowski – Murder By The Book

Young Adult
Agent – Holly Root, Waxman Literary Agency
Editor – Sarah Shumway, Katherine Tegen Books, HarperCollins Publishers
Bookseller – Cathy Berner – Blue Willow Bookshop

Best of the Best is a competition between the first place winners of each category. The winner will receive a critique of the first 50 pages by the fabulous Leis Pederson, Berkley Books, Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Best of the Best Judges:
Booksellers – Jan Crow and Karla Hoode, Katy Budget Books
Bookseller – Kay Meriam, Barnes & Noble





And There's More...




Mills & Boon New Voices! First Chapter submission period is September 6-22. Each chapter may not be longer than 10 thousand words. The Writing Contest is open only to legal residents of the U.K., U.S., Canada (excluding Quebec), Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Check out all the details on the New Voices site.


The winner of the competition will win some fantastic prizes, including publication of the winning entry by Mills & Boon and a Mills & Boon editor for a year!

How Do I Enter?
Anyone who hasn’t been published before can enter the competition; all you need to do is upload the first chapter of your Mills & Boon novel to the M&B New Voices website. There’ll be just one entry per person allowed, so make sure that it’s your best! So, get writing!

How Will It Work?
There’ll be FOUR stages to the competition:

Stage One
We want everyone to upload the first chapter of their Mills & Boon novel! The best bit is that you’ll be able to read everyone else’s entry as well – and be able to comment on them too. Let’s get the romance debate going!

Stage Two
The Mills & Boon editorial team will whittle down all the entries to just ten finalists, who’ll be asked to write the second chapter of their Mills & Boon novel.

Stage Three
We’ll ask YOU to vote for your favourite entry out of the top ten. Along with the judges, you’ll decide on the four finalists who go through to the next round!

Stage Four
The finalists will write the ‘pivotal moment’ of their Mills & Boon novel. Then, with the judges, you’ll decide the winner by voting for your favourite.




Now go forth and contest!

August Contest Update

The next six weeks are the busiest contest entry weeks
an unpublished author will see this year.
Are YOU ready?
What are your contest plans?

Share with us for a chance to win Mary Connealy's Doctor In Petticoats.

And for Julie Hilton Steele a few links to contest entering.

Pimp Your Contest Entry

Staging Your Manuscript

Contests: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Savvy Diva's Guide to Contests

Published Contests

The Laurel Wreath Award. Deadline August 31. The contest is judged exclusively by booksellers. The winners of each category are awarded a Laurel Wreath Award Pendant. Books must have a copyright date of 2009. Electronic books appearing for the first time in print in 2009 are also eligible for entry.

Categories:
Short Contemporary (50,000 to 70,000 words)
Long Contemporary (over 70,000 words)
Romantic Suspense
Historical / Regency
Romantic Elements
Paranormal / Time Travel / Fantasy/ Futuristic

Unpublished Contests

Dixie Kane Memorial Contest. Deadline Extended to Postmark July 31. NO ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS. Entry consists of the first five (5) pages double spaced and a synopsis (one page, single-spaced, not judged). Prizes: $50 cash prize with tie breaker and special certificate for the overall highest score of all categories. Also, first place winning entries will be sent to final judges for reading and potential requests for full or partial ms. First, second, third place, and honorable mention certificates. Winners announcements in RWR, posted to SOLA’s website, New Orleans Times Picayune and other publications.

Judges and Categories:

Short/long series contemporary, Rhonda Penders, Editor-in-Chief, The Wild Rose Press
Single title contemporary, Debra Dixon, Editor, Bell Bridge Books
Paranormal, Lill Farrell, Editor, The Wild Rose Press
Inspirational, Nicke Martinez, Editor, White Rose Publishing
Novel w/ strong romantic elements, Rhonda Penders, Editor-in-Chief, The Wild Rose Press
Romantic suspense, Lori Graham, Editor, The Wild Rose Press
Historical romance, Nicole D’Arienzo, Editor, The Wild Rose Press
Erotic Romance, Alicia Rasley, Editor, Red Sage Publishing




The Golden Rose. Electronic Deadline August 7. Entry consists of the first FIFTY pages. Optional one page synopsis that will not be judged.

Judges and Categories:

Contemporary Series – Susan Litman, Editor, Harlequin
Single Title Contemporary – Megan Records, Editor, Kensington
Historical – Emmanuelle Alspaugh, Agent, Judith Ehrlich Literary Management
Paranormal, Fantasy, and Futuristic – Alexandra Machinist, Agent, Linda Chester Literary Agency
Romantic Suspense – Kristin Sevick, Editor, Tor
Young Adult – Andrea Somberg, Agent, Harvey Klinger, Inc.
Novel w/Strong Romantic Elements - Amberly Finarelli, Agent, Andrea Hurst & Associates




Golden Palm. Electronic Deadline August 15. Entry consists of the first 25 pages and NO synopsis.

