Writers of the Future and Illustrators of the Future Contest (USA)

The Writers of the Future and Illustrators of the Future Contests are international in scope and short stories from the yearly winners selected from around the world are published in the annual Writers of the Future anthology.

Each anthology contains the best new science fiction and fantasy short stories from up-and-coming writers and every story is illustrated by budding new artists—all winners of the annual anthology.

Established in 1983 by L. Ron Hubbard expressly for the aspiring writer, Writers of the Future has become the most respected and significant forum for new talent in all aspects of speculative fiction.

THERE IS NO ENTRY FEE.

PRIZES: There shall be three cash prizes in each quarter:

a First Prize of $1,000, a Second Prize of $750, and a Third Prize of $500, in U.S. dollars or the recipient’s locally equivalent amount.

In addition, at the end of the year the four First Place winners will have their entries rejudged, and a Grand Prize winner shall be determined and receive an additional $5,000. All winners will also receive trophies or certificates.

ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to international writers who have NOT had professionally published a novel or short novel, or more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, in any medium. Professional publication is deemed to be payment, and at least 5,000 copies, or 5,000 hits.

The Contest has four quarters, beginning on October 1, January 1, April 1 and July 1. The year will end on September 30. To be eligible for judging in its quarter, an entry must be postmarked no later than midnight on the last day of the quarter.

Please review all of the rules carefully at the site.

SOURCE: Paying Writer Jobs

6TH Geneva Writers’ Conference (Switzerland)

The 6TH Geneva Writers’ Conference is to be held in Switzerland from
February 2-3, 2008. It will feature well-known authors, editors, literary
agents, and publishers from Britain, Denmark, France, Italy,
Switzerland, and the USA. The Conference is non-profit and made
possible through registration fees and the generous support of
sponsors. Registrations are now open.

Conference flyer: Click HERE!

For more information, visit the website.

Contact Susan Tiberghien
Tel. +41 (0)22 774 3835, susan.tiberghien@iprolink.ch

The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (Ireland)

The  International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award

DOES €100,000 SOUND ATTRACTIVE TO YOU?  

**NB. Nominations of novels must be made by National Libraries.  We in the Caribbean ARE ELIGIBLE! 

The prize is awarded annually to a novel of ”high literary merit” published in English, where  the original language is English or the work is translated into English,  published in the relevant time span for the year in question.

Nominations are submitted by invited libraries, representing major
cities around the world. We do not accept nominations directly from
authors, publishers or agents and canvassing in any manner renders a work  ineligible.The winner of the 2008 award will be announced in June 2008. Invited
libraries have submitted their choices for the 2008 award. The closing
date was in May 2007.

Big Pond Rumour’s 3rd Issue Contest (Canadian ezine)

Big Pond Rumour Publishing

Big Pond Rumour Publishing is “dedicated to supporting quality in contemporary writing in three genres: poetry, story, and essay.”  It comes out twice annually-deadlines are June and December.  The ezine is free.

Publishing and cash prizes for this Contest.  Submissions from international writers be sent via email or snail mail.  See submission guidelines @ Website.

The Poetry London Competition

The Poetry London Competition

Poetry London has announced that the distinguished poet Jo Shapcott will judge the magazine’s 2007 poetry competition, in which prizes totalling £2,000 will be won.

The competition welcomes entries from throughout the UK and internationally, and the deadline for entries is June 1st.

Competition rules and entry forms may be obtained from Poetry London, 1a Jewel Road, London E17 4QU or from the website. There is an entry fee.

Winners will receive:

£1000 First

£500 Second

£200 Third

£75 Commendation Prizes

Jo Shapcott is among the most influential and warmly admired poets in Britain. Her collections include ‘Phrase Book’ (1992) and ‘My Life Asleep’ (199 which won the Forward Prize. ‘Her Book: Poems 1988 to 1998‘ was published by Faber in 2000, and ‘Tender Taxes‘, versions of Rilke’s French poems, in 2001. She has twice won the National Poetry Competition, and teaches creative writing at the Royal Holloway College.

Source: Kalamu

**NB. Kalamu ’s e-drum@topica.com has moved to Kalamu’s Group @ yahoo

Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards

Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards

Calling All Children’s Book Publishers

This is the first call to enter your 2006/2007 releases in the first annual Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, designed to honor the year’s best children’s books, authors and illustrators. The new book awards programme will accept entries until

August 1st, 2007 for books with 2006 or 2007 copyrights or that were released in 2006 or 2007.

The new contest is resented by Jenkins Group and their book marketing webzine, Independent Publisher Online, (subscribe at their site) sponsors of the popular Independent Publisher Book Awards.

Complete entry guidelines and secure online entry form are available at the website.

The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading.

The new awards programme will recognize books in a wide range of children’s publishing categories, from board books and alphabets books to young adult novels and multicultural non-fiction. The Moonbeam Awards will also recognize excellence in specialty categories like Religion, Holiday, Interactive, and Audiobook, and give special awards to Best First-time Author and Best Children’s Book Illustrator.

