2012 National Literary Awards - Frequently Asked Questions

Where should I send my entries?

Please address to Amy Knox Brown, CWW Director, 601 S. Church Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. 

When will the winner receive his/her monetary prize?

The winner in each genre will be contacted by phone and by mail by the Director of the Center for Women Writers by May 15, 2012. 

When will the writers who received an honorable mention receive his/her prize?

Two honorable mentions will be named in each genre. The writer will receive the $150.00 check in the mail along with the notification of this recognition.

Should I submit my work in different envelopes if I am submitting in multiple genres?

This is not necessary, but please make sure that the entries are well marked by genre and have separate cover sheets and separate SASEs.

What do you mean by a clean-typed copy?

This means that the pages are printed on one side only on white, lightweight paper. No graphics or handwriting should be on the manuscript.

What type of font should I use?

Please make it as easy to read as possible. 12-point font size is preferable. A standard font choice would be Times New Roman, Courier or Arial.

Should my prose be double-spaced?

Yes.

Should I number my pages?

Yes. The title and page number should appear in the header. Remember, do NOT put your name in the header. This would automatically disqualify you.

What type of paper should I use to submit my work?

Please use white, lightweight paper.

Should I staple my work or paperclip it?

Please do not staple your poetry. For fiction and nonfiction, you may staple or paperclip it.

Can I submit my work if it has already won a prize or award?

Yes. As long as it is unpublished, you may submit the piece for one of the national literary awards.

What do you mean when you ask for the genre on the cover sheet?

Poetry is easy to distinguish – sometimes – but if your work is a prose poem, we might mistake it for a short short story, and file it incorrectly. Also, if you simply label the piece as prose, we cannot be sure that the work is nonfiction or fiction. We are taking this VERY seriously. You must include the genre or the contest name so the piece can be correctly filed. If the contest name or genre is not included on the sheet, the piece will automatically be disqualified.

What do you mean when you ask for a work that is unpublished?

A work is "published" when it is first made available to the public on an unrestricted basis. This would include selling it or giving certain serial rights to a printed publication or an e-zine, posting it online (on a website, blog, etc.), or publishing it yourself.

I have a work that has been published, but I have revised it since it was published. Can I submit the revision?

A published work is a published work -- no matter how many times it has been revised. Please do not submit the revision as unpublished work.

What is a SASE?

A SASE is a self addressed stamped envelope. This will enable us to send the results of the contest to you. The results will list the finalists and the winners.

For the awards in fiction and nonfiction, can I submit an excerpt from a longer piece?

As long as the excerpt stands on its own, is under 5000 words, and is not published, it can be submitted.

My nonfiction piece is autographical. Can I use my real name?

Please do not use your name in the piece. Instead, we ask that you use a different name and state at the end of the piece that the name was changed for this contest submission.

For the Rita Dove Award, can I submit only one poem or do I have to submit two poems per entry?

You may submit one or two poems, per submission, of any style. Each poem must not be more than 100 lines.

What is the word count limit for prose?

5000 words – please include the word count on your cover page!

What is the line count limit for poetry?

100 lines – please include the line count on your cover page! And please note that there is no word limit for poetry.

Do I need to write a check for each individual entry?

No, you may write a check for the total fees of all of the entries. ($15.00 times the total # of entries). However, please send individual cover sheets and SASEs for each entry.

I have drawn a picture to accompany my story or poem. May I send it with my entry?

Please let the writing speak for itself and do not include photos, drawings, or clip art on your work.

I submitted my piece elsewhere and have just been notified that it will be published. What should I do?            

Please notify the Center for Women Writers immediately so we can withdraw your piece. Please note that your entry fee is nonrefundable. Please do not cancel your check with your bank as this will cost the Center a significant amount of money and paperwork.

May I have an extension past the postmark due date?

In fairness to those who sent their pieces on time, we will not do this.

Will the winning submissions be published?

We do not publish the winning works, and we believe this is a positive condition of our competition. You can be named the winner (receive prize money) and additionally publish your work somewhere else, thus receiving twice the recognition and possibly more prize money.

A note about the judging:

Although this contest will be blind-judged (the name of the contestant will not appear on the manuscript), please note that contestants are discouraged from submitting a manuscript that they know a judge will recognize because they have studied with or worked with the judge of his or her particular category. Judges have been asked to disqualify any such material.

If you do not adhere to the contest guidelines, your work will be disqualified. Please note that your entry fee is nonrefundable.

For any additional questions, please e-mail cww@salem.edu . Thank you!