Judges and Categories:

Short/Long Contemporary: Wanda Ottewell, Editor, Harlequin
Single Title: Adam Wilson, Editor, Mira
Mainstream with Romantic Elements: Lucy Childs, Agent, The Aaron Priest Agency
Historical: Erika Tsang, Editor, Avon
Paranormal/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Time Travel: Eric Raab, Editor, TOR




Golden Pen. Electronic Deadline August 15. This contest closely parallels the Golden Heart and is presented by the Golden Network of past Golden Heart finalists. Entry shall include a synopsis plus manuscript pages, together totaling not more than 55 pages. The synopsis may not be longer than 10 pages.
Judges and Categories:

Series Contemporary – Susan Litman, Harlequin
Single Title – Katherine Pelz, Berkley
Historical – Leis Pederson, Berkley
Paranormal – Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks
Romantic Suspense – Holly Blanck, St. Martins
Inspirational – Melissa Enlich, Steeple Hill
Young Adult – Regina Griffin, Egmont USA

Novel with Strong Romantic Elements – Valerie Gray, Mira




On The Far Side. Electronic Deadline August 29. Entries shall consist of first 20 pages of manuscript plus an optional, unjudged 2 page maximum synopsis of the novel. A prologue and/or second chapter may be included if within total page guidelines.
Categories and Judges:

Romantic Elements: Alexandra Machinist, Linda Chester Literary Agency
Futuristic: Danielle Rose Poiesz, Editor, Gallery Books/Pocket Books
Paranormal: Sara Megibow, Nelson Literary Agency
Time Travel: Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks
Fantasy: Sarah LaPolla, Curtis Brown, Ltd.
Young Adult: Melissa Frain, Editor, Tor/Forge Books




Show Me The Spark! Electronic Deadline August 31. Enter the first 25 pages of your manuscript or current work in progress. $25.00 Cash Prize or Border's Gift Card (Winner's Choice) Short Sleeved Chambray Shirt.

Categories and Judges:

Contemporary -- Susanna Einstein -- LJK Literary Management
Erotica -- Elaine P. Englis
Historical -- Alexandra Machinist -- Linda Chester Literary Agency
Inspirational -- Kelly Gottuso Mortimer -- Mortimer Literary Agency
Paranormal / Sci-Fi / Fantasy -- Jewelann Cone -- Cascade Literary Agency
Romantic Suspense -- Jill Marsal -- Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
Young Adult -- Holly Root -- Waxman Literary Agency




Hold Me, Thrill Me! Electronic Deadline September 1st. Entry consists of the first 20 pages.

Categories and Judges:

Contemporary: Roberta Brown, Brown Literary Agency
Historical: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency
Paranormal: Joe Veltre, The Veltre Company
Romantic Suspense: Elaine English, Elaine English Literary Agency
Young Adult: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency



Hot Prospects. Electronic Deadline and Postmarked Deadline September 1st. This contest is open to both published and unpublished authors. Entry consists of a synopsis (up to five pages) and the first 25 pages of the manuscript.

The winner can choose between a book trailer, static banner and active banner from Firebird Web Designs for the book of their choice (a $300.00 value) or $100.00 USD.

Categories and Judges:

Historical/Regency
Editor - TBA
Agent - Sharene Martin-Brown, Author Representative, Wylie-Merrick Literary Agency

Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal
Editor - Jennifer Enderlin, St. Martins' Press
Agent - Amy Boggs, Associate Agent, Donald Maass Literary Agency

Romantic Suspense
Editor - Katherine N. Pelz, The Berkley Publishing Group
Agent - TBA

Contemporary Long/Single Title
Editor - Deb Werksmen , Sourcebooks, Inc.
Agent - Elaine Spencer, Associate Agent, The Knight Agency

Series Contemporary
Editor - Johanna Raisanen, Harlequin
Editor - Leanne Morgena, Senior Editor, The Wild Rose Press



Melody of Love. Electronic Deadline September 1st. Enter your manuscript’s first 25 (or fewer) pages, no synopsis. Contest limited to the first 75 entries. Finalists may be asked to submit a synopsis. Cash prizes.

