2011 Winter Rose Contest for Unpublished Authors
Information for the 2011 contest Sponsored by the Yellow Rose Chapter of Romance Writers of America®
Contest Timeline
* January 22, 2011— Deadline for all print and electronic submissions.
* April 8, 2011 — Finalists notified by telephone or e-mail, on or before this date.
Non-Finalists materials will be retuned by May 1, 2010
* May 14, 2011 — Winners announced at the Yellow Rose RWA May meeting.
Entry Fee: $30
Entry Form: Entry Form (Winter Rose Contest for Unpublished Authors)
Rules: Rules (Winter Rose Contest for Unpublished Authors)
2010 Final Judges
* Contemporary Single Title: Margo Lipschultz, HQN
* Historical (includes Regency): Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks
* Mainstream: Scott Eagan, Greyhaus Literary Agency
* Paranormal: Tara Gavin, Harlequin Nocturn
* Romantic Suspense: Tera Kleinfelter, Samhain Publishing
* Series Contemporary: Joanne Grant, Mills & Boon
* Young Adult: Elaine Spencer, Knight Agency
2011 Grand Prize (Agent Read): Emmanuelle Alspaugh, Judith Ehrlich Literary Agency
Categories
Contemporary Single Title — romantic novels released as individual titles, not part of a series. Word count: over 90,000. Score sheet: PDF version; RTF version.
Historical — books set in historical setting/time period. May include traditional Regency novels. Word count: over 60,000. Score sheet: PDF version; RTF version.
Mainstream with Romantic Elements — mainstream fiction novels including but not limited to Women’s Fiction and Chick Lit. Word count: over 75,000. Score sheet: PDF version; RTF version.
Paranormal — paranormal element. May include Fantasy, Futuristic, Time Travel, Ghost, Vampire, Werewolf, etc. Word count: over 85,000. Score sheet: PDF version; RTF version.
Romantic Suspense — books that are not part of a series, in which suspense is a major element of the plot. Word count: over 90,000. Score sheet: PDF version; RTF version.
Series Contemporary — books that are targeted for Series Contemporary such as Harlequin: Intrigue, Blaze, SuperRomance. Silhouette: Special Edition, Intimate Moments, etc. Word count: 50,000-90,000. Score sheet: PDF version; RTF version.
Young Adult — books that are targeted for young adult and teen readers such as Harry Potter or the Twilight series. Word count: 60,000. Score sheet: PDF version; RTF version.
Please note: Word counts are for general guideline purposes only!
Entrant Eligibility and Guidelines
Enter the opening twenty-five (25) pages of romance novels of all above sub-genres (projected length of at least 50,000 words). All entrants must be RWA members in good standing who have not published a novel in the last 5 years. Also, it should be noted that entries that won the Winter Rose in years past, may not be entered in any form.
Official Rules
Yellow Rose RWA reserves the right to limit entries to the first seventy-five (75) manuscripts received in each category. Failure to comply with any of the entry requirements below could result in return of your manuscript. For those entrants desiring electronic format, please see e-judging specific guidelines.
Specific Guidelines for Electronic Entries
Entrant MUST sign, date and mail entry form and release to Yellow Rose before entry will be entered into contest. This is mandatory. No electronic entry forms will be accepted. Once the E-judging Coordinator has release/entry form and payment is recorded, she will send a confirmation email to entrant advising them that entry can be emailed to her. Entrant has up to contest deadline of January 22, 2011. Once entry is received, the coordinator will send a confirmation email back to entrant.
* Entries shall consist of the first 25 pages of the novel. A prologue and/or second chapter may be included if within total page guidelines.
* Entries will be received in RTF (Rich Text Format) files only. (To convert your file to RTF, open the document, go into File, click on Save As and choose RTF format. This will create a new document with the same title in RTF format.) Please do not send .doc or .docx files as they will be deleted, unopened.
