Each entry must be original work and previously unpublished. Simultaneous submissions will be accepted, but authors must notify The Writers Guild of Virginia immediately and withdraw from the contest if their work is accepted elsewhere. Submissions may not be withdrawn once the contest winners are announced.

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Prizes include publication in The Writers Guild of Virginia Stokes Award Anthology . Categories are Poetry, Fiction, and Non-fiction. First place prize in each category is $300; Second place is $100; Third place is $50.

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 About the Contest:

All works will be read blind by the judges. Contact information should appear ONLY in the Cover Letter section of the form. Author’s name/contact information should NOT appear anywhere on the manuscript, NOT in the “Title” field on the form, NOT in the file name. Failure to follow these instructions will result in disqualification of the work without the return of entry fees. Categories: POETRY Submit up to 3 poems, 10 pages maximum FICTION (including flash fiction, short story, and novel excerpt. Up to 5000 words). Each story, including flash fiction, must be submitted separately with a fee. NONFICTION (including memoir, essay, journal entries, and other creative nonfiction. Up to 3500 words) Authors of Nonfiction requiring identifiable names, should use pseudonyms during the judging process. If their work is accepted, they will have the opportunity to change those names prior to publication. The title of the work(s) should be included in the name of the file(s) to be uploaded. For example: MyNameIsBernie.doc. The author's name should NOT be included in the file name. Long titles may be truncated when naming the file. Poetry submissions allow up to 3 poems per entry and should be submitted in separate files for each poem.

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How to Enter :

Submit entries and fees to WritersGuildVA.submittable.com. In the cover sheet section for each entry, include your name, address, telephone number, & email address. Indicate the category to which you’re submitting, word count, and title of the entry. Use a standard font (Times New Roman preferred) in 12-pt. type, double-spaced, with the title/page number on each page. Poetry should be single-spaced; 3 poems counts as one entry. 3Author ID must not appear on your manuscript pages, or your entry will be disqualified. Writers Guild of Virginia Board Members are ineligible to enter. Submissions that are withdrawn by the author for any reason will be returned without entry fees. Entry Fees & Payment Entry fee is $25 ($15 for members of Writers Guild of Virginia). Non-members may submit only every three years, unless they join the organization. Multiple entries will be accepted, each accompanied by an entry fee. Entries may be withdrawn from the contest at any time prior to the announcement of the winners, but entry fees will not be refunded. Deadline All entries and payments must be received between June 1 and August 1. WGV reserves the right to extend the deadline if necessary. In the event there are insufficient submissions (criteria set by the judges), WGV may cancel the contest and refund the fees paid.

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Winners Announced:

Winners will be announced on or about November 1 and will be notified by email. The list of winners will also be posted on the Writers Guild of Virginia website and newsletter. Cash prizes will be paid no later than December 1. Prizes First- Second- and Third-place winners will be published in The Journal and receive 1 copy of The Writers Guild of Virginia Stokes Award Anthology. The three Best-in-Category winners will each receive $300 cash. Second place winners will receive $100 each. Third Place winners will receive $50 each. Judges Judges will be selected according to their expertise in these literary categories: Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, and Fiction and will be compensated. New judges will be selected each year, with no repeats in the same category for three consecutive years. Judges will be ineligible to compete in any category while serving as a judge. Rights By entering the contest, writers give High Tide Publications, Inc. permission to publish the entered work or works in The Writers Guild of Virginia Stokes Award Anthology and to list the author’s name in the publication, on the Writers Guild of Virginia website and monthly newsletter, The Guild Gazette, and in press releases and other attendant publicity. Submissions may not be withdrawn once contest winners are announced. Authors retain copyright to the work or works entered and published. The Writers Guild of Virginia is granted a one-time right to publish the work or works in The Writers Guild of Virginia Stokes Award Anthology.

Questions? Email WGVStokesAward@gmail.com