Categories and Judges:

Contemporary: Beth Miller, Writers House Agency
Paranormal: Holly Root, Waxman Literary Agency
Historical: Elaine Spencer, Knight Agency




Finally a Bride. Electronic Deadline September 3rd. Each manuscript must have finaled, but not won in a previous RWA or RWA chapter-sponsored contest. Submit the first thirty pages of your manuscript. The first place winner in each category will receive a lovely engraved knife and cake server, suitable for cutting the cake in celebration of THE CALL. In addition, any book that is published as a result of this contest will receive a free entry into the National Readers' Choice Award the first year of eligibility. TWO EDITORS JUDGES EACH CATEGORY.

Traditional/Inspirational
Melissa Endlich -- Steeple Hill
TBA

Series Contemporary
Patience Smith -- Silhouette
Wanda Ottewell -- Harlequin

Romantic Suspense
Charles Griemsman -- Silhouette
Alex Logan -- Grand Central Publishing

Historical/ Regency
Deb Werksman -- Casablanca Sourcebooks
Chris Keeslar -- Dorchester

Paranormal/Time-Travel/Futuristic/Fantasy
Margo Lipschultz -- HQN
TBA

Mainstream with Romantic Elements
Keyren Gerlach -- HQN
TBA

Just For Fun

Swords & Sorcery Contest. Entry is free. From Scribophile. Amazon gift card prizes. Your entry must be fantasy short story under 3000 words. Entries must be received by August 15, 2010, and winners will be announced within two weeks of that date. Entries will be judged by the Scribophile staff, taking into consideration the ratings given by Scribophile members. Decisions are final. Only one entry is allowed per member. Multiple entries will all be disqualified.

WOW: Women On Writing Fiction Quarterly Contest: June - August 31st, Midnight (Pacific Time). "WOW! hosts a (quarterly) writing contest every three months. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, communication, and well-rewarded recognition to contestants. The contest is open globally; age is of no matter; and entries must be in English. They are open to all styles of writing, although they do encourage you to take a close look at the guest judge for the season and the flavor of our sponsor, if you are serious about winning. They 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!"

Maximum: 750--Minimum: 250 The title is not to be counted in your word count. Use MS Word's word count to determine the submitted entry's word count.Open Prompt: Open to any style and genre. From horror to romance!

Entry Fee: $10.00 Entries limited to a maximum of 300 stories. Please enter early to ensure inclusion. At 300 entries, PayPal buttons are disabled.

Check out the great prizes, including cash! Final judge is Literary Agent, Kathleen Ortiz.



Now go forth and contest!

June Contest Update

We're heading into the sixth month of year!
Unbelievable.
What are you doing to get your manuscripts
out there into the world?


Comment today for a chance to win Alicia Rasley's,
The Power of Point of View.


The Power of Point of View explores the complex but
essential subject of character Point of View in an
interactive and non-judgmental fashion.
It's for you if you want more than just "first-person/third person",
and if you're tired of rules and are ready to make
your own decisions about POV in your own story.

Unpublished Contests

Maggie Unpublished Division. Deadline June 5. All electronic. Limited to first 70 entries in each category. The Maggie is a highly prestigious contest and not for beginners. Entrants do not receive scores. Entry to consist of synopsis and prologue (if applicable) and first chapter(s). Total number of pages may not exceed 35 per entry. Judges TBA.

Single Title: LaToya Smith, Grand Central Publishing
Paranormal/Fantasy: Esi Sogah, Avon
Historical: Danielle Poiesz, Pocket Books
Contemporary Series Romance: Kathryn Lye, Harlequin
Inspirational: David Long, Bethany House (the contest is low on Inspy entries!!)




The Lone Star. Deadline June 6. All electronic contest. First 25 pages, including prologue, if desired. 20$ Early bird special good until May 23rd. What a bang for your buck with editor and agent judge and early bird discount. (Low on Inspy entries!)
Final judges:

Inspirational Category:
Editor - Lindsay Guzzardo – Guideposts Books
Agent - Tamela Hancock Murray – Hartline Literary

Young Adult Category:
Editor – Kat O'She – Leap Books
Agent –Tina Wexler – International Creative Management

Romantic Suspense Category:
Editor: Leis Pederson – Penguin
Agent: Tina Tsallas – Great Titles, Inc.

Contemporary Series Category:
Editor: Wanda Ottewell, Harlequin
Agent: Pam Strickler with Pam Strickler Author Management

Single Title Category:
Editor: Deb Werksman – Sourcebooks
Agent: Lois Winston – Ashley Grayson Literary Agency

Historical Category:
Editor: Alicia Condon – Kensington
Agent: Sara Megibow – Nelson Literary Agency

Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Category:
Editor: Tara Gavin – Harlequin Nocturne
Agent: Alexandra Machinist with Linda Chester Agency




Heart of the Rockies. All electronic. Deadline is June 15. Nine categories with achievement awards given in each. Entries are limited to the first 215 received. Submission consisting of the first two chapters and the complete 1-5 page synopsis, saved in RTF format only, total entry is not to exceed 35 double-spaced pages.

