ELIGIBILITY: All WRWA members, regardless of residency, are eligible to enter the contest when it opens on March 15, 2007. (If you are not a member, please submit dues to Membership Chair, noting same on your cover letter. DO NOT send membership dues with contest entry fees.) A previous First Place winner is not eligible to submit work in the category in which he or she won for the next three (3) calendar years.

CATAGORIES: Enter as many of the six (6) categories listed below as you wish.

Essay (non-fiction) - Opinion piece (which often stems from a personal experience) or review: One (1) entry not to exceed 1,500 words.

Article - Information, historical, personal experience (as in the kind of articles found in Sunday supplements), interview, travel, how-to: One (1) entry not to exceed 2,500 words.

Nostalgia: One (1) entry not to exceed 1,500 words.

Adult Short Story: One (1) entry not to exceed 5,000 words.

Juvenile Short Story - For ages 4-15: One (1) entry not to exceed 2,000 words.

Poetry: Up to four (4) poems, total lines not to exceed 75.

MANUSCRIPT RULES: Entries may be on any subject and must be ORIGINAL and UNPUBLISHED at the time of submission. Authors retain all publishing rights.

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION: Entries must be typed on one (1) side only of 8 1/2 by 11 white paper, DOUBLE SPACED (poems may either be double or single spaced), with standard (1") margins and in a readable font and size (i.e. Times New Roman, 12). Only ribbon copies, printed copies (no dot matrix) or good photocopies accepted; NO carbons. Each number, and, a, I, an, the, etc. counts as a word. Each page of the manuscript must contain Title and Page Number. DO NOT put your name or any other identifying information on the manuscript itself. That will disqualify your entry.

COVER SHEET: Submit one (1) cover sheet for each category entered (so if you enter both the adult fiction and poetry categories, for example, you would submit two (2) cover sheets). Cover sheets must contain NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER (E-mail if applicable), NUMERICAL RING SIZE, CATEGORY including Sub-Category, if applicable, (example: Ficiton/Adult) ENTERED, TITLE, and WORD COUNT (Poetry: number of lines), TOTAL FEES ENCLOSED, and the NAME and ADDRESS OF YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER. Your entry will be given a tracking number; cover sheets stay with the Contest Chair. Judges select winners by number only.

DEADLINE: Entries must be postmarked by June 15, 2007. Include SAS postcard if you wish acknowlegdment of your entry. Do not send entries Certified Mail. Manuscripts will not be returned. Manuscripts may be retrieved after awards have been presented at the Jade Ring Banquet. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

ENTRY FEES: $6.00 per category (for poetry, this means just $6.00. DO NOT send $6.00 per poem) - Please make one check for the full amount to cover all entries payable to Wisconsing Regional Writers' Assn., Inc. or WRWA, Inc. Entries without fees will be disqualified. Please, DO NOT staple checks to cover sheets, a simple paperclip will do. Again, DO NOT send membership dues with entry fees. Send membership dues to Membership Chair.

PRIZES: For each category:

First Place = $50, Certificate of Achievement, and Jade Ring for first-time winners.

Second Place = $30 and Certificate of Achievement.

Third Place = $20 and Certificate of Achievement.

The judge may name up to two (2) Honorable Mentions in each category for which a Certificate of Achievement will be awarded.

No one shall win First Prize in any category more than twice.

Only one (1) Jade Ring will be awarded to any single person.

WRWA, Inc. will not replace lost or destroyed rings.

WRWA, Inc. and the judges reserve the right not to award prizes when quality work is not presented.

Twelve (12) or more entries must be received or the category will not be judged; manuscripts and fees will be returned.

WRWA, Inc. is not responsible for lost manuscripts. Postage-due manuscripts will be refused.

SUBMISSION: Send all entries at once to:

Jennifer Turner
3135 Bush Street
Steven Point, WI 54481

NOTIFICATION: First, second, third place, and honorable mention winners will be notified by mail that they are in “the winner’s circle” (but not how they placed) before the Fall Conference and will be asked not to divulge that prior to the Jade Ring Banquet. WRWA encourages all honorees to be in attendance at the award ceremony.

Sponsored by the Waukesha Writer’s Workshop

Rules and Guidelines

1. CATEGORIES:

Nonfiction:

1. Essay/Articles – not to exceed 2,000 words

2. Nostalgia – not to exceed 1,500 words

Fiction:

3. Short Story – not to exceed 3,000 words (any genre)

4. Poetry – up to 4 poems; total lines not to exceed 90

Enter as many of the four categories as you wish, but only ONE entry in any one category except poetry (up to 4 entries).

