RULES FOR
Celtic Heart Romance Writers 2008
THE GOLDEN CLADDAGH CONTEST
Eligibility:
The competition is open to RWA members and non-members who have not
accepted a publishing offer from a non-Subsidy, non-Vanity Publisher (self-published) for
any length of fiction in the past five years. Entrant must retain all rights to the entry
and not have granted any of them to a publisher or any other party by the contest
entry deadline. If your manuscript is accepted for publication between
May 1 and August 30, 2008 you must notify the contest coordinator; your submission(s) will
be withdrawn from consideration and your entry fee(s)returned.
Note: Previously entered manuscripts may be entered again,
but no previous winning manuscript shall be re-entered, even if revised.
PLEASE NOTE:
You may submit multiple entries so long as you pay an entry fee and
submit a completed entry form for each submission. You may not enter
the same manuscript in more than one category.
*Entry fee per entry: $20.00 CHRW member and $25.00 non-member.
Categories:
Historical:
Romantic fiction with a setting prior to 1945 and in any location.
(Please specify the time period on your cover page; i.e., Regency,
Medieval, Ancient)
FF&P:
Romantic fiction set in any time period and centered around
futuristic, fantasy and/or paranormal elements and time-travel.
Suspense:
Romantic fiction in which suspense is a strong element.
Mainstream with Romantic Elements:
A stand alone title, not part of a series, where romance is NOT the
main focus of the novel. Over 70,000 words.
Contemporary:
Includes, single title, long and short romantic fiction with a contemporary setting set after 1945.
Erotica:
Any genre that includes erotic elements
CHRW reserves the right to discard all electronic entries and return
fees if a minimum number of three (3) entries is not received in any
category. Entrants will be contacted before the entries are returned
and given the option to place their entry in another category. We may
also refuse an entry that does not follow the rules stated here in
the guidelines.
Entry Composition:
Your entry must have the following:
1) A seperate cover page which includes the author's real name,
address, telephone number(s), e-mail address, submission title,
category and manuscript word count should be submitted in text of the e-mail.
Do not include the cover page in the same attachment as your manuscript and
synopsis. The manuscript and synopsis will be sent together as one
document as an attachment.
2) The beginning of your manuscript, including prologue, cannot
exceed thirty(30)pages. Standard manuscript format must be followed:
1” margins, double spaced in a standard font and size that gives 24-26 lines per page.
We will not accept entries that have italicized, colored, or designer fonts.
DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME ON THE MANUSCRIPT. See ENTRY FORMAT.
3) The synopsis must be included with the same file attachment as the manuscript, must be double spaced and is not to exceed five (5) pages. Do not send the synopsis in a separate attachment. Whether the synopsis is at the beginning or the end of your entry, it should start and end as though it were separate from your manuscript. Any entry that contains a single spaced synopsis and/or begins or ends on the same page as the manuscript will be refused and sent back for correction. The synopsis will be scored.
NOTE: Your entry, which includes the synopsis must not exceed thirty-
five (35) pages total. ANY MANUSCRIPT, OR SYNOPSIS THAT DOES NOT FOLLOW THE
RULES SET DOWN HERE WILL BE REFUSED AND YOUR ENTRY WILL BE RETURNED
SO THAT YOU CAN CORRECT IT. However, our deadline still stands; corrected manuscripts
will need to be returned by the midnight deadline on May 1, 2008 to be valid.
Entry Format:
Standard manuscript and synopsis format, double-spaced, 12-point readable font,
twenty-six (26) lines maximum per page, minimum 1" margins all
around. Only the TITLE of the manuscript, the category, and any
subcategory should be placed on the top left hand side of the entry.
The PAGE NUMBER should be on the top right hand side. IF THE NAME OF
THE AUTHOR(S) APPEARS ANYWHERE ON THE MANUSCRIPT OR SYNOPSIS, THE
ENTRY WILL BE DISQUALIFIED AND THE ENTRY FEE WILL NOT BE RETURNED.
Important: Manuscript and synopsis must be in a .doc or .rtf file.
