2009 Press 53 Open Awards Anthology
ISBN: 978-0-9824416-9-5
8.5 x 5.5 paperback, 202 pages
$14 (NC residents pay sales tax)
Contest finalists get two copies for the price of one. Place your order for 1/2 of the copies you want. Any questions, email kevin@press53.com
Enter POETRY now!
Open Awards 2010
Press 53 . PO Box 30314, Winston-Salem, NC 27130-0314 Email Us
Literate Yourself! TM
DEADLINE EXTENDED!
NOW Closes: March 31, 2010
Winners Announced: July 1, 2010
16 Entries Published in the Press 53 Open Awards Anthology: October 1, 2010
GUIDELINES
RIGHTS:
By entering the Press 53 Open Awards Writing Contest, writers give Press 53 permission to publish the entered work or works in the Press 53 Open Awards Anthology and to list the author’s name in the Press 53 Open Awards Anthology and on the Press 53 website. Author retains copyright to the work or works entered and published. Press 53 is granted a one-time right to publish the work or works in the Press 53 Open Awards Anthology.
CATEGORIES:
Poetry (submit 3 poems to be judged and published as a group)
Flash Fiction (fiction up to 750 words)
Short-Short Story (fiction of 751-1500 words)
Short Story (fiction of 1501-5000 words)
Creative Nonfiction (up to 5000 words)
Novella (fiction of 12,000 to 25,000 words)
HOW TO ENTER:
Cover Sheet: Include a cover sheet for each entry with your name, address, telephone, e-mail, and category with word count and the title of the work(s). NOTE: This is a blind read; your name must appear ONLY on your cover sheet and NOT on your manuscript pages, otherwise your entry will be disqualified.
Poetry: submit 3 poems (10 pages max), single-spaced. Note: 3 poems equals a single submission. Poetry will be judged on the collective strength of all 3 poems.
Prose: submit one double-spaced copy of your entry in standard font (Times preferred), in 12-pt. type, in black ink, with numbered pages.
READING FEES:
Poetry, Flash Fiction, Short-Short Story, Short Story, Creative Nonfiction: $15
Novella: $25
PAYMENT:
Personal check, money order, and credit/debit card payments are accepted. Check or money order must be in US dollars. A single payment for multiple submissions is preferred. Please make checks and money orders payable to Press 53. If you wish to pay by credit/debit card, we can accept your payment through PayPal (click the appropriate buttons to the right). Remember to print your receipt and mail it with your entry.
Mail submissions and payment to: P53 Open Awards Contest, PO Box 30314, Winston-Salem, NC 27130-0314. All submissions are recycled, so an SASE is NOT necessary. Winners will be notified by phone or by email.
DEADLINES:
All entries in each category must be postmarked by January 31, 2010. Press 53 has the right to extend deadlines if deemed necessary. Multiple entries are accepted and a single payment for all entries is preferred. Simultaneous submissions and previously published pieces are accepted so long as any previous publishing agreements do not prohibit Press 53 from publishing the work in Oct. 2010. Work may be withdrawn from the contest at any time, but reading fees will not be refunded.
WINNERS ANNOUNCED:
The judges’ decisions will be announced on this website on June 1, 2010. SASEs are not necessary. Winners will be notified by phone or by email. Entrants may check this website for winners or email us for a list of winners on or after June 1, 2010.
PRIZES:
First Prize in each category will receive the Press 53 Open Award (a beautiful, personalized, etched-glass award), publication in the Press 53 Open Awards Anthology, two complimentary copies of the book in which the work appears, and a winner's discount on unlimited additional copies to sell on his or her website or at readings.
Second Prize in each category will receive publication in the Press 53 Open Awards Anthology, one complimentary copy of the book in which the work appears, and a winner's discount on unlimited additional copies to sell on his or her website or at readings.
Honorable Mention in each category (except Novella) will receive publication in the Press 53 Open Awards Anthology, one complimentary copy of the book in which the work appears, and a winner's discount on unlimited additional copies to sell on his or her website or at readings.
All other finalists in each category, including Honorable Mention in Novella, will be listed by name in the Press 53 Open Awards Anthology and will receive one complimentary copy.
Special Mention is given to writers who are multiple finalists in one of more categories. Since this is a blind read, it is possible for one writer to be a finalist two or more times in the same category.
JUDGES:
All of our final judges are industry professions in the writing or publishing fields. Preliminary judges include teachers, editors, and published writers. All entries will be read blind, meaning the manuscripts will not show the writer’s name. The judges' decisions are final. Due to the number of entries received, comments from judges are not possible.
ELIGIBILITY:
The Press 53 Open Awards Writing Contest is open to writers anywhere in the world who write in English. Press 53 employees and family members are not eligible. Writers who have published full-length books with Press 53 are not eligible. Writers whose work appears in anthologies published by Press 53 are eligible. Judges have agreed to disqualify any work that, for whatever reason, they may recognize. Use your best judgment when entering. Previously published pieces are accepted so long as any previous publishing agreements do not prohibit Press 53 from publishing the work in Oct. 2010. Simultaneous submissions are fine so long as the author notifies Press 53 if the entry is accepted elsewhere and is no longer available for consideration.
