Donna Newton's Blog

This weeks competitions that have caught my eye:

FICTION: Via First Writer

Playingbingo Short Story Competition
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   28th February 2013
Fees:   £0 for one entry.
Prizes:   £300 for first place. Second prize £100, and two runner’s up prizes of £50.
Details:   A short story competition on the theme of bingo, 1,500-3,000 words.
Country:   United Kingdom
Website:   http://playingbingo.co.uk/competitions-prizes/short-story/index.php

Winchester Writers’ Conf. Short Story
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   25th May 2012
Fees:   £9 for one entry. £7 if attending conference.
Prizes:   £100 for first place. Also £150 fiction workshop voucher.
Details:   For short stories on any theme or subject, between 1,500 and 3,000 words. No children’s stories.
Contact:   Writing Competitions, c/o Barbara Large, Winchester Writers’ Conference, The University of Winchester, Winchester, Hants SO22 4NR
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   Sara.Gangai@winchester.ac.uk
Website:   http://www.writersconference.co.uk/competition.htm

Two Ways Contest
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st May 2012
Fees:   $0 for one entry.
Prizes:   $50 for first place. $25 for second place.
Details:   To enter, write a piece of prose and poetry on any theme. The pieces can be integrated or separate, but must present the same essential story. Entries must be 2500 words or fewer. Contest deadline May 31, 2012. E-mail entries will not be accepted. For full rules, see attached URL.
Country:   United States
Website:   http://www.scribophile.com/contests/two-ways-contest/

Wordstock Ten Short Fiction Competition
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   1st July 2012
Fees:   $30 for one entry.
Prizes:   $1,000 for first place.
Details:   For short stories and comics of any genre, between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Enter online.
Country:   United States
Website:   http://www.wordstockfestival.com/get-involved/short-fiction-competition/

Reflection
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   30th May 2012
Fees:   €0 for one entry. No fees
Prizes:   €0 for first place. All successful applicants will receive a free copy of the printed magazine.
Details:   Submit your work to be featured on the blog with a chance to be published in our monthly magazine. We are looking for creative people with a vision and voice to share their opinions, work and stories not for a pay check but for the love of creating. This months issue theme is REFLECTION – PEILIKUVA Deadline is Midnight Finnish Time, May 30th 2012.
Contact:   submission@hesainprint.com
Country:   Finland
Email:   info@hesainprint.com
Website:   http://www.hesainprint.com

Katherine Paterson Prize
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   30th June 2012
Fees:   $20 for one entry.
Prizes:   $1,000 for first place. $100 x 3. Also publication.
Details:   For Young Adult and Children’s Literature up to 10,000 words. May be a novel excerpt, but if so should stand alone.
Contact:  KPP, Hunger Mountain, Vermont College of Fine Arts, 36 College Street, Montpelier, VT 05602
Country:   United States
Email:   hungermtn@vcfa.edu
Website:   http://www.hungermtn.org/katherine-paterson-prize-for-young-adult-and-childrens-writing/

Short Story of the Month Competition
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   25th May 2012
Fees:   £0 for one entry.
Prizes:   £0 for first place. Publication in The New Short Story Annual 2013
Details:   Submissions are welcome on any subject (up to 2,000 words). The winning entry will be displayed on the website. The winning entry and strongest contenders will be published in The New Short Story Annual 2013 at the end of the year.
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   hayleysherman.editor@gmail.com
Website:   http://www.hayley-sherman.co.uk

The Flaneur short story contest
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st May 2012
Fees:   $20 for one entry.
Prizes:   Ł0 for first place. Half of the entry fees will be given as a prize.
Details:   Short stories of up to 6000 words on the theme of Urban Shorts. Selected stories will be published in our ebook anthology and the winner will receive a cash prize.
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   contest@flaneur.me.uk
Website:   http://flaneur.me.uk/04/call-for-urban-short-stories-for-flaneur-ebook/

Howard Frank Mosher Short Fiction Prize
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   30th June 2012
Fees:   $20 for one entry.
Prizes:   $1,000 for first place. $100 x 2. Also publication.
Details:   For original, unpublished stories under 10,000 words.
Contact:   HFMSFP, Hunger Mountain, Vermont College of Fine Arts, 36 College Street, Montpelier, VT 05602
Country:   United States
Website:   http://www.hungermtn.org/short-fiction-prize/

