This annual competition, established in 1958, identifies and awards Utah writers for works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry in the form of short stories, essays, poems, and full-length manuscripts. Submissions must be original works and unpublished or accepted for publication at the time of entry. Manuscripts will be reviewed in a blind process by five to seven judges selected from outside of Utah.
Past award winners have included Ron Carlson, former Utah Poet Laureates David Lee and Ken Brewer, current Utah Poet Laureate Katharine Coles, Pam Houston, Lyman Hafen, Margaret I. Rostkowski, Lance Larsen, John Bennion, Scott Cairns, Rod Carney, and Susan Howe. There is no entry fee for the competition, and it is open to all Utah residents.
CATEGORIES
Please note: Categories A-D are first book competitions
CATEGORY A: NOVEL
First prize: $1,000 Second prize: $500 Specifications: Fiction; minimum length: 60,000 words Writers interested in entering a novel cannot have a novel published or accepted for publication; however, authors can have a book published or accepted for publication in another category and still be eligible to submit.
No part of the manuscript can be published in book form or have been accepted for publication as a book at the time of entry. Work from the submission that has been excerpted on the web, in journals or in an anthology is acceptable.
CATEGORY B: CREATIVE NON-FICTION & HISTORY
First prize: $1,000 Second prize: $500 Specifications: Nonfiction including memoir, essay collections and history; minimum length: 60,000 words Writers interested in entering this category cannot have a book of creative Non-Fiction or History published or accepted for publication; however, authors can have a book published or accepted for publication in another category and still be eligible to submit. No part of the manuscript can be published in book form or have been accepted for publication as a book at the time of entry. Work from the submission that has been excerpted on the web, in journals or in anthologies is acceptable. (Please note: This category alternates each year. Next year it will be “Biography/Autobiography/History.” History will continue to be paired with
Biography/Autobiography in the future. 2012 and 2013 are the only years in which a history submission will be accepted two years in a row.)
CATEGORY C: BOOK-LENGTH COLLECTION OF POEMS
First prize: $1,000 Second prize: $500 Specifications: Minimum length 50 pages Writers interested in entering this category cannot have a book of poetry published or accepted for publication; however, authors can have a book published or accepted for publication in another category and still be eligible to submit. No part of the manuscript can be published in book form or have been accepted for publication as a book at the time of entry. Collected poems that have appeared in a chap book (up to 25 pages) are eligible as are poems that may have been included in an anthology or appeared singly in a journal/magazine. (Please note: This category alternates each year. Next year it will be “Book-length Collection of Stories”)
CATEGORY D: JUVENILE BOOK
First prize: $1,000 Second prize: $500 Specifications: Fiction or nonfiction (general or biography), appealing to readers ages 6 through 13. Compilations of stories for young readers will be accepted. Maximum/Minimum length: none Writers interested in entering this category cannot have a book directed to a juvenile audience published or accepted for publication; however, authors can have a book published or accepted for publication in another category and still be eligible to submit. No part of the manuscript can be published in book form or have been accepted for publication as a book at the time of entry. Individual stories from the collection included in an anthology are acceptable. (Please note: This category alternates each year. Next year it will be “Young Adult Book”)
CATEGORY E: POETRY
First prize: $300 Second prize: $150 Specifications: A collection of 10 poems for adults; maximum length: 1,000 lines (total). The collection must have a title. If no title is provided, the judges are instructed to use the first line of the first poem. No part of the collection can be published in any form except on the web or have been accepted for publication at the time of entry
CATEGORY F: SHORT STORY
First prize: $300 Second prize: $150 Specifications: Fiction for adults; maximum length: 7,500 words
Story cannot be published, except on the web, or have been accepted for publication at the time of entry
CATEGORY G: PERSONAL ESSAY
First prize: $300 Second prize: $150 Specifications: Nonfiction for adults; maximum length: 7,500 words Essay cannot be published, except on the web, or have been accepted for publication at the time of entry
RULES
• Due Date: Friday, June 29, 2012, at 5 p.m. This is a firm deadline. Late manuscripts will not be considered. Enter early to avoid technical issues. Submissions will be accepted (online only) beginning Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at www.utahwritingcontest.org.
• First Book Categories: Categories A-D each constitute a first book competition. Writers interested in entering one of these categories cannot have a book published or accepted for publication in that category. However, authors can have a book published or accepted for publication in a category other than the one they wish to enter.
• Submission Specifications: Manuscripts must be in MS Word, RTF or PDF format. We do not accept entries in other word processing programs, including Wordperfect. Number the pages of your manuscript. Use the exact same title for your manuscript throughout the application process, including on the manuscript title page, in the file name, and in the application itself. Pseudonyms (pen names) may be used later for public posting, but legal names, spelled consistently throughout, must be used to submit to the competition
• Residency Requirement: The competition is open to all legal residents of the State of Utah. There is no age restriction.
• Entry Fees: none
• Blind Judging: The author’s name should not appear anywhere on the manuscript(s), including on any title page. The title of your manuscript should be placed on the bottom right-hand corner of each page. Do not include acknowledgments or dedications in the manuscript(s).
• Limits on Entries: Writers are allowed to enter more than one category; however, only one entry per category per contestant is allowed. First and second prize winners are not eligible to enter that category the next year. In the case of alternating categories, first and second prize winners cannot enter the exact category they placed in until at least one round of competition in that category has taken place; however, winners are allowed to enter the alternate category in that area, or any of the other categories. (For example the 2011 winner for Young Adult Book can apply in 2012 for Juvenile Book, cannot apply for Young Adult Book when it
returns in 2013 but can apply when Juvenile Book is next opened in 2014.)
• Previous Publication: Acknowledgement of previously published work or previous performance in competitions should not be included on your manuscript. However, in categories A through D, if portions of the work have been published, as permitted, indicate so when asked during the application process.
• Judges’ Decisions are Final: Judges have sole and final authority in evaluation of manuscripts. If, in the opinion of the judge, no manuscript entered in a category is of sufficient quality to merit an award, none will be given. The judges are not identified until after the winners have been announced. Judges’ comments will be provided for first prize and second prize only. Under no circumstances should a contestant contact a judge directly. A contestant who does contact a judge may be disqualified. Judges may announce honorable mentions (which carry no cash award) in some or all categories at their discretion.
• Winning Manuscripts to Remain on File: The manuscripts of the first and second prize winners in each category must remain on file with Utah Arts & Museums as part of its permanent collection. In the event a winning entry is later published, Arts & Museums asks that you provide a signed copy of the work.
• Rights: Authors of winning entries retain all rights of publication.
• Disqualification: Failure to follow these guidelines may result in disqualification.
TIMELINE
- June 29: ENTRIES DUE by 5 p.m. (all submissions must be done online)
- September: Winners notified by telephone and letter. (Please notify us of changes in contact information.) Press notified.
- October: Awards presentation. As funding permits, regional celebratory reading may be scheduled.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: contact David Pace via email at davidpace@utah.gov or call 801.533.5760
For submissions: enter the competition online
Website: http://arts.utah.gov
