Young Writers Contest

Sponsored by the FRIENDS of the Pine Plains Library

Official Rules

• Contest is open to 6th – 12th graders residing in or attending school (public, private, or home schooled) in the Pine Plains Central School District and aims to recognize and encourage noteworthy writing talent in the community.
• Winners’ work will be publicly announced at an awards ceremony, the Millerton News, and archived in the Pine Plains Free Library. First prize is $100, second prize is $50, and third prize is $25. Honorable mention certificates will also be awarded. Prizes are awarded in all categories.
• All work must be original and the writer’s own. There is no fee to enter.
• All work will be judged blind by a panel of judges who are writing professionals. The judges do not know whose work they are reading.
• You may enter all three categories but only one submission per category.
• Submit FOUR copies of each submission (for judging purposes). Please do not ask your teacher or the librarians to make your copies. DO NOT STAPLE YOUR MANUSCRIPT. PLEASE USE A PAPER CLIP.
• All fiction and non-fiction manuscripts must be typed, double-spaced, 12 point font, with one inch margins at the top, bottom, and sides, and pages must be numbered. You do not need to number the title page. The title should be one inch from the top, centered, 14 point font. Leave a double space after the title. Plays may be submitted in standard play format of your choice. Poems should be single spaced, centered, with title centered and 14 point font. No entry may exceed 10 pages.
• THE WRITER’S NAME MAY NOT APPEAR ANYWHERE ON THE MANUSCRIPT.
• Only one entry form per submission (of 4 copies). If you submit in more than one category, each submission must have a separate entry form. Entries are not returned.
• Papers written for other purposes may be submitted, if they have not previously won an award. However, they must be edited so that the WRITER’S NAME DOES NOT APPEAR ANYWHERE EXCEPT ON THE ENTRY FORM.
• The FRIENDS of the Library reserve the right to duplicate, circulate and display winning manuscripts.
• Submissions which do not meet ALL of the requirements of the Official Rules will be disqualified and recycled, with no further discussion or notification.
• DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION is Friday, March 21, 2014. Good Luck. We look forward to reading your manuscript.