Multi-Story Short Story Competition
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   30th June 2012
Fees:   £5 for one entry. £8 for two entries.
Prizes:   £500 for first place. 2nd prize £100 3rd prize £50.
Details:   Open-themed story of no more than 2500 words.
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   info@multi-story.co.uk
Website:   http://www.multi-story.co.uk

SCRIPTS Via First Writer

Screenwriting Goldmine
Category:   Scripts
Closes:   12th July 2012
Fees:   Ł24 for one entry. Deadlines: 7th June, 5th Jul, 12th Jul.
Prizes:   Ł500 for first place. Many prizes, including meetings with industry judges.
Details:   This is a major new British screenwriting contest, with a serious ambition to find good new writers. Highly influential judging panel of industry leaders. The entry fees have been kept as low as possible, and there is an excellent selection of prizes, including script meetings with some of those judges. Early bird submission date: Thurs 7th June, final submissions by Thurs 12th July.
Contact:   Screenwriting Goldmine Competition, Tradejammer Ltd, 63 Lansdowne Place, Hove, BN3 1FL
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   info@screenwritinggoldmine.com
Website:   http://awards.screenwritinggoldmine.com

ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA Via RWA

 *Open to published authors
**Open to published and unpublished authors

**2012 Molly and Unsinkable Heroine Contest
Sponsor: Heart of Denver Romance Writers
Fee: HODRW member $25, RWA member $30, others $40.
Deadline: Early bird deadline May 1, 2012; final deadline May 25, 2012
Eligibility: Participation is open to all unpublished authors of novel-length romance fiction and those who have not published within three years prior to contest deadline. Non-winning entries are eligible for reentry.
Entry: Electronic entries only; see website for instructions.
Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Single Title, Historical, Romantic Suspense, Paranormal/Time-Travel/Futuristic
Judges: First round judges are romance writers. Second round judges are published authors.
Final Judges: See website for final judge editors and agents.
Top Prize: The first place winner in each category will receive the Molly Award. All other finalists will receive suitable recognition. Results will be published in the RWR.
FMI: email Mollycoordinator@hodrw.com with questions or see the website at http://www.hodrw.com/contests.

2012 Emerald City Opener
Sponsor: Greater Seattle Romance Writers of America
Fee: $12 for members, $20 for nonmembers
Deadline: May 31, 2012
Eligibility: Unpublished writers.
Entry: Your novel’s opening hook – The Opener – is what attracts an editor or agent. Polish the first seven pages of your manuscript and enter the Emerald City Opener Contest, sponsored by the Greater Seattle Chapter of RWA. Electronic submittal.
Categories and Final Judges: Category (Series) Romance – Kelli Martin, Amazon/Montlake; Contemporary – Liz Pelletier, Entangled Publishing; Historical – Amanda Bergeron, Avon Books; Paranormal – Carrie Jackson, Ellora’s Cave; Romantic Elements – Holly Root, Waxman Agency; Romantic Suspense – Alexandra Machinist, Janklow & Nesbit Associates; Young Adult – Nicole Resciniti, The Seymour Agency.
First Round Judges: PROs, Published Authors.
Top Prize: Finalists receive a private pitch with their editor or agent of choice if attending Emerald City Writer’s Conference on October 26–28. Top prize in each category is $25.
FMI, www.gsrwa.org.

SCRIPT WRITING OPPORTUNITIES Via ISA:
(N.B. Only contact the companies listed below between 10th May– 25th May 2012)

LOOKING FOR STORY-ORIENTED SHORT SCRIPTS
We are looking for good, story-oriented short film scripts that we can make into actual film(s). Please note: we are not capable yet of making any lavish fantasy or historical/period productions, our resources are privately funded and limited, therefore we are only interested in scripts that are set in more-less modern times and don’t call for much of CGI use (preferably no CGIs at all.) Please submit your actual scripts instead of pitches and loglines and use any common text-searchable format. Send to scripts@888productions.org Thank you.