Final round judges are as follows:
Short Contemporary: Shana Smith, Editorial Asst/Harlequin Books
Long Contemporary: Victoria Curran, Editor/Harlequin Books
Single Title: Alexandra Machinist, Agent/Linda Chester Literary Agency
Paranormal/Time Travel/Futuristic/Fantasy: Alicia Condon, Editor/Kensington Books
Historical: Tess Woodward, Associate Editor/Avon
Romantic Suspense: Melissa Jeglinski, Agent/The Knight Agency
Inspirational Category: Jen Leep, Editorial Director/Revell Books, Baker Publishing Group
Erotic: Kelli Collins, Editor-in-Chief/Ellora’s Cave
Mainstream w/Romantic Elements: Danielle Poiesz, Pocket Books




Put Your Heart In A Book. Electronic contest. Deadline June 15. Another big bang for your buck contest. Entry fee $35. Entry consist of a SYNOPSIS and FIRST chapter ONLY, not to exceed 30 pages combined.

Final Round Judges:An agent, editor and multi-published author will judge the final entries.

Short Contemporary
Agent: Sharlene Martin-Brown, Wylie-Merrick Literary Agency
Editor: Susan Litman, Silhouette Special Edition
Multi-published Author: Shirley Hailstock

Single-Title Contemporary
Agent: Pam Strickler, Pam Strickler Agency
Editor: Brenda Chin, HQN
Multi-published Author: Robyn Carr

Historical
Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency
Editor: Alicia Condon, Kensington
Multi-published Author: Madeline Hunter

Paranormal
Agent: Cori Deyoe, Three Seas Literary Agency
Editor: Holly Blanck, St. Martin’s Press
Multi-published Author: Deborah Cooke

Romantic Elements
Agent: Emily Sylvan Kim, Prospect Agency
Editor: Patience Smith, Silhouette Intrigue
Multi-published author: Dee Davis



Indiana Golden Opportunity Contest. Electronic only. Deadline June 27. Entries are limited to the first 40 entries in each category. Each entry shall be no longer than 35 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:Maureen Walters, Curtis Brown, LTD
Paranormal:Alicia Condon, Kensington
Romantic Suspense :Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks
Single Title:Latoya Smith, Grand Central Publishing
Young Adult:Holly Root, Waxman Literary Agency (YA entries do not have to be romance)
Best-of-the-Best:Meredith Giordan, Berkley Publishing



Heart of the West. Electronic Contest . Deadline July 1st. Contest is open to published and unpublished authors. Unpublished authors are ranked separately from published authors. Published authors may submit only unpublished, uncontracted manuscripts.

Contemporary-ELIZABETH POMADA, Michael Larson, Elizabeth Pomada Literary Agents;
Historical, BARBARA POELLE, The Irene Goodman Literary Agency;
Paranormal, GAIL FORTUNE, The Talbot Fortune Agency LLC;
Mystery/Suspense, DANIELLE ROSE POIESZ, Gallery/Pocket Books;
Young Adult, ANN BURKHARDT, Kimberly Cameron and Associates
Published, TBA.



Published Contests

2009 Golden Leaf Contest. Entrants must register for the contest by June 10, 2009 via email or regular mail. Entry forms and books must be post­marked by July 10, 2009 and received by July 15, 2009.

Worth joining the NJRW for this contest. 25th Anniversary Special — The Golden Leaf Contest will be FREE for NJRW PAN members! The Golden Leaf is awarded annually for excellence in romance fiction by authors who are NJRW members or in RWA Region One. Romance novels with a first copyright date or first North American printing date of August 2008 through July 2009 are eligible for entry.

Best First Book
Historical
Long Contemporary
Novella
Paranormal
Traditional Regency
Short Contemporary
Single Title Release


Just For Fun

The Third Annual, Real Simple, Life Lessons Essay Contest. Opens June 1 and ends on September 24.


Finish this sentence: “I never thought I’d. . .”

Have you ever taken a huge, surprising risk? Did you climb a mountain? Go back to school? Get married (again)? Tell us about it: Enter Real Simple’s Third-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; and 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.






That's it for June. Now go forth and contest!

