HLA's Young Writers Contest
The annual HLA-sponsored Young Writers Contest, open to all students in public and private schools in Madison County, encourages literary creativity among elementary, middle and high school youth. Contest winners in each age group are recognized with cash awards and publication of their poems and short stories. Public radio station WLRH 89.3 FM airs the first place winners on Sundial Writers Corner during the Morning Blend program.
HLA is pleased to announce a special category for Senior Short Stories - the Dorothy Diemer Hendry Award for Literary Achievement. This award has been established by publisher Steve Gierhart to honor the memory of Dorothy Diemer Hendry, educator, writer, and poet, and one of the founding members of HLA. It is a separate component within the Young Writers Contest, and the rules of entry and guidelines for the other divisions do not apply to this division. For information on entering the DDH Awards Division, please click here.
The contest typically opens the first week in February, with final submissions due mid-March.
2013 Annual Young Writers Contest
Who May Enter:
All students in Huntsville, Madison and Madison County public and private schools are eligible.
When to Enter:
The Forty-fifth Annual Young Writers Contest opens on February 1, 2013. Final entries must be postmarked by March 23, 2013.
Entry Categories:
Senior Poetry Division - Grades 9, 10, 11, 12. Entries must be no more than 300 words.
Senior Short Story Division - Grades 9, 10, 11, 12. The Dorothy Diemer Hendry Award for Literary Achievement has been established for this division. It is a component of the Young Writers Contest, but has many different rules and requirements for entry than the other divisions, as well as separate awards. Please find information about the DDH Award by clicking here, or go to the Ardent Writer Press website, ardentwriterpress.com or email Steve Gierhart at gierhartsteve@att.net.
Junior Poetry - Grades 6, 7, 8. No more than 300 words.
Junior Short Story - Grades 6, 7, 8. Minimum 800 words, Maximum 2,000 words.
Upper Elementary Poetry - Grades 3, 4, 5. No more than 300 words.
Lower Elementary Poetry - Grades 1, 2. No more than 300 words.
Awards:
Prizes will be awarded to first, second, and third place winners and certificates to as many as three honorable mentions in each division. Winners in each of the six categories will receive recognition certificates and the following monetary prizes:
First Place: $100
Second Place: $60
Third Place: $40
All winners, their parents, and teachers will be guests of HLA at the annual Awards Ceremony on May 5, 2012, at UAHuntsvile, Wilson Hall, Huntsville, AL.
Contest Rules for Submitting Entries
- All entries must be the original work of the individual student with only general constructive assistance from the teacher. Plagiarism or cheating has not been and will not be tolerated by the Young Writers Contest Committee and judges. Teachers and parents, please emphasize the importance of original creations.
- Entries must NOT have been previously published elsewhere, including school newspapers and magazines, and must NOT have previously received recognition in another contest. An entry must NOT be sent simultaneously to the Young Writers Contest and to any other contest or publication except to the student's own school magazine or other school or PTA sponsored contest.
- Each entry must be typewritten or neatly and legibly hand printed. Use only one side of standard size paper. No title page is needed. Short stores must be double-spaced. If typewritten, must use font size no less than 10-point and no larger than 12-point.
- Do not put the author's name on the manuscript! Attach to the anonymous manuscript with a paper clip a 3" b 5" index card containing the following: name, address, city, zip code, telephone number, grade, teacher (full name if possible), school, school telephone number, entry category, title of entry.
- Each student may submit no more than one entry per category. All entries must have a title. Titles such as "Untitled" are not acceptable.
- Children of judges may not enter the contest under the same category in which the parent is judging.
- The Young Writers Contest shall not be judged by any teacher employed in the city, county, or private schools where the contest is held.
- Entries must be mailed to catalogers, see below:
Chair of 2013 Young Writers Contest - Gayle Milberger, 256-881-5568
2013 CATALOGUERS
Lower Elementary Poetry: Marjorie Masterson, 1104 Woodmont Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35801
Upper Elementary Poetry: Marion Conover, 1706 Greenwyche Road, Huntsville, AL 35801
Junior Poetry: Carol Ashburn Roach, 1662 Old Highway 431 South, Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763
Senior Poetry: Nancy Compton Williams, 11015 Vivian Drive, Huntsville, AL 35810
Junior Short Story: Linda Fletcher, 1207 Argent Circle, Huntsville, AL 35803
Senior Short Story: (See Dorothy Diemer Hendry Award for Literary Achievement)
Previous Contest Winners
Listings of this and previous year's winners are also available from the drop-down box.
Entries not correctly prepared (anonymous manuscript with attached index card furnishing ALL required information) will NOT be judged.
All entries become the property of the Huntsville Literary Association. None can be returned. Students should retain a copy of their entries.
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