High Hope for the Freelance Writer                                                                     

      C. Hope Clark, Editor

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9th Annual FundsforWriters Essay Contest

Co-sponsored by Literary Database

Toss the Writer's Market. Target and Time your submissions with LITERARY DATABASE. At a glance, you’ll know when, where and how to submit your short stories, essays, and poetry. Literary Database has hot links to each publication’s website. It’s designed by writers, for writers.

We offer the same two categories - the $5 FEE category and the NO FEE category. Many writers do not believe in paying while others have no contrary opinion about an entry fee. Here we offer both so everyone has a choice. This way no one has an excuse not to submit.

Remember...this is an essay, a nonfiction entry. No fiction, no poetry. Entries are welcome from any race, religion, gender, nationality or other diverse group. Prize money will be forwarded via PayPal or check. (NOTE: If outside the US, we refuse to spend more than reasonable postage to send it to you. No wires.)

Prizes:

$5 ENTRY FEE Category

• First Place - $300

• Second Place - $100

• Third Place - $50

NO ENTRY FEE Category

• First Place - $50

• Second Place - $30

• Third Place - $20

Our Gold Sponsors:

Are you one of those people who never submits your writing for publication because you think it isn't good enough? What if there were someone you could show it to — someone who would be both objective judge and supporter? I'm Nancy Wick, a Seattle-based writer, editor and writing coach. Send me your manuscript for a developmental edit that will help you make the next draft better or a copyedit that will polish a finished piece for submission. Let me be your partner in prose.   E-mail: wicknb@juno.com / Website: www.enlightenededits.com

Contest Guidelines:

What to Put In/On your Email Submission:

1. The title of the essay (do NOT use the theme, "When Writing Made a Difference" as your title)
2. Your name.
3. Your email address.
4. Note Entry Fee or No Entry Fee category.
5. The word count.
6. The essay itself in the body.

Guidelines:

• Not to exceed 750 words.
• Essay/nonfiction only. NO fiction, poetry or children's writing.
• Receipt deadline Midnight (Eastern Time), October 31, 2010.
• Email entry to hope@fundsforwriters.com. (No more fax and snail mail submissions.)
• No attachments to emails. Embed in the email itself. (Viruses are nasty creatures.)
• Entry fee $5 or ZERO dollars. Payable via PayPal or check. Put name, email address and essay title with check if you send via mail.
• Note ENTRY FEE or NO ENTRY FEE on your submission. 
• Same piece cannot be submitted in both ENTRY FEE and NO ENTRY FEE categories.
• Must be original and unpublished.
• Must be in English but entries accepted internationally. Entry fees must be in US dollars.
• No limit to the number of submissions.
• All writers must be 18 or older.
• Do not bother with SASE for winners lists. Winners posted on website and in newsletters.
• Single or double-spaced accepted.
• Winners and public notified by December 1, 2010.
• Winners published in December 5, 2010 FundsforWriters newsletters.
• Other submissions will be considered for publication, but will be paid the standard rate of $45 if selected.
• Final determination of winners is not negotiable.
• You do NOT have to be a FundsforWriters reader to enter the contest.
• You will not be added to any sort of mailing list.

I am paying $5 for the ENTRY FEE category and will include my PayPal email address on my entry to aid identification or entry with entry fee.

Direct any additional questions to Hope Clark at hope@fundsforwriters.com . Checks can be mailed to: C. Hope Clark, c/o FundsforWriters.com, 140A Amicks Ferry Road, Box 4, Chapin, SC 29036

FEEL FREE TO USE THE FOLLOWING ON YOUR WEBSITE, BLOG OR NEWSLETTER.

Read our past winners . . .

2008 WINNERS - Choice of two topics. Theme: The Best Advice I Ever Had

• 1st ENTRY FEE- Ryma Shohami - "I Can Never Write That Well"
• 2nd ENTRY FEE - Amy Mullis - "Being Bombeck"
• 3rd ENTRY FEE - Sheryl Platte - "You Don't Need a Real Cabbage Patch Doll"
• 1st NO ENTRY FEE  - Anna Steegmann - "Don't Submit to the New York Times"
• 2nd NO ENTRY FEE- Miranda Ward - "Bliss"
• 3rd NO ENTRY FEE - Kelly Christensen - "The Tired Dog"

2007 WINNERS - Choice of two topics. Theme: Make Us Want to Be You

• 1st ENTRY FEE- Rachel Gurevich - "A Passionate, Risk-Taking Year"
• 2nd ENTRY FEE - Michelle Miller Allen - "A Fork in One Hand, a Pen in the Other"
• 3rd ENTRY FEE - Lindy Schneider - "One Year with NO BOOTS!"
• 1st NO ENTRY FEE  - Chris Mac - "Old Friends"
• 2nd NO ENTRY FEE- Lee Hanekom - "Terrs No More"
• 3rd NO ENTRY FEE - Eva M. Lemeh - "A Fabulous Year"

2006 WINNERS - Choice of four themes on mentoring and grants

• 1st ENTRY FEE -Diane Lau - The Successful Author, Revised
• 2nd ENTRY FEE - Katherine Hauswirth-  I Googled Myself
• 3rd ENTRY FEE - Joan Foley Baier - My Virtual Grant
• 1st NO ENTRY FEE - Margaret Skipworth - All You Need Is...
• 2nd NO ENTRY FEE - Amber Herrick - My Own Definition  
• 3rd NO ENTRY FEE - Nateisha Taylor - The Reluctant Reader

2005 WINNERS - Theme: They Actually Paid Me To Write

• 1st ENTRY FEE - Cynthia Morris, "Frivolous Poetry"
• 2nd ENTRY FEE - Kathleen Ewing, "Pay Back"
• 3rd ENTRY FEE - Joni Fisher, "Call Me"
• 1st NO ENTRY FEE -  Jill E. Alicea, "Matters of the Heart"
• 2nd NO ENTRY FEE - Katherine Hauswirth, "Write First Surf Later"
• 3rd NO ENTRY FEE - Lowell Thomas, "A Little Encouragement Goes a Long Way"

Tweetebooks! Mini-ebooks of niche markets for $1.99.

Copyright 2000-2010, C. Hope Clark and FundsforWriters - FFW does not warranty the information on this site. This site and its contents are provided  on an "as is" basis without warranty. Information can change at a moment's notice, so FundsforWriters/C. Hope Clark does not represent that this information is complete or current by the time you access it. Please use at your own risk just as you would any information in your writing career - with educated caution. The names of companies, their magazines or other products mentioned on this site may be the trademarks of their respective owners. FundsforWriters/C. Hope Clark will not be held liable for damages arising out or or in connection with the use of this site. If this sounds like legalese, we apologize. We provide the freshest information we can find, but the Internet changes faster than we can be responsible for. We do not collect name or email information for distribution. Email addresses are not shared with other sources. Direct any questions to Hope@fundsforwriters.com - or by snail mail to 140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4, Chapin, SC 29036