Writing for Kids Spring CONTEST! (Closed to Entries)

It is with great pleasure that I announce

THE WRITING FOR KIDS SPRING CONTEST!


What It’s About

• Entries must include: a skeleton key.
• Entries must be titled.
• Entries must be 600 words or less (not including the title).
• Entries must be written for kids! But all genres are welcome.

People vote for their top three favorites. First-place votes get three points; second-place votes get two points; third-place votes get one point.


The entry with the most points wins.



The Grand Prize

• $50.00 Amazon gift certificate, provided by a generous anonymous donor.

Prize for Second Place

• $20.00 Amazon gift certificate, provided by the amazing alleycat.

Prize for Third Place

• $10.00 Amazon gift certificate, donated by me.

Rules

• Entrants must be members of AW in good standing since at least March 23, 2013 (members who joined later than March 23rd will not be eligible for this contest). Limit ONE entry per member.
• Entries will be posted exactly as entered – except that they will all be posted in the same font. Please make sure your spelling and formatting are exactly as you want them before you submit your entry. I will not proofread or edit the entries.
• All AW members in good standing since at least March 23, 2013, are eligible to vote.

Entrants must vote to be eligible to win.


How to Enter

Using the board's private message function, send me your entry by Saturday, April 13, 2013 at 11:59 P.M. US EASTERN (Know your time zones).
I will post the entries, all at once, and open the voting.

Do NOT post entries in this thread. They will be deleted and disqualified (all entries must remain anonymous to ensure fair voting).

How to Vote

Once the entries are posted, you may send me your vote – one vote per current AW member in good standing since at least March 23, also using the private message function.

In the subject line of your private message, type VOTE: CONTEST

In the body of the message, include up to three votes in order, from first to third. List both the entry number and the title. For example:

6. Bust Your Capulet
3. You've got Rhythm
12. Happy Feet

YES, entrants may vote for themselves.

Voting will close at 11:59PM US Eastern on April 27, 2013. Any votes received after that time won't count.

I will then post complete results with vote totals for every entry, and announce the winners on April 28.


HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK!

FAQs

1. Can I enter more than once? No. The rules say one entry per member.

2. Can I tell my friends to vote for me? No. Entries must be anonymous. It's a writing contest, not a popularity contest.

3. Does my entry have to be a complete story? No. Short stories are welcome, but so are poems, novel openings, scenes, etc.

4. What if I joined AW after March 23rd? You are not eligible to enter or vote in this contest.

5. What does it mean to be a "member in good standing"? If you received a ban or a time out and it was not lifted by March 23rd, you are not eligible to enter or vote in this contest (this does not apply to self bans).

6. Will people know which entry is mine? No. Entries are anonymous. After voting has closed, the winners' names and entries will be announced. All other entrants will be free to say which entry belonged to them at that time, if they want to.

7. Can I vote for myself? Yep.

8. When you say it has to be written for kids, what do you mean? MG-voice or younger. There is a lot of overlap between upper-MG and lower-YA. So, the basic rule of thumb for contests in the Writing for Kids room is: Tween voice okay. Teen voice probably not.

9. Can I see entries from previous contests held in the Writing for Kids room? Sure. Entries from the last two contests can be found here and here. (password = vista)

10. What if my question wasn't answered in these FAQs? Read the rules again, carefully. If your question still hasn't been answered, feel free to post it in this thread.

Note

I extended the deadline to give you an extra week of writing time. The voting deadline was extended by one week, as well.

Be creative. Have fun!

NOTE: TIME ZONES

Remember, it's US Eastern Daylight Time now.

Kitty Pryde said:

Well done organizing a contest, Smish.

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alleycat deserves the thanks! It has always been my intention to have a contest in the winter or spring to make it easier for our teacher members to participate (since you guys are busy getting back into your work schedules when we have the back-to-school contest), but I probably wouldn't have gotten around to it if alleycat hadn't reminded me.

jvc said:

I'm thinking about giving this a go. Just thinking about it. Well, I did write a few words to see what was what. Maybe something will come of it, you never know.

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Do it!

Kitty Pryde said:

First draft done. BAM!

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Awesome!

I've already received one entry, by the way.

Rockweaver said:

Ouch not sure if I can handle this age group.... who knows I may just give it a try.

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It's good to try new things.

JustSarah said:

I have something I want to submit, just not sure if its long enough.

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Entries can't be more than 600 words. That's the only rule regarding length.

No, it doesn't have to have kids or humans or living creatures of any kind in it.

It just has to be written for kids.

MOD NOTE

Don't overthink it guys. All the rules really are contained in the instructions. Be creative. Have fun. That's what writing for kids is all about.

Are you guys writing?