2014 Launching A Star Contest Rules
Deadline: September 15th, 2014
1. The contest is open to any author unpublished in book-length fiction, or any author who is not considered PAN-eligible under current RWA rules, or has not been published in the romance genre in the last five years.
- Specifically, any author who has not received $1000 or more, either as an advance or in actual earnings, for any single work within the last five years, is eligible for this contest.
- Authors who have been offered or signed a book-length fiction contract which provides an advance of $1000 or more by the contest deadline are not eligible.
- Winning category entries (first place) from previous years are not eligible. However, a winner may submit a new entry if all other eligibility requirements are met.
2. Each entry will consist of up to the first fifteen pages of an unpublished manuscript (not published in any form). Contestants may include a Prologue (if one exists) as long as the total submission does not exceed fifteen pages.
3. The eight categories are: Historical, Fantasy/Futuristic/Paranormal, Series Contemporary, Single Title (Contemporaries, Women’s Fiction, Romantic Elements, etc.),Young Adult, Romantic Suspense(ST), Inspirational(ST).
4. All entries are submitted electronically.
5. Each entry must include a completed, signed entry form, plus entry fee. Electronic signatures are acceptable. (paypal or a check or money order sent to Launching a Star Contest, STAR, PO Box 410787, Melbourne, FL 32941-0787.
6. Contestants may enter more than once, but the same manuscript shall not be entered in more than one category. For example: a historical novel that has strong YA elements may be entered in the Historical Category or the YA Category, but not both. There is no limit to the number of eligible manuscripts an author may enter. For example: an author may enter seven different manuscripts, one in each of the seven different categories.Separate entry forms and fees are required for each entry.
7. Manuscripts should be formatted in size 12 Courier New or Times New Roman font, double spaced, with 1″ margins. No more than 25 lines per page, excluding header info. The name of the entry, and the category must appear at the upper left at the top of each page with the page number at the top right of each page. THE AUTHOR’S NAME MUST NOT APPEAR ON ANY PORTION OF THE MANUSCRIPT. A sub-genre reference may be included to offer judges better clarity in judging the entry. For example: Single Title – Women's Fiction, Single Title - Romantic Elements.
8. FEES: SpacecoasT Authors of Romance members: $25. Non-members: $30 for each entry. Payment via PayPal is preferred (there is a paypal button on the entry page) but check or money order mailed to the above address is acceptable.
9. DEADLINE: Entries must be emailed and received no later than midnight EDST September 15, 2014. Entrants will be notified by email once their entry has been logged in.
10. SUBMITTING INSTRUCTIONS:
Pay vial Pay Pal and jot down the Transaction ID for your records. If the email address of you Pay Pal entry is different from the email address of your submission, please let us know. If we cannot match payment to an entry that entry will not be judged.
Fill out and submit the online entry form.
Format your manuscript entry according to the contest rules and save the file in .doc or.rtf format using the following naming convention
CategoryManuscriptName.doc or .rtf - NO .docx from Office 2007 users!!
(Example: Historical_yourtitle.doc or Romantic_suspense_mytitle.rtf)
Create an email with LAS [category] Entry in the subject line. (i.e. LAS inspirational entry). Attach both your manuscript as a .doc or .rtf file and your entry form and send it to:
Each file name should include the category and the name of the manuscript.
11. ENTRY CAP – The contest has a cap of 150. The first 150 received entries will be entered into the contest automatically. Any entries beyond 150 will be returned and entry fee refunded.
12. NOTIFICATION: Finalists will be notified by e-mail or telephone by November 15th. Winners will be notified by email or telephone in mid-December. The results will be posted on the STAR website (www.authorsofromance.com) and in RWR.
13. The overall contest winner will receive a cash prize of $250. The winner of each category will receive an engraved STAR paperweight. Rankings (first through third) for all categories will be determined and certificates awarded to all finalists.
14. Frequently Asked Questions – Please refer to the FAQ page of the STAR website for answers to frequently asked questions.
15. Should any category fail to receive a minimum of ten entries, that category will be canceled. Entrants will be given the option of moving their entry into a different category or having their entries and fees returned.
16. The preliminary round will be judged by two authors one of which will be a published author. Judges are encouraged to provide positive feedback and comments.
17. Determination of Preliminary Scores: Scores follow the same guidelines as the Golden Heart, rating the entry from 1 - 9. The total of the scores will equal the final score. (There WILL NOT be a score sheet. Emphasis is placed on offering comments directly on the manuscript pages.)
18. Discrepancy Judging: In the event of a difference of 40 points or more between preliminary judge scores, a discrepancy judge will also judge the entry. The 2 highest scores will be used to determine the preliminary round score.
19. Determination of Finalists: Entry must have an average score of 7 or greater to qualify as a finalist. (This policy is to ensure the quality of the entry deserves the consideration of an editor or agent.)
If you have questions, please see our list of Frequently Asked Questions. If you still have questions, email them to the Contest Coordinator, Pat Dengate, at contest@authorsofromance.com.
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