RULES

Eligibility: This contest is open to all members of RWA® unpublished and not contracted in full-length fiction, either print or electronic form, at deadline. First 100 entries guaranteed admission. Additional entries accepted subject to judge availability.

 

Categories: Please mark entries with the appropriate category designation.
(Entrants must indicate the category on the entry form or be disqualified.) Erotica, category, inspirational, and other subgenres should enter in contemporary or historical, as appropriate, but please note subgenre on entry form and on entry, for judging purposes.
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE, HISTORICAL ROMANCE, PARANORMAL ROMANCE, and ROMANTIC ELEMENTS (Women’s Fiction, Young Adult, Chicklit, Fantasy, Erotica, for example)

Judging: Each entry will be judged by three judges in the preliminary round. The judges are published or trained non-published members of RWA. Judging is confidential unless a judge elects to disclose his/her name. Three (3) highest average scores in each category will be finalists. The top entry in each category will go to our final judge, an acquiring editor, to choose the overall winner.

Scoring: Entries will be scored 1-5 points on 15 items in the following categories: Conflict & Relationship Development, Characterization, Plot, and General Assessment. Sample score sheet available on MERWA website.

Awards: Contestants sending SASE's or entering electronically will receive the score sheets with comments. The finalists in each category and grand-prize winner will receive certificates and be announced in the RWR. MERWA reserves the right to select no finalist in a category if there are no scores deemed high enough by the contest committee.

Entry: Please note: The contest coordinator reserves the right to reject any entry that does not meet the acceptable industry standards for romantic fiction. In addition, any entry that does not meet the following standards will be disqualified and returned unjudged. The contest entry fee will not be returned.

1. All entries: Synopsis of 10 pages or fewer, each paper copy paper clipped; include word count of completed story, subgenre if any, and targeted publisher/line if any in visible header; contest category/title on top left and page number on top right of each page. Do NOT include your name on any page of the entry. Use standard manuscript format--12 point standard font, double-spaced, one-inch margins.
For each entry, include a properly completed, signed entry form along with a check or indication of PayPal payment. If you enter more than one synopsis, you may include all entries in the same mailing envelope or as attachments via email.
Coordinator will send emails to confirm receipt of entries. All parts of the entry (synopsis, entry form, fee) must be received by October 1, 2008 or the entry will not be included in the contest and the entry fee will not be refunded.

2. Electronic entries: Note manner of fee payment in email. Send entry form and 1 (one) copy of synopsis as separate rtf attachments to merwacontest@gmail.com. Do not paste synopsis in body of email. Your entry will be test-opened upon receipt. If there are any issues, you will be notified. If paying by check, send check and form to address below, in #3.

3. USPS Entries: Send 4 (four) copies of the synopsis. Enclose an SASE with first class stamps, no dated meter postage, please, for the return of your entry. Do not send via any method that requires a signature for delivery.
Entries without sufficient return postage will be returned with only the score sheets. (Allow extra postage for 4-6 contest score sheets, about 1 oz.)
Mail entries to: MERWA Synopsis Contest, PO Box 6478, Brunswick, ME 04011.

4. Fee: $20 for RWA members, $10 for MERWA members. MERWA accepts checks or money orders, payable to MERWA, and mailed to MERWA Synopsis Contest, PO Box 6478 Brunswick, ME 04011, or PayPal, addressed to RWAMaine@yahoo.com.

5. Entry must be postmarked or email dated, and fee received by October 1, 2008. Contact Susan Vaughan, Contest Coordinator, susan@susanvaughan.com, with questions.