Judging:
First Round:
All entries will be read and scored by two trained judges and one
published author. If two of the three entries have scored in the 85%
range and there is at least a fifty point discrepancy in the third
score, that entry will be read by a fourth judge and the lower score
will be dropped.
The three entries with the highest total scores in each category will
move to the final round. In the event of a tie for third place, both
entries will get a fourth read and the highest score will move onto
final round.
Final Round:
An editor/agent will select a winner from the finalists in each
category.
Final Round Judges:
FF&P: Rose Hillard Editor of St. Martins Press
Romantic Suspense: Leis Pederson Editor of Berkley/Jove
Historical: Esi Sogah - Avon/Harper Collins
Mainstream with Romantic Elements: Margaret Esch -Tiger Publications
Contemporary: Lois Winston - agent Ashley Grayson Literary Agency
Erotic: Felecia Mills Editor of Red Sage Publishing
Submitting Your Entry:
Send your entry as an attachment in Rich Text Format (RTF)to
contest@celtichearts.org. As stated above, the cover letter must be
submitted in the text of your email.
You can also submit by filling out the form below, making sure to upload your .rtf file in the appropriate box.
To Convert a Document to RTF:
Open your manuscript document. Click on "File" and select the "Save
As" option. When the "Save As" window appears, scroll down through
the "Save As Type" options and select Rich Text Format (the last
one). A copy of your document will be saved in RTF or .doc (WORD DOCUMENT) format.
Your document can be changed back to a Word document by reversing the
steps.
Notification:
Finalists will be notified via e-mail or phone by July 1, 2008. Once
the finalists have been notified, all other entrants will have their
scoresheets and critiqued entries (if viable) returned via e-mail.
Winners will be notified by September 1, 2008, via a phone call or
by e-mail. The names of all winners will be publicized. Recognition
will include, but will not be limited to, announcements on the CHRW
website and in the Romance Writers Report (RWR).
Awards:
The FIRST PLACE winner in each category will receive a golden
claddagh pin.
The SECOND PLACE winner in each category will receive a silver
claddagh pin.
The THIRD PLACE winner in each category will receive a bronze
claddagh pin.
All winners will receive certificates and icons to place on their
websites.
If for any reason the below form is not working please submit your entry with the below form information included in the email body and your entry attached in rtf format to Contest@celtichearts.org. To make your entry fee payment please click here. Thank You!
2007 Contest Winners
Historical - Judge, Kelly Moritmer - Kelly Mortimer Agency
1. Elaine Powell - Lord's Obligations
2. Judy Ridgely - Threatened Loyalties
3. Cynthia Arends - Lord Andrew's Match
Honorable Mention - Ruth Ram - Wicked Game
Romantic Suspense - Esi Sogah - Avon/Harper Collins
1. Cathy Perkins - The Professor
2. Faye Hughes - To Kill a Greek
3. Terri Richison - Deadly Inheritance
Honorable Mention - Debra Andrews - Dangerous Paradise
Honorable Mention - CJ Eernise - Earth's Only Paradise
Fantasy, Futurisitic & Paranormal - Rose Hilliard - St. Martin's Press
1. Tracey O'Hara - Night's Cold Kiss
2. Cathy Leming - Angel's at Almack's
3. Mary Worden - Hidden Truth
Honorable Mention - Gail Francis - Birthmark
Contemporary - Roberta Brown - Roberta Brown Agency
1. Kerensa Brougham - The Princess Shoppe
2. Paul LaFerriere & Dorrie Parini - Hard Wiring
3. Kerensa Brougham - Publish or Perish
Honorable Mention - Sue Dickinson - Her Sisters Husband
Mainstream with Romantic Elements - Judge, Hilary Saers - Kensington
1. Leslie Tentler - Say Nothing
2. Lorrie Kruse - A Life Worth Living
3. Deborah Nemeth - Wronging Mr. Right
Honorable Mention - Tanya Freedman - Tangled Chains
Honorable Mention - Kristina McMorris - Flaherty's Crossing
