Rising Star Creative Writing Competition

Third Annual Rising Star Competition
for High School and College Writers

The Nature of Words 2008 has announced the third year of the Rising Star creative writing competition for young writers. Winners will receive their awards at the annual literary festival scheduled for November 5 – 9, 2008. Prizes will be awarded in fiction, literary nonfiction and poetry in two age categories, 15-18 and 19-25.

First place winners in each age group category will receive a $100 cash prize, trophy, a scholarship for a guest author workshop during The Nature of Words in November, publication of their winning entry in a chapbook, an opportunity to read at the Bend Public Library’s April Second Sunday event, recognition in press releases and on The Nature of Words website, and an invitation to an awards ceremony and reception in November.

“In its second year, the Rising Star competition attracted entries from more than 100 aspiring Northwest writers,” said Ellen Waterston, Director of The Nature of Words. “For 2008, we want to extend the reach of the event to include even more up-and-coming writers from a wider geographic region.”

Submission Guidelines

• The competition is open to writers in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
• All entrants must be a member of one of the eligible age categories: ages 15-18 and 19-25.
• Submitting writers who have won in the past two years may not submit in their winning genre(s).
• Submitting writers may not have published a first book or chapbook, but may have had individual stories, essays or poems in print.
• Submit each entry, accompanied by a short biographical summary, either electronically to risingstar@thenatureofwords.org OR via US mail to The Nature of Words, P.O. Box 56, Bend, OR 97709. Poets may submit two unpublished poems (4 single-spaced pages, total); prose writers may submit an unpublished double-spaced piece of no more than 3,000 words. "Publication" includes appearance on any Internet source except a blog. Use one inch margins, and 12 point type. Electronic submissions must be in Microsoft Word® format. Entries will not be returned.
• The author's name, mailing address, phone number, word count and email address must appear on a cover sheet with each entry.
• Entrants' short bio should include information about themselves and their interest in/experience in writing.
• Winners must submit an electronic version of their entry, accompanied by a photo (head shot preferred), for use in publicity and the chapbook.
• Entrants must mail a check in the amount of $5 (submission fee), payable to The Nature of Words, OR pay via the PayPal link at www.thenatureofwords.org/Donate . PayPal payments must include "Rising Star submission fee" in the payment description.
• Electronic entries must be received and mailed entries must be postmarked no later than May 10, 2008. Entries dated after this date will not be read.