Donna Collins' Blog

This weeks competitions that have caught my eye:

FICTION: Via First Writer

Writers’ Journal Short Story Contest
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   30th May 2012
Fees:   $10 for one entry.
Prizes:   $350 for first place. $125; $75.
Details:   For short stories up to 2,000 words.
Contact:   Short Story Contest, Val-Tech Media, P.O. Box 394, Perham, MN 56573 Country:   United States
Website:   http://www.writersjournal.com/ShortStoryContest.htm

DreamQuestOne Writing Comp – Summer 2012
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st July 2012
Fees:   $10 for one entry. add $2 transaction fee for electronic entries
Prizes:   $500 for first place. All contest winners will be published online.
Details:   This writing contest is international; open to anyone having a story that’s worth telling everyone! Now accepting short stories, 5 pages maximum, fiction, on any subject or theme, neatly hand printed or typed, single or double line spacing for a chance to win cash prizes! First Prize: $500, 2nd: $250, 3rd: $100. Postmark deadline: July 31, 2012. Visit the website below for details and enter!
Contact:   Dream Quest One, Writing Contest, P.O. Box 3141, Chicago, IL 60654
Country:   United States
Website:   http://www.dreamquestone.com

Calderdale Short Story Competition
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   6th July 2012
Fees:   £4 for one entry.
Prizes:   £300 for first place. Second Prize £100, Runners Up £50.
Details:   No theme. Short stories up to 3,0000 words.
Contact:   Anna Turner, Central Library,Northgate, Halifax, HX1 1UN
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   anna.turner@calderdale.gov.uk
Website:   http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/leisure/libraries/readers/writing-competition/index.html

Colonsay book festival writing comp
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   20th April 2012
Fees:   £0 for one entry.
Prizes:   £0 for first place. A book from one of the book festival authors.
Details:   As part of our book festival we are holding a 100 word flash fiction competition. Submissions may be on any topic but must include the word Colonsay. Submissions must be exactly 100 words long. Winning entries may be published in a short phamphlet. Please submit via e-mail.
Contact:   Colonsay Book Festival, Drumclach Cottage, Isle of Colonsay, Argyll, PA61 7YR
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   colonsaybookfestival@hotmail.co.uk
Website:   http://www.spanglefish.com/colonsaybookfestival/index.asp

Flash a Famous Phrase
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   1st May 2012
Fees:   £1.00 for one entry.
Prizes:   £30.00 for first place. 2nd £20, 3rd £15. Winners also get Featured Writer page on our website.
Details:   Celebrating National Flash Fiction Day! Stories up to 500 words based on a famous phrase or saying. Winners announced on May 16, National Flash Fiction Day.
Country:   United Kingdom
Website:   http://www.flash-fiction-world.com/flash-fiction-famous-phrase-competition.html

Sentinel Literary Quarterly Short Story
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   5th April 2012
Fees:   £4.00 for one entry. £8 (2 stories), £10 (3), £12 (4)
Prizes:   £150 for first place. Second Prize: £75, Third Prize: £50, High Commendation £10 x 3 plus publication.
Details:   For previously unpublished short stories in English language on any subject, in any style, up to 1,500 words long. 1 Entrant will win 1 year’s subscription to our writing competitions magazine.
Contact:   Sentinel Poetry Movement, Unit 136, 113-115 George Lane, South Woodford, London E18 1AB.
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   competitions@sentinelpoetry.org.uk
Website:   http://sentinelquarterly.com/competitions/short-stories-0412/

2012 Unbound Press Short Story Award
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   30th April 2012
Fees:   £5.00 for one entry. £5 or €8 or $10
Prizes:   £500 for first place. £500, £250, £125 Anthology publication, winners and shortlist receive 1 free copy
Details:   Length: 1500 words, no min.
Contact:   Unbound Press, PO Box 16864, Glasgow, G11 9DJ or unboundpress@gmail.com
Country:   United Kingdom
Website:   http://www.unboundpress.com/competitions

2012 Spilling Ink Flash Fiction Prize
Category:   Fiction
Closes:   31st March 2012
Fees:   £5.00 for one entry. 1 £5 / 3 £10, 1 €8 / 3 €16, 1 $10 / 3 $20
Prizes:   £500 for first place. £500, £250, £125, Anthology publication, winners and shortlist receive 1 free copy
Details:   Length: 500 words, no min.
Contact:   Spilling Ink Review, PO Box 16864, Glasgow, G11 9DJ or spillingink.email@gmail.com
Country:   United Kingdom
Email:   spillingink.email@gmail.com
Website:   http://www.spillinginkreview.com/competitions

ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA Via RWA

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

The 5th Annual Alaska Break-Up Contest
Sponsor: Alaska Chapter of RWA
Fee: $30.00
Deadline: May 1, 2012
Eligibility: Submitted manuscripts must be unpublished.
Entry: All entries electronic; submit up to 10 pages of your manuscript’s most tense argument, breakup, or black moment. A 1–3 page scene set-up may be included but will not be judged.
Categories: Open to all categories and heat levels.
Judges: AKRWA trained judges, PRO and published authors.
Final Judges: Publishing Editor TBA
Top Prize: Personal critique of the entry by New York Times Bestselling Author, Cherry Adair.
FMI, for full rules, please visit http://akrwa.org.