2. ENTRY FEE: This contest is open to anyone who wishes to enter. Entrance is free to paid-up members of Waukesha Writer’s Workshop. Non-members may either pay a $5.00 reading fee for EACH CATEGORY entered or opt to become a member by paying the annual dues of $15.00. Make all checks payable for dues or reading fees to: Waukesha Writer’s Workshop.

3. MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION: Entries must be typed on one side, only, of 81/2 by 11 inch white paper, double spaced with standard one-inch margins. Poems may be either double or single spaced.

Prepare a COVER SHEET with your name, address, and telephone number; name of the manuscript, category and number of words or lines.

TITLE, CATEGORY, PAGE NUMBER, and NUMBER OF WORDS OR poetry LINES must be at the top of the FIRST PAGE of the manuscript. Each page of the Manuscript must contain the TITLE and PAGE NUMBER. DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON THE MANUSCRIPT PAGES. Paperclip the manuscript – DO NOT STAPLE.

4. DEADLINE: Monday, April 16, 2007, 10:30 a.m. at the regular meeting of the Waukesha Writer’s Workshop at Brookfield Highland Senior Apartments, Community Room, 20825 George Hunt Circle, Waukesha, Wisconsin. If you are unable to attend the April meeting, MAIL or DELIVER manuscript(s) to Mickey Burgermeister, S69 W17349 Kirkwood Dr., Muskego, WI 53150, with check for dues or reading fee (s), to be received PRIOR to meeting date.

5. PRIZES: In each CATEGORY:

First Prize $25.00

Second Prize $15.00

Third Prize $10.00

If the judge/judges do not think the manuscripts merit awards, they are not obligated to select winners for each prize. Judges to be announced.

WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT THE WAUKESHA WRITER’S WORKSHOP’S MAY 21st MEETING, OR RECEIVE NOTIFICATION.

If you have any questions, contact Mickey Burgermeister (262-679-0862) or Ramon Klitzke (262-547-3570) or Don Schambow (262-782-5737)

The contest honors J. Boatner (Bo) Carter a prominent past member of the Waukesha Writer’s Workshop.

Everyone has a book simmering on the back burner. Begin putting it down on paper and join the WRWA’s Novel Round Robin. We run from October through May, reading and commenting on each other’s work. Each month a chapter or two is sent to a central person. That person puts everything into an envelope and sends it to an author on a list. After reading and critiquing each chapter, each member of the Round Robin sends it to the next person. The last author mails the packet back to the central person and each chapter is mailed back to the author in your enclosed SASE. Your chapter will contain everyone’s comments, thoughts and helpful criticisms. This is a great opportunity to see if you are going in the right direction. If interested or for more information, e-mail djucius@wi.rr.com. Set aside this article and make a note on your calendar to enter in October.

FORMAT FOR NOVEL ROUND ROBIN

1. If interested, e-mail or mail your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address to or call (262)-843-3517.
   
   
2. First Month: Send a chapter (or two), double-spaced on both sides of paper, using 12 or 14 as the font; a one-time payment of $4.00 (made out to Dee Jucius if by check); and a SASE to Dee by the 10th of the month.
   
   
3. Each month afterwards, submit a chapter (or two) plus the SASE to Dee by the 10th of the month.
   
   
4. Dee will gather all chapters and mail to the first person on a list of Round Robin participants. Each writer will read, critique, comment, and send it on to the next person on the list, being responsible for this postage.
   
   
5. The last person on the list will send the packet to Dee, being responsible for postage. Dee will return each chapter to its author in the submitted SASE.
   
   
6. The first chapter might not get back before the end of the month. Therefore send the next chapter by the 10th anyway.
   
   
7. You will receive your chapters returned with wonderful suggestions, comments, and critiques to guide you to better writing.
   
   
8. If you miss one month you can still continue in the next month. If you will not participate in one month, notify Dee before the 10th so the packet will not be held up.
   
   
9. Think very hard about the suggestions. Keep an open mind. But the final decision is always the author’s.
   
   
10. Revise, revise revise.
    
    
11. Revise again. Remember, “A writer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
    
    
12. Happy writing in the Novel Round Robin.