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2022 Writers' Division Contest guidelines <br><br>
Once again in the year 2022 we will be holding our annual Writers'
Division contest for youth and adults. Do you know a VI teacher?
Distribute these guidelines to any teachers or those in the blindness
field especially anyone who works with youth who are learning or are
proficient in Braille. Please consult the guidelines below for age groups
and ways of payment. Feel free to contact us using our email or phone
above with questions. <br><br>
Note that adults need not submit contest entries in Braille. In fact, we
encourage only electronic copies of entries submitted by adults. Please
include a cover letter with your entries. See guidelines for cover letter
requirements. <br><br>
***<br><br>
2022 Writers' Division Contest guidelines <br><br>
<br><br>
The annual youth and adult writing contests sponsored by the NFB Writers’
Division will open January 1st and close April 30th for all aspiring
writers whether blind, sighted or visually impaired. <br><br>
<br><br>
Adult contest categories are: short Fiction, nonfiction including
personal essay and memoir, and poetry.<br><br>
<br><br>
Youth contest categories are: Short fiction and poetry. The youth contest
is divided into three groups, determined by grade level – elementary, 1st
through 4th grade, middle, 5th through 8th grade, and high school 9th
through 12th grade. <br><br>
As always, in both adult and youth contests, there may be up to three
prize winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd), and one or more receiving honorable
mention. Additionally, a prize winning entry may be published within the
Writers’ Division’s magazine, Slate & Style. <br><br>
All contest winners will be announced during the 2021 national
convention. Stay tuned for the 2021 location. <br><br>
<br><br>
PRIZES <br><br>
*Youth contest winners will receive cash and prizes up to $30 for 1st
place, $20 for 2nd place, and $10 for 3rd place. <br><br>
*Adult contest winners will receive cash and prizes up to $75 for 1st
place, $50 for 2nd place, and $25 for 3rd place. <br><br>
<br><br>
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES<br><br>
<br><br>
YOUTH CONTESTS<br><br>
This is a contest for students who use Braille. <br><br>
If you are 18 years old, or older, you must enter the adult
contest.<br><br>
Entries must be submitted in hand embossed Braille, either with a slate
and stylus or Perkins Braille writer, and there are no
exceptions.<br><br>
Submissions must be Brailled by the entrant. <br><br>
All submissions, no matter the grade level, must be in contracted
Braille. Let us know if you “know” or are “learning” contracted Braille.
Additionally, let us know if you have chosen to use UEB, or not.<br><br>
Each entrant must provide an identical electronic copy of the cover
letter and contest entry as a Microsoft Word file [doc or dox] or as a
Rich Text Format [rtf] file).<br><br>
*Attach the electronic copies to an email and send them to Shelley
Alongi, Queenofbells@outlook.com. <br><br>
*Send your hardcopy Braille and cover letter to:<br><br>
Chelsea Cook<br><br>
901 Englewood Parkway, Apt. J304, Englewood, CO 80110 <br><br>
<br><br>
COVER LETTER <br><br>
Entries must be accompanied by a cover letter containing the following
information for each entrant: Your name, mailing address, phone number,
and e-mail address. <br><br>
List the titles of all submissions, including the category in which they
are being entered.<br><br>
List your school and grade level.<br><br>
<br><br>
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS<br><br>
*We will consider only unpublished original entries. Please do not submit
entries that have been previously submitted on a web site or blog.
<br><br>
*Youth short fiction stories submissions cannot be more than 1,000 words,
and poetry of no more than 50 lines. <br><br>
*Authors of either poetry or fiction are encouraged to submit multiple
pieces.<br><br>
<br><br>
Youth ENTRY FEES – None<br><br>
<br><br>
Are you the best Brailler in the contest? Be sure to double check your
work for spelling and grammatical errors. Remember to use Braille paper
so the Braille is easy to read. Good luck!<br><br>
<br><br>
ADULT CONTEST<br><br>
This contest is for everyone 18 years old, or older. One need not be
blind to enter.<br><br>
We will consider only unpublished original entries. Please do not submit
entries that have been published on a website or blog. <br><br>
Fiction and nonfiction categories can be of any main stream genre, and
cannot exceed 3,000 words. <br><br>
Poetry: We will accept poetry of any length <br><br>
Authors of either poetry and/or prose are encouraged to submit multiple
pieces.<br><br>
Adults are required to submit all poetry, fiction and nonfiction as
attachments to an E-mail message. <br><br>
The attachments must be in either Microsoft Word (doc) or Rich Text
Format (rtf). <br><br>
Fiction and nonfiction should be written in a normal prose style, with
paragraphs being left justified, lines being single spaced, and having a
14 point font of Aerial, regular. <br><br>
Be sure to double check your work for spelling and grammatical
errors<br><br>
No hard copy submissions will be accepted.<br><br>
<br><br>
COVER LETTER <br><br>
Along with your entry or entries, include a cover letter providing the
following information: <br><br>
Your name, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address. <br><br>
List the titles of all submissions, including the category in which they
are being entered.<br><br>
State your method of payment for the entry fee (check or PayPal).
<br><br>
*Finally, the cover letter could be your e-mail message, or a separate
document attached along with your submissions.<br><br>
<br><br>
CONTEST ENTRY FEES PAYMENT AND METHODS<br><br>
Adult Fees: <br><br>
The fee for each short story is $15.00 for members and $20.00 for
non-members.<br><br>
The fee for each nonfiction entry is $15.00 for members and $20.00 for
non-members. <br><br>
The base fee for poetry will cover up to three poems, if the combined
line-count of all three pieces does not exceed 108 lines - additional
poems require a second fee, following the same fee payment scheme. Base
fees are $15.00 for members and $20.00 for non-members.<br><br>
<br><br>
PAYMENT<br><br>
*You may use PayPal from the Writers’ Division website,
<a href="http://writers.nfb.org/">http://writers.nfb.org</a><br><br>
*Alternatively, you may mail a check made out to NFB Writers’ Division,
with a note in the memo line relating to the contest. Send to:<br><br>
<br><br>
Shawn Jacobson<br><br>
19541 Olney Mill Rd.<br><br>
Olney, MD 20832.<br><br>
<br><br>
*E-mail submissions should be sent to Shelley Alongi
Queenofbells@outlook.com. <br><br>
<br><br>
We look forward to seeing your words.<br>
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