2014 Helen Sheffield Memorial Writing Contest - Deadline is midnight October 31, 2014

The 2014 Helen Sheffield Memorial Writing Contest is open to writers 18 years of age and older.

Theme. All submissions must use the following as the first line: “Memories are not passive inhabitants of the mind, but lively and unruly negotiators for space in a coherent life narrative—or at least, that’s what I told myself.”

Entries that do not use this as the first line will be disqualified.

Word Limit. Submissions must be a complete short story (with a beginning, middle and end) of no more than 7,500 words. Submissions that are 7,501 words or more will be disqualified. Contractions (don’t, can’t and so on) will be considered a single word. Hyphenated words will be considered two words.

Genre. Submissions may be of any genre except erotica and pornography. Entries must be original, unpublished work.

Format. All manuscripts must be formatted as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx) or rtf. All manuscripts must: 1) have a title, 2) be double spaced, 3) have one-inch margins all around, 4) use a 12 point font in either Times New Roman or Courier font, 5) include the title in the upper left corner of every page, and 6) include the page number in the upper right corner of every page. DO NOT put your name on the submission.

Process. Each entry and submission form must be submitted via an email attachment. Payment of $45 per entry may be made by check or by PayPal.

The author retains the copyright to each submission.

Submission forms and entries must be formatted as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx) or .rtf and must be received as an email attachment by writingcontest@brazoswriters.org by midnight Friday, October 31, 2014. Entries received after 12:00:00 midnight October 31 will be disqualified.

Each submission must also include a completed entry form as an attachment.

In the subject line of the email, put 2014 Contest. In the body of the email, put your name, email address, mailing address, phone number and title(s) of the submission(s). DO NOT put your name on the submission.

In addition, an entry fee of $45 per entry mailed with a check must be postmarked by midnight Friday, October 31, 2014. Checks must be mailed to
Brazos Writers
PO Box 4025
Bryan, TX 77805

Credit card payments will not be accepted. PayPal payments of $45 per entry will be accepted and must be received before midnight Friday, October 31, 2014. PayPal payments received after 12:00:00 midnight October 31 will be disqualified.

Judging and Prizes. Entries will be judged by Pamela Fagan Hutchins (http://pamelahutchins.com/), author of the Katie & Annalise series and 2014 President of the Houston Writers Guild. The decision of the judge is final. No refunds will be given for any reason.

Winner Recognition. One first-place prize of $400 will be awarded. Four runners-up will receive certificates.

The winning entry will be posted on the Brazos Writers website and the winner will be invited to read his or her work at an event to be scheduled by Brazos Writers in 2015.

2014 Helen Sheffield Memorial Writing Contest Entry Form

Please provide the following information and send it along with your submission(s) as an email attachment to brazoswriters(at)gmail.com.

Title(s) of submission(s)

_______ I acknowledge that I am 18 years of age or older.

_______ I acknowledge that this is an original work that I alone have contributed to, that this work has never been published, and that no part of this work infringes on the rights of any third party.

I am submitting _______ entries x $45 per entry for a total of $_______.

I am paying via _______ check _______ PayPal. Checks must be mailed to Brazos Writers, PO Box 4025, Bryan, TX 77805 and must be postmarked before midnight October 31, 2014.

Name
Mailing address
City, State, Zip Code
Phone
Email address


Deadline is midnight October 31, 2014. Please see the rules for details.
If you have questions, email brazoswriters@gmail.com.

Pay your entry fees safely and securely using PayPal:

Helen F. Sheffield (1931-2012) was a founding member when Brazos Writers was established in 1987. She was the author of “Women of Courage: They Never Gave Up” and the Nelda series of cozy murder mysteries. She was a beloved friend and mentor to generations of writers. In addition, she was a graduate of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette and taught high school biology, chemistry and physics for 27 years, loved tennis, and was active in the A&M United Methodist Church in College Station, Texas. She is survived by her husband, Dr. William James Sheffield, three daughters, and numerous grandchildren.