April Contest Update

April is upon us and along with it another bright and shiny new opportunity to take flight and enter your manuscript in a contest or your 2009 book in a published contest.


Today the Seekerville prize vault is open with an opportunity to win a surprise package mailed from the heart of downtown Seekerville to you. Just post a hello in the comments-and if you don't leave a method of contact or a link back, then you can't win.

Winner announced in the weekend edition. See contest guidelines lower right for our contest rules. BTW Seekerville and our wonderful guests have given away more than 150 prizes, that include books, gift cards, chocolate, coffee, critiques and surprises in the last year. So don't be shy. Say hi!



Unpublished Contests



Touched By Love. An inspirational romance contest. Deadline April 1st. Categories: Short Contemporary (under 75, 000 words), Long Contemporary (over 75,000 words) and Historical. An entry consists of up to the first 30 pages of an unpublished manuscript and an unjudged synopsis (no more than two pages double-spaced). Finalists will receive the opportunity to have their entry judged by five published inspirational authors. The winner will be announced at the 2010 RWA National Conference. There will be three finalists in the three categories. There will be a winner in each category and an overall winner from the three categories. You have until midnight April 1st to get your fees and electronic entry in.




Spring Into Romance. Deadline extended to April 2 postmark. One of the few non electronic contests. Entry consists of the first 25 pages.
Contemporary Series/Category Romance: Jenny Hutton, Mills & Boon
Contemporary Single Title Romance: Leis Pederson, Berkley Publishing Group
Suspense/Adventure Romance: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
Novel w/Strong Romantic Elements/Mainstream: Adam Wilson, MIRA Books
Historical Romance: TBA
Paranormal Romance: Megan Records, Kensington
Young Adult Romance: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency




27th Annual Orange Rose Contest for Unpublished Writers. Limited to the first 150 entries. Deadline is April 10. Submit synopsis and manuscript up to 55 pages total. Electronic Entry for Non U.S. Resident RWA Members only.This contest offers three in-depth critiques by published authors. The Top 10 finalists are judged by Editors.The contest is open to any writer meeting the following criteria: Must be a member in good standing of RWA National-Has not published or been contracted in book length fiction in the last five years-The entry must have a projected minimum length of 50,000 words.The categories are:Contemporary Category Romance, Historical, Inspirational,Mainstream w/Romantic Elements,Paranormal/Time Travel/Fantasy,Romantic Suspense, Single Title Romance (over 70,000 words),Erotic Romance. Finalist judges not listed. (Read the rules carefully for this contest. Orange Rose finalists are chosen by overall score NOT by category.)




Royal Ascot Contest. Deadline April 20th. The Royal Ascot is a contest devoted to the promotion of Regency Romances by encouraging the development of unpublished authors who set stories in the Regency Period. Entry consists of the beginning of manuscript and synopsis: maximum 8500 words in the text of manuscript and synopsis combined. Category info and final judges:

Regency Historical (longer Regency or Mainstream Regency-set)
Final Judge: Leis Pederson, Editor, Berkley
Hot Regency (Very sensual to Erotic Regency, at author's discretion)
Final Judge: Deb Werksman, Editor, Sourcebooks
Wild Regency (Paranormal, Time Travel, other similar Regency)
Final Judge: Tessa Woodward, Editor, Avon
Sweet & Mild Regency (Traditional, Inspirational, Young Adult or other without explicit sex)
Final Judge: Nicole D'Arienzo, Senior Editor, The Wild Rose Press
Short Regency (5,000 to 40,000 words) (Open to all authors, published and un-published)
Final Judge: Scott Eagan, The Greyhaus Agency




Break Up Your Winter Nights. May 1st deadline. Brought to you by the Alaska RWA.
Send your best "black moment" or break-up scene, no more than 10 pages. A brief set-up is optional. The top three entries will go to our final judge, Laurie M. Rauch of Samhain Publishing. The winning entry will receive a reading by Elizabeth Pomada of the Larsen-Pomada Literary Agency.




Magic Moment. Postmarked May 1st. Send the first ten (10) pages of your manuscript (either the first chapter or the prologue), and you will receive three detailed critiques. Final Round Judge: Miriam Kriss, Agent (Irene Goodman Agency) http://www.irenegoodman.com
First Place Winner will receive $100 and a certificate; Second and Third Place winners will receive certificates.



Weta Nichols Writing Contest. A very succinct contest by the Ozark Romance Authors with cash prizes. Deadline May 1st. Submit the first ten pages of your unfinished or finished novel (no short stories please,) in .doc format with one inch margins all around, double spaced, in 12 pitch Times New Roman font. Please send the first ten pages only, and no less than 7 pages. Stories should be previously unpublished and can be any genre, romance, sci-fi, mystery, etc.



