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2008 TARA Contest TARA is proud to announce that out of 24 finalists in 2007, editors requested 9 manuscripts. This is your time to shine.
2008 Final-Round Judges: Actively acquiring editors for the categories in which they are judging.
Fee: $25.00 (U.S. funds) per entry. Make check payable to TARA or pay with PayPal. Fees are non-refundable. Deadline: Entries must be received by May 1st, 2008. Contents: (New this year) The first chapter, 4,000 words max. (actual word count), including prologue, if applicable. *Word count will be verified. No part of a second chapter, any additional chapters or words exceeding the 4,000 word maximum limit will be judged. End your entry on a hook, leaving your judges breathless with no more pages left to turn. You may include an optional one-page, single-spaced synopsis. Synopsis will not be judged, but may be referred to by a judge, to answer any questions that may arise while judging the chapter content. Entries in all categories must be romantic fiction, with the exception of the women's fiction category. Women's fiction stories should be centered on the female protagonist. Short stories, nonfiction, and fiction in genres other that romance or women's fiction will not be accepted. Category Coordinators reserve the right to reject any entry that does not meet the acceptable industry standards for romantic fiction. ***You may submit up to 3 different entries (first chapter from 3 different manuscripts) in each category with a maximum total of 15 entries (first chapters, see above content criteria, from 15 different manuscripts). Each first chapter may be entered once and only in one category. Each submission will be treated as a separate entry and must have its own postage paid flat rate return envelope. All fees and rules apply separately and individually to each entry. Eligibility requirements: The TARA Contest is open to unpublished writers and to any author who has not been published in the past three years and is not currently contracted for any novel-length work of fiction (40,000 + words) in any format (ebook, mass market, etc). (Any author found breaking this rule will be immediately disqualified, their entry fee forfeited.) ***Past TARA Winners are eligible to enter a manuscript that has not previously won the TARA Award. You may submit up to 3 different entries (first chapter from 3 different manuscripts) in each category with a maximum total of 15 entries (first chapters from 15 different manuscripts). Each first chapter may be entered once and only in one category. Each submission will be treated as a separate entry and must have its own flat rate return envelope. All fees and rules apply separately and individually to each entry. Submission must include the following:
Contest entry form and waiver: Each submission must include a separate signed original Contest entry form and waiver. Photocopies of the form are acceptable, but all signatures must be original. The contest entry form and waiver become the property of TARA and will not be returned. Or send SASE for contest entry form to:
E-Mail questions to: TARAContest@gmail.com Submission format:
***Email version must be attached as a Word/RTF format. No entry in the body of an email will be accepted. Postage: Each entry must include a SASE with sufficient postage and large enough to return the judged manuscripts used to compute your scores. If you live outside the United States, check with your local postal service to determine sufficient return postage from the U.S. to your address. If sufficient postage is not received, entries will not be returned and manuscript pages may be destroyed. If you do not wish your manuscript to be returned, clearly mark "Return score sheets only--destroy manuscript." on the bottom of the entry form. (Note: judges may have written comments on the manuscript.) Upon finalization of the contest, the manuscript will be destroyed. ***No entry requiring signature will be accepted. ***Contestants need to be sure return packages reflect the May 12, 2008 postage increase. Number of Entries: TARA reserves the right to eliminate a category if there aren't sufficient entries in the category. Judging: Judging is based on the Diederich scale in the first round for a possible maximum score of 50 points. Individual judges are encouraged to make written comments directly on the manuscript and the score sheets. The degree and depth of the critique provided is at the discretion of the individual judge. A minimum of 2 judges read and score each entry. Judges will be either published authors or TARA-trained and certified judges. Note: All judging is confidential. The Category Coordinators will not reveal the names of the judges. In the event of a score difference of more than 15 points, a discrepancy judge will score the entry. The Category Coordinators will use the two closest scores in determining the average. At TARA's discretion, only the score sheets that determine the scores will be returned to the entrant. Finalists: The top 3 finalists in each category are determined by averaging each entrants' scores and will be notified by June 30, 2008. To be considered a finalist, an entry must have a minimum average score of at least 40 points. If there are no average scores of 40 or above in a particular category, TARA reserves the right to select no finalists in that category. All finalists will have an allotted amount of time (approximately 1 week) to review judges' critiques and make changes to her/his manuscript before it goes to the final-round judge. If a finalist doesn't return a revised manuscript by the deadline, the fourth copy from the original entry will be submitted to the final-round judge. Prizes: Editor judges rank the top 3 entries in her/his respective categories. Top prize: TARA pendant. All finalists receive certificates. Winners are announced in the Romance Writers Report. Approximate date of winner notification is September 30, 2008. Failure to Comply: Any entry failing to comply with the rules as stated herein will be disqualified and entry fee forfeited. No fees will be refunded on the basis of disqualification or withdrawal. The TARA Contest Chair reserves the right to return any entry that does not comply with contest rules. |