25 Awards Categories will include:

1. Board Book
2. Alphabet/Counting Book
3. Pop-up/Cut-out
4. Activity Book - Toddler
5. Activity Book � Young Reader
6. Book with Music
7. Audio Book
8. Picture Book 2-5 Year Old
9. Picture Book 4-7 Year Old
10. Picture Book 6-9 Year Old
11. Picture Book 10+ Year Old
12. Juvenile Fiction (10 & under)
13. Pre-Teen Fiction
14. Young Adult Fiction
15. Young Adult � Mature Issues
16. Multicultural Fiction
17. Multicultural Non-Fiction
18. Children�s Non-Fiction
19. Young Adult Non-Fiction
20. Comic/Graphic Novel
21. Religion
22. Holiday
23. Book with Merchandise (plush toy, etc.)
24. Best First Book
25. Best Illustrator

“This children’s book awards contest will go much deeper than any other’ says Jim Barnes, Awards Director at Jenkins Group. “We’ve learned by judging children’s books for 11 years in the Independent Publisher Book Awards that it’s not fair to judge an alphabet book against a Sophisticated book of verse. One of our goals with the Moonbeam Awards is To create a list of categories that allows us to judge the many styles of children’s books being published today.”

The Moonbeam Awards will recognize a very diverse group of authors and Publishers, and “illuminate” hidden gems that don�t make it onto the national radar screen. These will surely include books from publishers of all sizes, from one-book authors to the New York powerhouses.

Visit the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award website to learn more and enter

Jim Barnes, Awards Director
Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards
Independent Publisher Book Awards
Jenkins Group Inc.
800.644.0133 x1011
info@moonbeamawards.com

 Source: Barbadian author Angela Herbert

The Bridgport Prize (UK)

**Highly recommended international literary contest.

COMPETITION RULES

Closing date for receipt of entries: 30th June 2007.

Maximum of 5000 words for short stories and maximum of 42 lines for poems.

The Prize is open to anyone, including non-UK applicants, over 18 years.

Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must never have been published, self-published, published on any website or broadcast.

Entries submitted posthumously will not be eligible.

You can send as many entries as you like, the entry fee is £6 per poem or story payable in sterling by credit/debit card, cheque or postal order. Cheques must be from a UK bank and should be payable to The Bridport Prize with the sender’s name and address on the back.

Postal entries from overseas can only be paid by credit/debit card or in cash (notes only, NO coins) - either US dollars (US$12 per entry) or Euros (€10 per entry). Overseas cheques, money orders or drafts will not be accepted.

Entries must be in English (preferably typed), single sided, with pages numbered and securely fastened; each entry on a new sheet. Stories to be double spaced; poems to be single spaced. Entries must show no name, address or identifying marks other than the title, (all details should be on the entry form). Entries are not returned, keep a copy. No corrections can be made after receipt, nor fees refunded.

Postal entries should be sent to The Bridport Prize, Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3NR, UK.

Enclose a stamped addressed postcard marked ACKNOWLEDGEMENT if you require acknowledgement of receipt of your postal entry. To receive the judges’ reports (winning entries only) and full results in December 2007 - enclose an A5 stamped addressed envelope marked RESULTS.

Worldwide copyright of each entry remains with the author, but the Bridport Prize will have the unrestricted right to publish the winning poems and stories, (including runners up), in the annual anthology.

No competitor may win more than one prize in each category. The judges’ decision is final and no individual correspondence can be entered into. Judges are unable to comment on individual entries.

Judging is fair and independent. Professional and experienced readers select longlists for the named judges.

Prizes for both short stories and poems for 2007 are: 1st £5000, 2nd £1000, 3rd £500 plus 10 supplementary prizes of £50 each.

Prizewinners will be notified in writing by beginning of October 2007. The list of prizewinners will be displayed on the website after the prizegiving ceremony in November. Prizes will be awarded on 17th November 2007.

Entry implies acceptance of all the rules.

Failure to comply with the entry requirements will result in disqualification.

Download the entry form that we send out by post (in pdf format) print, fill in and then post
OR
Fill in form online, print out then post.

Caribbean Heritage Month Book Giveaway

In celebration of Caribbean-American Heritage Month, Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot in coordination with Akashic Books and Jamaicans.com will be hosting a book giveaway contest on the theme, “Caribbean-Americans and the ‘American Dream.’”

The Prizes

The top four winning entries will receive a copy of one of the following books from Akashic Books:

• The Girl With the Golden Shoes by Colin Channer
• She’s Gone by Kwame Dawes
• Dog War by Anthony Winkler
• The Lunatic by Anthony Winkler.

HOW DO YOU ENTER?
Write a brief paragraph (250- 500 words) about any Caribbean-American and her/his contribution to the “American Dream.”

Please see the blogspot of prolific Jamaican author Geoffrey Philps for other details.

The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association Short Story Competition (UK)

The CBA Short Story Competition

This prestigious, annual competition is open to anyone who is a citizen of a Commonwealth country, whether an amateur or professional writer. There is no restriction on theme, but the stories must be new, original, and of no longer than six hundred words (around four and a half minutes when read aloud).

Five regional winners are chosen, for Africa, Asia, Caribbean and Canada, Europe and the Pacific, of which one is then selected as the overall winner.

The overall winner of the competition receives £2,000, regional winners £500 and each highly commended author £100.

Please note there is no entry form or fee for this competition. Full guidelines.

***Highly recommended.

Frank Collymore Literary Endowment (Barbados)

The Frank Collymore Literary Endowment is the premier annual literary contest in Barbados with a grand first prize of BDS$10,000.

Barbadian writers from anywhere in the world may enter unpublished manuscripts.  The annoucement of the winners is kept under wraps until the ceremony held at the Grande Salle of the Central Bank in early January- which coincides with the anniversary of  Frank Collymore’s birthday. 

Deadline is every August 31st.