The Willow Books Literature Awards recognize literary excellence in prose and poetry by writers from culturally diverse backgrounds.
The postmark deadline for entry forms is Monday, October 1, 2012. Ten Finalists will be announced on January 21, 2013. A Finalists’ Reading & Awards Ceremony will be held in the spring of 2013 in Chicago (location TBA). The Grand Prize winners’ books will be published by Willow Books in Spring 2013, along with an ebook anthology of selections by Finalists.
PRIZES
A. Prose and Poetry categories will have panels of three judges each, chosen by the Aquarius Press/Willow Books editorial staff, for a total of six judges.
B. Aquarius Press/Willow Books will announce a Finalist short-list of 10 writers on January 21, 2013.
C. One Grand Prize Winner in Prose will receive $2,000 and a standard book publishing contract. One Grand Prize Winner in Poetry will receive $1,000 and a standard book publishing contract.
D. The remaining eight short-listed Finalists will have selections from their entries published in an ebook anthology.
ELIGIBLE ENTRIES
A. Full-length prose manuscripts not exceeding 100,000 words are eligible. Collections of short stories are eligible. Full-length collections of poems by a single author are eligible. Entries must not be under consideration by any other press at time of submission.
B. Prose entries should be typed on plain 8 ½ x 11” white paper (name, address, phone and email in upper right corner, double-spaced in Microsoft Word or RTF, tabs/indents set at .3”, with single spacing after punctuation. Poetry entries should be typed on plain 8 ½ x 11” white paper (name, address, phone and email in upper right corner, spaced as author would like them to appear in final form, but with margins no wider than 4.5’’.) Entries should be clipped or have tape binding; no folders, please.
C. Author must be a U.S. citizen and come from a culturally diverse background.
D. Anthologies containing work written by multiple authors are not eligible.
E. A planned reprint of a book published in a previous award year is not eligible.
F. In the event of a dispute as to eligibility, the Willow Books Editor and Publisher will decide whether a book is eligible, and their decision will be binding.
G. No entry will be ineligible because its author has previously won an award from Willow Books.
ENTRY OF BOOKS
A. Entry forms must be postmarked no later than October 1, 2012.
B. There is a $30 entry fee for prose titles, and $25 for poetry. Payment must be included with the entry by the deadline. There is no limit on the number of entries, but each entry should have its own entry form accompanied by an entry fee. Forms of payment accepted: PayPal, Visa/MasterCard, certified check or money order (no personal checks accepted).
C. Entries deemed ineligible by the Aquarius Press/Willow Books shall still be subject to the stated entry fees per title.
D. Submissions cannot be returned and acknowledgement is by self-addressed, stamped postcard only.
JUDGING
Each category has a panel of three judges which are selected by the Willow Books Editor and Publisher. Each judge receives an honorarium. The judges may change each year. Judges deliberate based on criteria determined by the Willow Books Editor and Publisher. In the event of a disagreement over the final selection, the Willow Books Publisher will make the final decision. The judges for each category will select their top three choices independently, and then deliberate jointly at an agreed-upon time and manner to determine five finalists for each category. In the interim between the public announcement of the finalists and before the Finalists’ Reading & Awards Ceremony, judges will determine the Grand Prize Winner in each category and notify the Willow Books Editor and Publisher. The Grand Prize winners will be announced at the Finalists Reading & Ceremony.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS REGARDING THE AWARDS
An eligible manuscript that is entered shall not qualify for a Willow Books Literature Award unless its author agrees to the following:
A. If nominated, Author must be present at the Willow Books Literature Awards Finalists’ Reading & Awards Ceremony.
B. Author will cover all of his/her own travel and accommodation costs if nominated, and will purchase his/her own seat at the Finalists’ Reading & Awards Ceremony.
C. If nominated, author must agree to participate in the Aquarius Press/Willow Books' website-related publicity, including any scheduled on-line events with readers across the country.
D. Grand Prize winners are responsible for meeting his/her own personal tax filing requirements.
Postmark deadline for Entry Form, Entry Fee and four (4) copies of manuscript is October 1, 2012. Send Entry Form, Entry Fee and one copy of the manuscript to:
Aquarius Press
Attn: Willow Lit. Awards
PO Box 23096
Detroit, MI 48223
Send the remaining three (3) copies of manuscript to:
Dr. Randall Horton
English Dept.
University of New Haven
300 Boston Post Road
West Haven, CT 06215
Attn: 2013 Willow Books Literature Award
ALL BOOKS MUST BE SHIPPED BY THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE, FIRST CLASS MAIL OR PRIORITY MAIL ONLY; EXPRESS, FEDEX/UPS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
Author agrees that the decision of the Aquarius Press/Willow Books and/or the judges will be final as to all matters, including eligibility, timeliness of submissions, and compliance with these Entry Rules and the Awards. Aquarius Press/Willow Books shall have the permanent right in any and all media throughout the world to use and exploit all radio, television, merchandising, promotional, and publicity rights that the author may have in connection with their participation in the Willow Books Literature Awards without further consent or payment. Author also releases any claim he/she might have by virtue of his/her respective participation in the Willow Books Literature Awards competition, for use of his/her respective photographs, names, likenesses, voice, or appearances in connection with the Willow Books Literature Awards Program; and consents to the permanent right of Aquarius Press/Willow Books to publish or broadcast the author's acceptance speech without further consent or payment.
Download: entry form
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For queries: aquariuspress@gmail.com
For submissions: Aquarius Press, Attn: Willow Lit. Awards, PO Box 23096, Detroit, MI 48223 (and 3 copies to Dr. Randall Horton, English Dept., University of New Haven, 300 Boston Post Road, West Haven, CT 06215, Attn: 2013 Willow Books Literature Award
Website: http://www.willowlit.com
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