Snowbound Writers’ Contest

Entries will be accepted Jan. 3 to Feb. 28, 2024. Anyone 18 years or older who resides or is employed in DeKalb County may enter.

Prizes will be awarded in two categories: fiction (short stories) and poetry. First place will receive $150.00; second place, $75.00; and third place, $50.00.

Short stories must not exceed 2,000 words. Poems are limited to 20 lines or less. Entrants may enter both categories, but may submit no more than three poems and one short story. A first-place winner may not enter the same category for a period of two years, but may submit in another category.

If a person wins more than one award in each category poetry or fiction, the prize will be awarded for the entry with the higher number of points, and the next person in line will be recognized as the next-place winner. Judges may select to award an honorable mention, but recipients do not receive a monetary award.

Submit two copies of each entry along with one cover sheet listing the entries you are submitting, giving titles and classifications (poetry or short story). Include your name, address, phone number and email address, if available. The name of the author must not appear on the actual entry, only on the cover page. Material should be double spaced or 1/15 spaced and be typewritten or computer generated on white paper. No art work is to be included. Manuscripts will not be returned. Winners will be notified approximately two months after the deadline.

Leave entries at main desk at Eckhart Public Library in Auburn or send to: Snowbound Writers’ Contest, 410 Hawthorne Place, Auburn, IN 46706.

For publication purposes on the Auburn Arts Commission website, winners should be able to provide their work electronically.

Judging is done by a person, or persons, knowledgeable about the craft of writing/editing/publishing; has taught creative writing or literature; who has been published as a writer or poet, or all of the above. Judges are paid an honorarium by the Auburn Arts Commission.