SEEKING WRITER(S) FOR VARIOUS PROJECTS
Films4Net is an independent production company based in London. We are currently looking for writers, or even a writer, for the following: 1.) A completed short film script, to be filmed in June, willing to consider any genre. 2.) A science fiction short film competition in July, this will be a collaborative work between the writer, director and producer over a 48 hour period of pretty frantic filming. 3.) Submissions for music video ideas for various rock, hip hop and club acts. We are ideally looking for someone London-based, or someone who has the means and will to travel to London for production meetings and shoot days. Apply to: Johnny Michaels at info@films4net.co.uk

SEEKING COMEDY WRITERS TO WORK ON SERIES
Production company looking for comedy writers to work on a series. The series, House of Blue, is in production. It is about a family that love each other, but have many issues still to resolve. Please submit spec scripts or any other writing. Include resume detailing previous work. You will be contacted for further information after your scripts are reviewed. Email: wrcproductions@gmail.com Miguel Cedillo, Weras Entertainment.

SEEKING WRITER FOR DOC/NON-FICTION TELEVISION PROGRAMMING
Local production company responsible for nationally televised network documentary/non-fiction programming looking for talented, passionate writers. Experience working in television industry (television, not “video production”) a plus; experience writing long format segments even better. Most important is a desire to tell a great story, understanding of how to put one together, and the willingness to learn our style. General work habits must include attention to detail, ability to meet deadlines, easy to work with in a team setting, and passionate about the craft of writing film/television. Please email, including short cover letter (in the body of the email) and resume (as attached DOC/PDF). Emails not submitted correctly or with grammatical errors will not be considered. Examples of work are encouraged, just not too many please! PLEASE NOTE: You MUST be local to the greater Seattle area. Apply to: Hiring Manager, schuyler@psgfilms.com

WINE SAVVY COMIC SHORT SCRIPT WRITER NEEDED
Looking for three or four 7-10min scripts for a webisode. Must be wine savvy and/or be a wine trivia geek. Shooting will begin asap. Please email me for details if you are interested. This is an eposodic comedy mainly for entertainment with a flair of wine knowledge. Please email me at gibsonnyc@gmail.com for more details if you are interested. This is a no pay gig for now. We welcome you to join us and see where we can pitch it later.

SCREENWRITER/SCRIPT WANTED
An upcoming director looking for screenwriters who have great no budget scripts which they intend to see on screen produced. Please submit resumes, synopsis and sample scenes of the script to Sam at worleex@gmail.com

ANIMATION STUDIO SEEKS WRITER FOR KIDS TV SHOW
We are producing 4 short episodes (est. 11-minutes) for Spanish television; it’s a kids TV show. We already have the characters. We do great CG work, we’d just like someone who has a knack for writing children’s television, and preferably who has some experience writing for a Spanish audience. Bilingual is a huge plus. These few will be done on spec but once the show goes to series there are huge opportunities for growth with the show. Apply to: Stephen Steelman. Salary: DOE.

SEEKING LIMITED-LOCATIONS COMEDY OR DRAMA SHORT
Seeking a script, preferably comedic, that is 3-6 minutes long and won’t require a bunch of expensive locations. This is technically for film school, but can also be used for festival submissions as well as shown online on sites like vimeo, Funny or Die, etc. Comedy or drama only. No horror, no action. I want great dialogue, and funny would be best. You will get a copy of the film (which will be shot on a Canon 5D) and credited but NO PAY. I’m opening this up to writers who want their content produced as I am still learning screenwriting and would prefer to polish my scripts vs rush shooting them. So if you have a short sketch you want produced, great! The film must stand alone and again be 3-6 minutes in length. Obviously the less actors needed the better as far as keeping my craft services budget low. To submit, please send your script to Joanna deMoyer at joannademoyer@gmail.com It MUST be properly formatted as a screenplay. I have Celtx but not final draft on my computer so please send as a PDF or Celtx file. If you don’t hear from me, you may assume I am NOT using your script. I will contact the top 3 submissions to meet for coffee and discuss your vision as a writer as well as send you a link to my previous film so you can see the production values already established with this creative team. If you wish to do more on this project besides the script (such as crew, editing, acting, etc) please say so in your submission. This will be produced as a SAG new media short film. Casting Producer: Joanna de Moyer. Directed by: Deborah Rombaut. DP: Ira Edelman

Please remember to check out legitimacy of all contests, classes, and conferences before you enter, and to copyright all your work before you submit.

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

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