DISCLAIMER:
Reading fees are non-refundable. Entries postmarked after deadlines will not be considered. Entries received with author's name appearing anywhere on the manuscript will be disqualified. No refunds will be made. Work withdrawn from the contest will not receive a refund. All manuscripts will be recycled, not returned. All submissions must be original works.
QUESTIONS:
Please direct all questions to Press 53 publisher/editor Kevin Morgan Watson at kevin@press53.com.
6 Categories
Poetry, Flash Fiction, Short-Short Story, Short Story, Creative Nonfiction, Novella
6 Industry-Professional Judges
6 Beautiful, Etched-Glass Awards
16 Opportunities to be Published
First Prize, Second Prize, and Honorable Mention in each category (First Prize only in Novella) will be published in the 2010 Press 53 Open Awards Anthology
Read the guidelines to the left to learn how to enter.
Mail your entry and reading fee to:
P53 Open Awards Writing Contest
PO Box 30314
Winston-Salem, NC 27130-0314
If you prefer to pay your reading fee by credit/debit card, pay securely online with PayPal here. (NC residents pay sales tax)
Enter FLASH FICTION now!
Enter SHORT-SHORT STORY now!
Enter SHORT STORY now!
Enter CREATIVE NONFICTION now!
Enter NOVELLA now!
Note to Credit/Debit Card Users: PayPal is set up to automatically charge S&H, so the reading fee has been adjusted so your total charge will be $15 ($25 for Novella). North Carolina residents will pay sales tax when using Credit/Debit card.
MEET OUR JUDGES FOR THE 2010 PRESS 53 OPEN AWARDS
POETRY
ZINTA AISTARS is founder and editor-in-chief of the literary eZine, The Smoking Poet. She has published poetry, travel essays, stories, and articles in the United States, Latvia, England, Sweden, Germany, and Australia. Her work has appeared in Boston Literary Magazine, Outsider Ink, Fiction Attic, Flash Me Magazine, The Redbridge Review, River Walk Journal, Flashquake, Word Riot, and many others. Her work has been anthologized in both Latvian and English, and she has won numerous awards in both languages. Her book reviews appear frequently in Gently Read Literature and on her blog, Zinta Reviews. She also maintains a blog called Zinta Aistars: Poetry & Prose. Learn more about Zinta and her work at her Web site, www.zintaaistars.com, and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.
FLASH FICTION
TARA L. MASIH is editor of The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction (2009). She has published fiction, poetry, and essays in numerous anthologies and literary magazines (including Confrontation, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Natural Bridge, Red River Review, Night Train and The Caribbean Writer). Several limited edition illustrated chapbooks featuring her flash fiction have been published by The Feral Press. Awards for her work include first place in The Ledge Magazine’s Fiction Awards Competition, and her flash has received Pushcart Prize and Best of the Web nominations. Visit Tara's website at www.taramasih.com.
SHORT-SHORT STORY
AARON BURCH is the editor of Hobart: Another Literary Journal, and his first chapbook of short shorts, How to Predict the Weather, is forthcoming from Keyhole Books. His short fiction has appeared, or is upcoming, in New York Tyrant, Barrelhouse, Another Chicago Magazine, Quick Fiction, and others.
SHORT STORY
ANN PANCAKE's first novel, Strange As This Weather Has Been (Counterpoint 2007), features a southern West Virginia family devastated by mountaintop removal mining. Based on interviews and real events, the novel was one of Kirkus Review’s Top Ten Fiction Books of 2007, won the 2007 Weatherford Prize, and was a finalist for the 2008 Orion Book Award. Her collection of short stories, Given Ground (University Press of New England, 2001), received the 2000 Bakeless award, and she has also received a Whiting Award, an NEA grant, and a Pushcart Prize. Her fiction and essays have appeared in journals and anthologies like Orion, The Georgia Review, Poets and Writers, and New Stories from the South. She teaches in the low-residency MFA program at Pacific Lutheran University. Visit Ann's blog at http://annpancake.blogspot.com/
CREATIVE NONFICTION
LISE FUNDERBURG is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia. She studied at Reed College and Columbia University School of Journalism, and her articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Salon, The Nation, and Prevention. She has been a regular contributor since 2001 to O, The Oprah Magazine, and has written a book about the Tony-winning musical The Color Purple. Her newest book is called Pig Candy: Taking My Father South, Taking My Father Home (Free Press, 2008). Pig Candy could fit into several genres—including narrative nonfiction, memoir, travelogue, and biography—but essentially, it’s a book about life, death, and barbecue. Lise won a 2003 Nonfiction Fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and teaches creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers. Visit Lise at http://www.lisefunderburg.com/.
NOVELLA
AMY ROGERS is founder and Publisher of Novello Festival Press, the groundbreaking literary project sponsored by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. She has authored or edited seven books, including Hungry for Home: Stories of Food from Across the Carolinas. A past vice-president of Publishers’ Association of the South, she is an award-winning journalist and a frequent commentator for NPR station WFAE.
Three winners from our first annual Press 53 Open Awards Writing Contest (left to right): Kevin Morgan Watson of Press 53; Jacinta White, First Prize Poetry; Lisa Williams Kline, First Prize Short Story; Laura van den Berg, First Prize Short-Short Story; Sheryl Monks of Press 53 (2005-2008).
We realize now that we made a strategic mistake in moving the deadline up this year for the Press 53 Open Awards, so we are returning to the March 31 deadline we used for our first two years.