Romancing the Script. Deadline May 1st. Final Judge Robert Gosnell. 1st Act, not to exceed the first 30 pages. TOP THREE WINNERS MUST SUBMIT THE FULL COMPLETED SCREENPLAY FOR CRITIQUE. Any genre as long as the A, B, OR C plotline contains romance.



TARA. Deadline May 1st. Electronic entries. The first chapter, 4,000 words max (actual word count), including prologue if applicable. *Word count will be verified. No part of a second or any additional chapters will be judged. Per editor request, finalists must include a synopsis of up to 1,500 words at the time they submit revised entry for final judging.
Series Contemporary: Wanda Ottewell, Harlequin
Historical: Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks
Paranormal: Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester
Single Title: Jhanteigh Kupihea, NAL
Women's Fiction: Amy Pierpont, Grand Central
Romantic Suspense: Peter Senftleben, Kensington
Inspirational: JoAnne Simmons, Barbour Books



Fool For Love. Deadline April 30th. ALL entrants must enter electronically. First chapter (up to 20 pages maximum) and optional synopsis (5 pages maximum). A prologue may be included with the first chapter as long as the entry does not exceed 20 pages.
Short Contemporary - TBA
Long Contemporary - Katelynn Lacopo, Literary Assistant, BookEnds, LLC
Historical - Lucy Gilmour, Harlequin Editor
Paranormal/Futuristic/Fantasy/Time Travel - Amanda Barnett, Senior Editor, The Wild Rose Press
Inspirational - Elizabeth Mazer, Assistant Editor, Steeple Hill
Romantic Suspense - TBA



The 26th Annual Colorado Gold Writing Contest. Contest opens April 1 and the deadline is June 1. Submission is the first twenty pages and a synopsis. Categories include: romance, mystery, speculative fiction, action/thriller and mainstream fiction. Five category winners receive a $100 dollar prize. Final judge is an acquiring agent or editor. Check out the website for a contest instruction video!


Published Contests



The Maggies Published Division. Deadline is May 1st. Open to all RWA published romance novelists who meet RITA® guidelines for eligibility. Electronic and audio books may be entered. Such books must be presented in English, in print-book format produced by the publisher, complete with copyright page, in perfect or case binding, and printed on both sides of the page. All books must carry a copyright date between January 2009 and December 2009. If the minimum number of entries in a category is not met, the entry will be moved into the second-choice category. The Maggie is awarded in the following romance categories: Contemporary Series Romance, Historical(includes Regencies), Contemporary Single Title, Paranormal/Fantasy (includes time travel, futuristic, etc.),and Inspirational.







Just For Fun

Deadline is May 31st for the...Wow! Women on Writing Quarterly Flash Fiction Contest.

Word Count:Maximum: 750, Minimum: 250 OPEN PROMPT! That’s right, this is your chance to shine, and get creative. You can write about anything, as long as it’s within the word count and fiction. Entry cap at 300.

Any style and genre. From horror to romance! So, get creative, and most of all, have 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 Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency.

March Contest Update

March is the month to get in touch with your inner lion.
Be brave and enter a contest. You can do it!

And here's the Cowardly Lion song for Pepper!

As we wait for the 2010 RWA RITA and Golden Heart results to be announced on March 25th, it's time to prepare for a busy month of contests.

First, stop over at Chocolate Reality for a short and sweet contest to gauge your opening hook. Several Seekers are judging and it's free. Contest ends Saturday night, March 6th. What do you have to lose?


Today the prize vault is open and were giving away a little souvenir from Unpubbed Island to inspire you on your journey. One commenter today will receive a necklace created by Danikamon over at Etsy.com.




Unpublished Contests


Romance Through the Ages Contest. Deadline extended to March 8. Participation is open to both published and unpublished authors. Electronic submissions only. The contest entry shall consist of ONE (1) copy of the opening of the manuscript (including any prologue) not to exceed 30 pages. The contest entry shall also include a 1-2 page unjudged synopsis. Unjudged synopsis may be single or double-spaced.