SCRIPT WRITING OPPORTUNITIES Via ISA:

FREELANCE SCRIPT/COPY WRITERS SOUGHT BY UK CREATIVE AGENCY
Superhero, a central London moving image creative agency is seeking talented freelance script writers to work on a range of projects. Superhero works primarily with entertainment brands: films, video games, music, theatre, live events, lifestyle producing TV ads, film trailers, EPKs and video content for on-line use. Sought are writers to work on a range of projects: TV ad copy, Film trailer copy, EPK / Vodcast interview questions and structure, Advertiser funded programming ideas and Brand content film ideas. If you have expertise in all or some of these areas please apply with details of experience and rates.

SEEKING HORROR FEATURE FILM SCRIPTS
Perdell Productions LLC is looking for completed horror feature film scripts for micro-budget production. Check out the director’s latest feature film http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2069957/. Please submit to us at prtfhasco@gmail.com a quick description, along with a synopsis of the script(s). Writers will be compensated based on the sale of the finished project. Serious inquiries only please. Thank you.

SHORT SCRIPTS WANTED (CANADIAN WRITERS ONLY)
I am a established Montreal cinematographer/director with over 25 years experience looking to director my next short.  All genres are welcome. Script should be between 5 – 7 pages. For funding purposes, the writer must be Canadian. Financial compensation to be provided based on the quality of the work. Please send a copy of your script to my assistant, Patrick Greatbatch, at greatbatchmtl@gmail.com.

EXPERIENCED WRITER NEEDED FOR DOC FEATURE SCRIPT
Screenwriter needed for feature documentary project in final stages of post. Experience in writing a feature documentary script is required. I would like to see your previous work(s). Pay to be negotiated. Please contact Cass Paley at cass@casspaley.com. Thank you.

LOOKING FOR SHORT FILM SCRIPT
I’m looking for a short film script that can be produced on a budget of next to nothing, but still look great and catch the eye. If you can use storytelling to really grab the imagination, I can do the rest. I’m particularly interested in magical realism, conceptual science fiction, or spooky but intelligent horror. Something transportive, that takes the viewers outside themselves. A good example (as far as features go) would be David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, or Jacques Rivette’s Celine & Julie Go Boating. Please get in touch for more details, to pitch at me, or if you’d like to send a script, please feel free. Looking at around 5-10 minutes in length. Send to me, Adam, at adam.leslie@btinternet.com. Many thanks.

CONFERENCES AND CLASSES:

Writing Mom’s: How to do it all course taught by Natalie C. Markey $20.00

Plot, character arc, transitions, climax, revise, rewrite, make that deadline, blog, check social media sites, continued education, volunteer for local writing group, read critique partners manuscript, research agents/publishers, read books within your genre, read a craft book and network.  These are ALL things that go through writers’ minds on any give day. But what if you had to add: Make bottles, keep up with diaper/Gerber/ formula supplies, feed baby three times a day plus bottle feedings, playtime, bathe baby, wipe up thrown sweet potatoes, shower to get sweet potatoes out of your hair, more playtime, hope for a naptime (for baby, you must write,) schedule playdates, read to baby, and hope baby actually goes to bed at the designated time.
For many writers, this is reality. In fact, many full-time writers are made because of a child being born. Some amazing mothers write late at night, around their day job. However you do it, being a writing mom is a challenge but very doable and rewarding. Learn easy self study tactics, time management tips and suggestions from a ten-year freelance journalist, published author and speaker who also has a one-year-old daughter and a high maintenance dog. You can have it all without losing your mind.

Thriller Fest Writer’s Conference – July 11-14, 2012

This year, spotlight guests will include 2012 ThrillerMaster Jack Higgins, 2011 ThrillerMaster R.L. Stine, Lee Child, John Sandford, and Catherine Coulter, along with 2012 True Thriller Award Recipient Ann Rule,  2012 Silver Bullet Award recipient Richard North Patterson, and 2011 Silver Bullet Award recipient, Karin Slaughter.

REGISTER NOW! You won’t want to miss the most spectacular conference for thriller writers and thriller fans on the planet!

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

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

If you want more of me, you can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin