Writing Contest Official Rules
PLEASE FOLLOW THESE RULES OR YOUR ENTRY WILL BE DISQUALIFIED
Please call the library at 721-2665 or email mgrady@missoula.lib.mt.us with any questions.
* Entry forms are available at Missoula Public Library, 301 E. Main, Missoula MT after February 1st, 2010.
* Entries must be turned in at the MPL Reference Desk by 5 pm on Friday, March 19, 2010.
* Mailed entries must be received by the above date and sent to: Missoula Public Library attn: Writing Contest, 301 E. Main, Missoula MT 59802
* Submit no more than one entry per category (fiction and non-fiction) in your age group. The age groups are 6-10, 11-14, 15-18, and 19+.
* Submit five identical copies of your entry and a signed copy of the official entry form in a 9x12 manila envelope. Submit only one entry, fiction or non-fiction, per envelope.
* Entries cannot have been previously published.
Format for Entries
* Entries are limited to no more than 2,000 words. Entries over this limit will be disqualified.
* Entries must be self-contained, i.e., do not submit a single chapter from a longer story, or a story that is “to be continued”.
* No poetry entries will be accepted.
* Use an easy-to-read font. Do not use all-caps, cursive, or bold fonts.
* Paper clip or binder clip each copy. Do not bind, staple, or fold entries.
* Entries must be typewritten or computer-printed, double-spaced, on 8 ½ x 11 white paper. Authors in the 6-10 age group may hand-print their entries, but they still must be double-spaced and not use cursive.
* Margins: left margin – two inches; top, bottom and right margins – one inch. Illustrations are allowed, but must lie within these margins.
* Each entry must include a cover sheet with the following:
- Title
- Author’s name—this is the only place the author’s name should appear
- Age group
- Category (fiction or non-fiction)
* The title (but not the author’s name) of the entry must appear on the top of the first page.
* After the cover sheet, number each page, starting with “1”, in the lower right-hand corner.
* Spelling and grammar are important. Do not depend on computer spelling and grammar checks to catch your mistakes. Proofread!
* Entries will not be returned.
******************
* Winners will be notified in late April. The awards reception will be held on May 16, 2010 at 2 pm in the library’s large meeting room. Prizes will be given to the winner, or to their authorized proxy, at the ceremony.
* Prizes will be awarded in each category in each age group:
1st Place - $100 2nd Place - $50 3rd Place - $25
* Entries will be judged by professional writers, editors, and educators. Winners’ names will be submitted to the local newspapers and published on the Missoula Public Library’s blog, missoulapubliclibrary.blogspot.com and facebook page, facebook.com/missoulapubliclibrary.
* All entries will be bound in a copy available for check-out at the library.
Interested in more writing contests? Check out Coeur d'Alene's by visiting http://www.cdalibrary.org and clicking on More Articles.