Ancient/Medieval/Renaissance: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency

Georgian/Regency/Victorian: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Agency

Colonial/Western/Civil War: Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks

Post-Victorian-World War 2: Laurie M. Rausch, Samhain Publishing

Time Travel/Paranormal: Alicia Condon, Kensington

Historical Erotic: Audrey LaFehr, Kensington Books

Legend Award: Esi Sogah, Morrow/Avon Books



The Duel on the Delta: Entries must be received via e-mail by March 15, 2010 at Midnight CST. Contest entry includes the first fifteen (15) pages. You may include an optional one-page, single-spaced synopsis. The synopsis will not be judged, but may be used as a reference to answer questions that arise during judging. Romantic Suspense - Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks, Inc.
Categories and Final Judges:
Contemporary - J.L. Stermer, Donald Maass Literary Agency
Paranormal - Laurie Rauch, Samhain Publishing
Historical - Deborah Nemeth, Carina Press
Young Adult - Danielle Rose Poisez, Gallery/Pocket Books
Inspirational - Ami McConnell, Thomas Nelson
Mainstream - Angela James, Carina Press





The Daphne du Maurier Award: The 2010 contest is now open for entries. This is an all electronic contest. The contest is open to any writer who has never been contracted in book-length fiction (40,000 words or more) from any publisher. Any manuscript that has previously finaled in the Daphne including honorable mentions is not eligible for entry again.
There is no limit to the number of entries per author, but each entry may be entered in ONLY ONE category. Membership in Romance Writers of America ® and/or MRSRWA is not a requirement for entry. Contest entries will no longer be accepted after midnight, 3/15/2010 Mountain time. Entry includes the first chapter (5,000 words) and synopsis (675 words). No more than 27 pages total.

Final Round Judges have agreed to judge on the first fifteen pages (15 pages) of the entry. The additional ten pages are for final round judges who wish to continue reading.

Categories & Final Round Judges

Category (Series) Romantic Mystery/Suspense:Patience Smith, Silhouette Intimate Moments & Michelle Grajkowski, Three Seas Literary Agency

Historical Romantic Mystery/Suspense: Alex Logan, Grand Central Publishing & Kevin Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency

Inspirational Romantic/Mystery/Suspense: Caleb Sjogren, Tyndale House Publishers & Steve Laube Agency
Paranormal (PTTF) Romantic/Mystery/Suspense:Heather Osborn, Tor/Forge & Paige Wheeler, Folio Literary Management

Single Title Romantic/Mystery/Suspense: Margaret Marbury, MIRA/HQN & Stephanie Maclean, Trident Media Group

Mainstream Mystery/Suspense (Romance Optional)
Toni Plummer, St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne & Stacia Decker, Donald Maass Literary Agency




Spring Into Romance. Deadline March 19. One of the few non electronic contests. Entry consists of the first 25 pages.
Contemporary Series/Category Romance: Jenny Hutton, Mills & Boon
Contemporary Single Title Romance: Leis Pederson, Berkley Publishing Group
Suspense/Adventure Romance: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
Novel w/Strong Romantic Elements/Mainstream: Adam Wilson, MIRA Books
Historical Romance: TBA
Paranormal Romance: Megan Records, Kensington
Young Adult Romance: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency



Touch of Magic. Deadline for this all electronic contest is March 20. Touch of Magic has lowered their entry fees!! First twenty-five pages and a synopsis of no great than three pages. Some of the categories and rules have also changed, so read carefully. Categories include: Romantic Suspense -Young Adult -Historical -Paranormal -NSRE -Erotic Romance -Short Contemporary- Single Title . Judges not listed.



ACFW Genesis Contest is now open to entries! Deadline for this all electronic contest is March 31st, 8:00 am PST. The 2010 ACFW Genesis Contest is open to ACFW members unpublished in adult or young adult fiction in the last seven years. The entrant must submit the first 15 pages of their manuscript, double-spaced, and may include an optional one-page single-spaced synopsis. The manuscript and the synopsis must be in the same file, not in two different files.

Categories and Final Judges:

Contemporary Fiction: Beth Adams (editor, Guideposts), Stephanie Broene (editor, Tyndale), Barbara Scott (editor, Abingdon Press)

Contemporary Romance: Melissa Endlich (editor, Steeple Hill), Ami McConnell (editor, Thomas Nelson), JoAnne Simmons (editor, Barbour)

Historical Fiction: Janet Grant (agent, Books and Such Literary), Sarah Long (editor, Bethany House), Tamela Hancock Murray (agent, Hartline Literary)

Historical Romance: Natalie Hanemann (editor, Thomas Nelson), Charlene Patterson (editor, Bethany House), Emily Rodmell (editor, Steeple Hill)

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller: Sandra Bishop (agent, MacGregor Literary), Susan Brower (editor, Zondervan), Jan Stob (editor, Tyndale)

Romantic Suspense: Susan Downs (editor, Summerside Press), Tina James (editor, Steeple Hill), David Long (editor, Bethany House)

