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Summer Writing Contest: Personal Essay

  • Thursday, June 15, 2017
  • 9:00 AM
  • Friday, September 01, 2017
  • 11:30 PM

Registration


Registration is closed

Enter the Summer Writing Contest:
Personal Essay
Open to All Members


3500-5000 words

$25 per entry via PayPal or Guest of PayPal must be paid at time of completing the online Contest Entry Form. Submit payment here.

Prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners:

$300.00 first place

$200.00 second place

$100.00 third place

Submit manuscript as email attachment to pswgcontest@gmail.com

Entries Accepted June 15th, 2017 to September 1st, 2017

  •  Manuscripts must be in word.doc or word.docx format
  • No more than 3 entries per member
  • Times New Roman 12 point font
  • Double spaced
  • Indented paragraphs
  • 1 inch margins
  • Page numbers in lower right corner
  • No author name anywhere on manuscript
  • Submissions must be an original, unpublished (print or electronic) written work and a non-previous prize winner.
  • No photos or drawings to be included
  • Title of Manuscript and word count in header
  • All entries must be attached to an email with author’s name in the subject line of email, and personal essay title included in the body of the email.
  • Winner(s) will be announced and entry may be read aloud at the October 7, 2017 monthly meeting.

Example of Subject line of email:
Subject: Summer Writing Contest, Personal Essay. YOUR NAME HERE
Example of body of the email:
Attached please find my entry to the Summer Writing Contest, Personal Essay titled, YOUR TITLE HERE
Signed, YOUR NAME

Contest Judge is Dr. R. Newman, past Director of English Composition at the University of Miami, past Chair of the College Board’s national faculty committee on the Test of Standard Written English, and an evaluator of personal essays at Yale University for the Educational Testing Service.  Dr. Newman was also a contributor to the College Usage Advisory Board of the Microsoft Encarta College Dictionary.

Note:

  • A Short Story is fiction.  It is a story shorter and less elaborate than a novel.
  • A Personal Essay is creative non-fiction.  It is based within the personal experience of the author illustrating a lesson learned, or can be an in-depth personal opinion about a topic or issue of importance.