Dragonfly Spirit's first Annual Writing for Children Short Story Contest for Unpublished Authors

At Dragonfly Spirit, we understand how elusive an author's first sale can be. Competing against recognized and seasoned authors is not an easy task. We want to help. That’s why we're running a contest for unpublished authors only. We want to give first time authors a chance to be heard.

Before entering we highly recommend you check out Justin Stanchfield's on-line guide to writing for kids, 'Kidding Around'. It is chock full of straightforward writing advice that will assist you in creating believable characters and strong stories. Definitely worth reading.

Contest Guidelines
All contest applicants must be at least 18 and unpublished in the children and young adult genre.

We apologize, but relatives and personal friends of any Dragonfly Spirit staff or judges are not eligible to enter.

All entries must be original, unpublished and must not exceed 2,000 words. We do not accept simultaneous submissions. Indicate what age group story is intended for.

Entries must be typed/printed on white paper, double-spaced in a courier type, 12 point font. No cover letter is necessary. Include your name, address, e-mail and an approximate word count on the first page. Begin your story in the middle of that first page.

Send disposable manuscripts only. Manuscripts will not be returned. At the moment, we do not accept e-mail submissions. Send submissions by postal mail only.

Reading fee: $7.00 US. Send postal money-order made out to: Dragonfly Spirit. No personal checks. No refunds. Only one entry per contest.

**Canadian residents may send 9.00$ CAN. Make money-order payable to: Gisele LeBlanc.

Prize: A cash prize of $225.00 US (or CAN equivalent) will be awarded to first place, and second and third place will receive $50.00 and $25.00, respectively. Entries will be published on the Dragonfly Spirit site. If authors agree, we also wish to conduct short interviews, via e-mail. These will be posted on site as well.

May we remind everyone that these are stories for children and young adults. Content should be appropriate. No graphic violence, sexual situations or foul language. Stories dealing with important issues are fine, as long as they are written tastefully and dealt with in a professional manner.

Contest deadline: All entries should be postmarked no later than September 30th, 2004. Any entries received after this date will automatically go towards the next contest. Winners will be announced on the Dragonfly Spirit site December 31st, 2004.

For more information or to enter contest, please visit: http://dragonflyspirit.com/writing_contest.html