Speculative Fiction: Jeff Gerke (publisher, Marcher Lord Press), Julie Gwinn (Fiction Marketing Manager, B&H), Annie Tipton (editor, Barbour)

Women's Fiction: Rachelle Gardner (agent, Wordserve Literary), Natasha Kern (agent, Natasha Kern Literary), Raela Schoenherr (editor, Bethany House)

Young Adult: Jacque Alberta (editor, Zonderkidz), Terry Burns (agent, Hartline Literary), Rachel Zurakowski (agent, Books and Such Literary)



The Golden Acorn. Electronic only contest. You may reserve your spot via Paypal and then have up to March 31 to send you entry in. Entry consists of the first 20 pages of your work and 1 synopsis up to 5 pages double spaced. The synopsis will not be judged.
Contemporary Series Romance: Lucy Gilmour, Harlequin
Contemporary Single Title: Shauna Summers, Random House
Paranormal: Megan Records, Kensington
Historical: Sally Williamson, Harlequin



Touched By Love. An inspirational romance contest. Deadline April 1st. Categories: Short Contemporary (under 75, 000 words), Long Contemporary (over 75,000 words) and Historical. An entry consists of up to the first 30 pages of an unpublished manuscript and an unjudged synopsis (no more than two pages double-spaced). Finalists will receive the opportunity to have their entry judged by five published inspirational authors. The winner will be announced at the 2010 RWA National Conference. There will be three finalists in the three categories. There will be a winner in each category and an overall winner from the three categories.



27th Annual Orange Rose Contest for Unpublished Writers. Limited to the first 150 entries. Deadline is April 10. Submit synopsis and manuscript up to 55 pages total. Electronic Entry for Non U.S. Resident RWA Members only.This contest offers three in-depth critiques by published authors. The Top 10 finalists are judged by Editors.The contest is open to any writer meeting the following criteria: Must be a member in good standing of RWA National-Has not published or been contracted in book length fiction in the last five years-The entry must have a projected minimum length of 50,000 words.The categories are:Contemporary Category Romance, Historical, Inspirational,Mainstream w/Romantic Elements,Paranormal/Time Travel/Fantasy,Romantic Suspense, Single Title Romance (over 70,000 words),Erotic Romance. Finalist judges not listed. (Read the rules carefully for this contest. Orange Rose finalists are chosen by overall score NOT by category.)




The 26th Annual Colorado Gold Writing Contest. Contest opens April 1 and the deadline is June 1. Submission is the first twenty pages and a synopsis. Categories include: romance, mystery, speculative fiction, action/thriller and mainstream fiction. Five category winners receive a $100 dollar prize. Final judge is an acquiring agent or editor. Check out the website for a contest instruction video!






Published Contests


2010 Daphne Du Maurier Award, Published. The contest is open to those published in book-length fiction. There is no limit to the number of entries per author or per category, but each book may only be entered in one category and must have a 2008 copyright. Membership in Romance Writers of America and/or MRSRWA (KOD) is not required. Received by Mar 15, 2010.



More Than Magic: The deadline for entry is DEADLINE EXTENDED TO March 15, books received by March 22. The grand prize is the cash equivalent of the RWA national conference fee - $300-plus. New for this year: we’re accepting e-book entries as e-books!

Entries are low in:
Romantic Comedy (Chick Lit)
Sensual Contemporary
Sweet Contemporary
& Single Title



2009 ACFW Book of the Year Award .The contest is open to published ACFW members in good standing. An author can join ACFW at the time of entry by filling out a membership application and submitting the application along with the membership dues. All contest entry information and appropriate fees must be received by the contest coordinator no later than March 31, 2010.



The Beacon Published Division. Deadline April 1st. Contest open to books published between Jan 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009. Categories:
Contemporary Series Romance (all except Suspense/Adventure)
Contemporary Single Title Romance
Historical Romance/Regency Historical Romance
Inspirational Romance
Futuristic/Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Romantic Suspense/Contemporary Series Romance Suspense/Adventure
Novel with Strong Romantic Elements
Young Adult Romance
Romance Novella
Erotic Romance
Best First Book (No fee or extra books required for entries that qualify. See entry form.)





Just For Fun!

2010 Family Circle Fiction Contest. Submit an original (written by entrant), fiction short story of no more than 2,500 words, typed on 8-1/2x11paper. Entries must be unpublished and may not have won any prize or award. Up to two (2) entries per person will be accepted but each entry must be a unique short story. No group entries. Contest begins March 1, 2010 and ends September 8, 2010. Lots of awesome prizes!!