Briarpatch is pleased to announce our first annual creative writing contest! We are now accepting submissions of original, unpublished writing in the categories of short fiction and creative non-fiction (memoir, personal essay, literary journalism). With award-winning author Lee Maracle as our judge and $600 in cash prizes to give away, this opportunity is not to be missed!
HOW TO ENTER
Briarpatch is seeking fresh, creative writing that bring to life issues of political, social and environmental justice. We want writing from the edges – from non-writers who have something important to say, or from longtime writers who can show us a new way of seeing things. We want bold and courageous writing that pushes the boundaries between fact and fiction, between journalism and prose, and that deconstructs tough issues in inventive, original ways.
Submissions should not exceed 2500 words.
Entry fee:
Your $25 entry fee gets you a full year’s subscription to Briarpatch (regularly $28.95), which makes it hard to lose. This fee helps to cover the costs of organizing, promoting and administrating the contest, as well as the cash prizes.
U.S. submissions cost $40 and other international submissions cost $45 to cover the additional costs of postage for your subscription.
Deadline:
The deadline for entry is December 1, 2011. Any entries received after midnight Central Standard Time on this date will not be considered.
We will confirm receipt of your entry within three business days. Winners will be notified, and their names published on our website, in January.
Submission Details:
Please e-mail your entries to contest@briarpatchmagazine.com with the subject “Writing Contest.” The body of your e-mail should include the following information:
Author’s full name
E-mail address
Mailing address (for your subscription!)*
Phone number
Submission Title
Category (short fiction or creative non-fiction)
How you intend to pay (cheque, online, phone)
Please attach your submission as a Word or PDF document. Your submission should include the title of your work, but in order to ensure fairness and anonymity in judging, please do not indicate your name on the submission itself.
To pay your entry fee online with your credit card or PayPal account, click here:
Payment can also be made by cheque or cash (mailed separately with your name clearly identified), or over the phone with your credit card.
Please submit only one entry per person.
*If you are already receiving Briarpatch, please indicate whether you’d like us to renew your subscription for one year, or give this subscription as a gift (in which case we’ll need the address of your gift recipient).
In order to reach new subscribers, Briarpatch occasionally trades its mailing list with like-minded organizations. If you prefer not to be included in these trades, please indicate this in your e-mail.
Prizes:
Contest winners will be published in the May/June 2012 issue of Briarpatch and will each receive $250.
Honourable mentions will be featured online alongside contest winners at briarpatchmagazine.com and will each receive $50.
The top entry from Briarpatch‘s hometown of Regina will also receive a free lunch date at The Willow on Wascana with award-winning author Sandra Birdsell. Thanks to the Regina Public Interest Research Group, the Willow on Wascana and Sandra Birdsell for making this possible.
Judging:
Entries will be judged by the esteemed writer, grandmother, activist and storyteller Lee Maracle. Of Salish and Cree ancestry, a member of the Sto:loh Nation, Maracle was born in North Vancouver, B.C. She is the mother of four and grandmother of four. Her vast collection of critically acclaimed literary works include First Wives Club, Ravensong, Bobbi Lee, Will’s Garden, Bent Box, and I Am Woman. She is currently a mentor and teacher at the University of Toronto.
Other details:
Entries must be original, unpublished and not submitted simultaneously to other publications or contests.
Entrants must agree to be bound to the contest rules. The decisions of our keen-eyed judges are final.
Winners may be requested to engage in a collaborative editing process with Briarpatch editors prior to publication.