* Attach the appropriate category score sheet to your electronic entry by copying and pasting the score sheet to the beginning of your document. Use a page break between the score sheet and the beginning of the entry. It’s okay if the header appears on the score sheet. :) You can download the score sheet by clicking on one of the following:
o Contemporary Single Title
Score Sheet (Contemporary Single Title ~ PDF)
Score Sheet (Contemporary Single Title ~ RTF)
o Historical
Score Sheet (Historical ~ PDF)
Score Sheet (Historical ~ RTF)
o Mainstream
Score Sheet (Mainstream with Romantic Elements ~ PDF)
Score Sheet (Mainstream with Romantic Elements ~ RTF)
o Paranormal
Score Sheet (Paranormal ~ PDF)
Score Sheet (Paranormal ~ RTF)
o Romantic Suspense
Score Sheet (Romantic Suspense ~ PDF)
Score Sheet (Romantic Suspense ~ RTF)
o Series Contemporary
Score Sheet (Series Contemporary ~ PDF)
Score Sheet (Series Contemporary ~ RTF)
o Young Adult
Score Sheet (Young Adult ~ PDF)
Score Sheet (Young Adult ~ RTF)
Problems? Email one of the coordinators for assistance.
Paranormal, Mainstream, Contemporary Single Title: Raquel Rodriguez, wrc_coord2@yahoo.com
Historical, Romantic Suspense, Series Contemporary, Young Adult: Michelle Miles, mlmiles21@gmail.com
* Entries shall be in standard manuscript format, double spaced, 12 point font (Courier or TNR suggested) with one-inch margins and unjustified right margins. The name of the author, RWA number, or any other identifying information must not appear on the entry. A cover page is not necessary. As a side note, manuscript format is not a judged component of the Winter Rose contest. Judges may or may not point out formatting issues to an entrant, but no points are deducted for perceived infractions.
* The header on each page must contain the title of the manuscript, projected length, and the page number. Entrant may indicate target market if desired to help judges customize their comments. For those entering Series or Contemporary Single Title, you may indicate target line (i.e., Harlequin SuperRomance, Blaze, etc.).
* Document title should be the title of the manuscript only. Please do not add author name. Please do not name your document “Winter Rose Entry” or any other variation. Entries containing this in the title will be deleted, unopened.
* Email your entry to the Electronic Contest Coordinator as an attachment.
* When emailing your attachment entry file to the coordinator, type the Entry Title and category in the subject header of the email. In the body of the email please include your full name, title of entry, the total number of pages and the font used for the entry (this is to ensure there are no changes during transition).
Entrants will receive email confirmation for receipt of their entry.
* Format is not a judged component of the Winter Rose contest. Whether print or electronic, no points are deducted for format infractions.
* Each entry may only be entered in one category (i.e., you can’t enter the same exact entry in both historical and paranormal). However, you may enter different entries/different categories, with a maximum of TWO entries per entrant, per category. Each entry must have a separate entry form filled out and release signed. This form may be copied. You may send one check/money order payable to Yellow Rose RWA to cover all entry fees. If you’d like to join Yellow Rose, please note that you must fill out a membership application (Membership Form (DOC)) and attach a separate check to cover membership dues.
Mail/email entry form and contest fee to:
Yellow Rose Romance Writers
Attn: Winter Rose Contest
PO Box 975
Hurst, TX 76053
# Electronic entries are required to be sent via email to Category Coordinator by Midnight CST on January 22, 2011. Payment and entry form also to be received by Contest Coordinator before accepting contest email entry.
# NOTE: We must have entry form/release and payment in hand before accepting email entry. You can email a copy of the entry form/release to your Category Coordinator along with a copy of your PayPal receipt or a note stating you’re mailing a check.
To become a member, fill out the membership form (Membership Form (DOC)) and submit your dues. Use the button below to submit payment for dues ONLY.
Judging
First round entries will be judged by experienced, qualified, or published judges. Golden Heart Winners/Finalists, RWAPRO members are also a large part of our annual judging pool. Yellow Rose cannot guarantee judge commentary will be on every entry, however, we strongly encourage our judges to provide positive, constructive feedback. E-judging and print judging will use same scoring methods, same scoresheet and same pool of judges. The only difference is entry format.
Entries will be judged by FOUR (4) first round judges. Lowest score will be dropped to determine final average. Three highest scoring manuscripts will advance to the final round. All judged copies will be returned to non-finalist entrants following finalist announcement. Finalist entries will be returned after winners are announced.
Grand Prize
The top scoring manuscript from all seven finalist categories receives a partial read from an agent.
First Prize
All First place finalists receive $50.00 cash prize, Sterling Silver Rose pendant, Yellow Rose badge pin, and a certificate.
Second Prize
All Second place finalists receive $25.00 cash prize, Yellow Rose badge pin, and a certificate.
Third Prize
All Third place finalists receive $15.00 cash prize, Yellow Rose badge pin, and a certificate.
More information here.
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