Writing Contest
14th Annual GPS Writing Contest
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural and Alternate History Fiction
Sponsored by the Geek Partnership Society (GPS) - a society celebrating imagination, inspiring creativity, and building our community through service and education.
2012 RULES AND
SUBMISSION FORMAT
Divisions
Entries will be grouped and judged in these categories:
Open Division: Open to writers of any age. There will be TWO (2) winners chosen from this category. One winner will be chosen from all entries. An additional winner will be chosen from contestants residing in the local area to receive the Scott Imes Award.
The Scott Imes Award
The GPS premier award proudly honors Scott Imes, a major force in the Twin Cities' science fiction reading and writing community, who passed away in December 2001. For over two decades, Scott Imes worked at Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore; his recommendations served those far beyond its doors.
- Poetry Division: Open to entries from writers of any age.
- Youth Division 1: Open to writers 13 years of age or younger (as of May 25, 2012).
- Youth Division 2: Open to writers 14-16 years of age (as of May 25, 2012).
- Graphic Novel Division: Open to entries from writers of any age.
Contest Rules
Download Writing Contest Rules (PDF Format).
- All entries must be original unpublished works by nonprofessional (amateur) authors.
- ONE ENTRY PER PERSON in either the Open Division, Graphic Novel or one of the Youth Divisions. An entry can be made to the Poetry Division in addition to ONE of the other Divisions.
- There is NO entry fee for any submission.
- Division winners from 2011 are not eligible to win in the same division in 2012 - but are allowed to enter a different division.
- Entries must meet the stated Rules and Submission Format or they will be refused. If this happens the author will be notified via email and allowed to resubmit the corrected entry by the contest deadline (11:59 pm CDT on May 15, 2011).
- By entering the contest, the author of a winning entry gives permission to GPS to publish their entries both online and in print as is determined by G.P.S. and any future anthologies of winning entries. The winning entries may also be posted on the GPS web site.
Submission Details
This contest is designed to provide a stage for new talent, provide the opportunity to stretch their wings and learn a little about submitting their work for publication. The submission requirements are not debatable, nor should this contest be used as a required class exercise by teachers. (Teachers, of course you can encourage your students to enter our contest. But don't make it a homework assignment for everyone).
Manuscript entries must be an MS Word (or equivalent word processing software) document.
Manuscript entries must be 5,000 words OR FEWER.
Manuscript entries must be typed as follows:
- 8.5" x 11" size
- 1 inch margins
- Double-spaced
- 11 pt font
- Black text in Arial, Verdana or Times New Roman
- Pages numbered
Story/poem title should appear on each page of the manuscript, but author's name should only appear on the title page.
Graphic novels may be submitted in either digital or paper format. Paper format must be Black and white on A4 paper limited to 10 pages or less. Send paper graphic novel entries to Geek Partnership Society, 1121 Jackson St Northeast, Suite 106, Minneapolis, MN 55413. Any graphic novel entries submitted by mail must be postmarked prior to 11:59 pm CDT on May 15, 2011. Paper format novels submitted will not be returned.
All other entries must be submitted electronically by emailing the entry as an attachment to writingcontest@geekpartnership.org. ONLY ONE ENTRY PER EMAIL MESSAGE. If you have more than one entry they must be sent in separate email messages.
Title Page
The title page should include the following contact information:
All Divisions:
- story/poem/ title
- division
- word count for stories or poems
- number of pages for graphic novel
- author name
- complete mailing address of author
- email address of author
Youth Divisions: (in addition to the information above)
- age of youth
- birth date of youth
- name of parent or guardian
- email address of parent or guardian
- name of school
- city where school is located
Submission Deadline
- Entries should be emailed as attachments to writingcontest@geekpartnership.org.
- All entries are due by 11:59 pm CDT on May 15th 2012.
Prizes
- The winner of each Youth Division will receive a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate, with a second $50 gift certificate being awarded to the winner's school.
- The Poetry Division winner will receive a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate.
- The general winner of the Open Division will receive a $75 Amazon.com gift certificate. The Scott Imes Award Winner will receive a $100 gift certificate from Uncle Hugo's.
- The Graphic Novel Winner will receive a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate.
One of the category winners will be selected by the editor of Tales of the Unanticipated for inclusion in the 30th Anniversary issue due to be published in June of 2012. Selection will be made by the Editor of Tales of the Unanticipated according to content appropriate to that magazine. All winners will be notified and their winning submission published on line by June 30th 2012.
Judging
Two or more qualified writers or editors will evaluate each submission. All works will be pre-screened to ensure they meet the rules and submission format stated above. The judges will NOT read any entries that do not meet the requirements.
Questions
If you have questions, please contact George Richard, Writing Contest Coordinator, at writingcontest@geekpartnership.org.
