2008 Washington Writing Prize Competition Now Open to
Books, Periodical Pieces and Commercial Writing

Would the phrase “prize-winning writer” add a note of class to your bio or resume?   Now is your chance to add that all-important line as WIW opens the 2008 Washington Writing Prizes competition to all members in good standing.

You could be one of the accomplished writers who will receive the plaudits of their peers and a handsome plaque—plus that career-boosting “prize-winner” designation—at the gala Prizes presentation during the luncheon program at this year’s Washington Writers Conference on Saturday, June 14, 2008.

The annual Prizes will be awarded in five categories of literary and journalistic writing:

• Book
• Personal essay
• Poetry
• Reported non-fiction article
• Short fiction

And four categories of commercial writing:

• Advertising
• Newsletter
• Publicity
• Speechwriting

All entries must be for freelance work that appeared during 2007. So check your clip file for your very best work and send it to the WIW office by 5:00 p.m., Thursday, January 31, 2008. 

Be sure to read the complete rules below and fill out the forms before entering.

For 2008 Entry Forms (PDF), click here.

2008 WASHINGTON WRITING PRIZES OFFICIAL RULES

In order to recognize the outstanding work of WIW members in the highly competitive freelance marketplace, WIW sponsors the Washington Writing Prizes, awarded annually in five categories of literary or journalistic writing (book, personal essay, poetry, reported nonfiction article and short fiction) and in four categories of commercial writing (advertising newsletter, publicity and speechwriting).

NATURE OF THE AWARD: The Washington Writing Prizes shall be presented in five categories of literary and journalistic writing (books, personal essay, poetry, reported non-fiction article and short fiction) and in four categories of commercial writing (advertising, newsletter, publicity and speechwriting). Each Prize shall consist of a certificate presented to the winner at a public gathering announced in advance by WIW. The winner shall be invited to attend and to bring one guest at WIW’s expense, and any entry fees for the event shall be waived or defrayed by WIW. If the winner wishes more than one guest to attend, the winner shall be responsible for the entry expenses, if any, of the additional guests. If the winning work has more than one author, then each author with a byline on the work or who can otherwise document authorship shall be considered a winner and each shall be awarded certificates and invited to attend and to bring one guest at WIW’s expense. A certificate shall also be sent to the publication in which the winning entry first appeared.

DEADLINE: The deadline for submissions is 5 P.M., Thursday, January 31, 2008. Winners will be announced publicly at the 2008 Washington Writers Conference, which will be held on June 14, 2008. Winners will be notified by May 15, 2008.

ELIGIBILITY (WRITERS): Any member in good standing of Washington Independent Writers is eligible to enter up to three works in each category, except that no one who has won a Washington Writing Prize may enter in the category in which he or she won in the year immediately following the receipt of the Prize. In addition, no one who has won three Washington Writing Prizes in a single category may enter again in that category. All work must be entered by its author. If a work has more than one author, at least one must be a member in good standing of WIW. Persons serving on the Judging committees are not eligible to enter work in the category in which they are judging but may enter in all other categories.

ELIGIBILITY (WORKS): All entries must be in English and must have been created by the author working on a freelance basis. Books must carry a 2007 copyright. All other entries must have been published, presented or printed for use between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2007. No author of an entry may have been an employee or staff member of the publishing house, publisher, publication, agency or client at the time the work was accepted for publication, presentation or distribution. The author must have received the ordinary remuneration normally afforded to creators whose works are purchased by that publisher, publication, client or agency; this can include payment in issues or copies of the publication or book if that is the customary remuneration normally received by contributors or authors. The work must have been submitted and accepted by a publishing house, publisher, publication, agency or client not controlled by the author. Self-published work and work published by a “vanity” or author-subsidized publisher or publication or on an author-owned or -subsidized website or blog is not eligible. Self-publishing is deemed to include any endeavor whatsoever, including publication by print-on-demand, in which the author arranges for the work to be published or manufactured, whether in hard copy or electronic form. In the case of books published by a generally recognized university, academic or similar non-profit press, however, the author may have arranged or helped to arrange for subsidy of the publication by a non-profit entity such as a foundation if that is customary within the book’s specific field. No entry except books shall exceed 10,000 words in length. Books may be of any length. Entries may be on any subject.

Literary and Journalistic Writing:

Books must have been published and distributed in hard copy by a publisher or publishing house that regularly distributes books through normal commercial channels to the general public or to a specialized readership. “Privately” published books are not eligible. Entries may be in any genre of prose fiction or nonfiction and may be intended for any age group. Poetry books are not eligible. The winner will be the most significant book entered as determined by the Judging committee.

Personal essays, poetry, reported nonfiction articles and short fiction must have been published in print or electronic publications regularly distributed to the general public or to a controlled readership. Web logs (“blogs”) sponsored by the author are not eligible. The date printed on the published work shall govern. If a work’s first publication occurred in a book rather than a periodical, the work shall be eligible if it is a complete and freestanding work in itself. Chapters or other segments of longer books are not eligible in this category. Multi-part serialized articles shall count as a single entry. Entries will be judged on the quality of writing and, if, relevant, of reporting as well.

• Personal essays are works of opinion, memoir or literary nonfiction in which the author’s experience, ideas, and perspective form the main focus of the work. Elements of reporting may be present, but personal expression predominates.
  
• Reported nonfiction articles are works in which the presentation and explanation of information external to the author is the work’s main focus. Techniques of literary nonfiction and the author’s views may be present, but presenting reported information predominates.

Commercial Writing:

Advertising, newsletter, publicity and speechwriting entries must include proof of publication, presentation or use within the eligible time period. If the work carries a printed date, that shall govern.

• Advertising entries shall have appeared and been distributed in a print format, either on paper or online, during the eligible period. Broadcast advertising may not be entered. Entries may consist of a single advertisement or of up to four advertisements from a single campaign, which may be submitted as a single entry. Entries that do not contain a publication or usage date printed on the material must include documentation of usage in the form of a note of certification (see Part C below) signed by the client, a pay stub (amount received may be blacked out) or other means deemed appropriate by the judging committee. Advertising shall be judged on the quality of the writing.
• Newsletters must have been published in print or online and distributed to a controlled readership or the general public. Individual issues shall count as separate entries, except that a series of issues containing a multi-part serialized article may be entered as a single entry. Newsletters that contain writing by more than one person should be entered as multi-author works (see eligibility rules above). Entries shall be judged on the quality of writing and reporting.
• Publicity entries may include a package of press materials, publicity plans or any other written work used to publicize an individual, business, nonprofit or government agency. Multi-part materials for a single client or campaign will count as a single entry. Entries that do not contain a publication or usage date printed on the material must include documentation of usage in the form of a note of certification (see Part C below) signed by the client, a pay stub (amount received may be blacked out) or other means deemed appropriate by the judging committee. Publicity shall be judged on the basis both of expert writing and of how well they publicized a client, either through creative, unique or strategic means.
• Speechwriting entries shall take the form of a written or typed text of a speech that was publicly presented by a client other than the author during the eligible period. Presentation of the speech and its date must be documented, either by a published notice or report about the speech that gives the date or by a note of certification (see Part D below) signed by the client who presented the speech. Entries shall be judged on the quality of the writing.

RULES OF ENTRY: To enter, contestants in all categories shall send four copies of each work, which together shall constitute a single entry. Photocopies are acceptable. Works originally published or distributed electronically must be printed out and entered on paper. One copy of Part A of the official entry form must accompany each entry (which consists of four copies) in all categories except books. (See below.) In all categories except books, furthermore, 1 copy of Part B of the entry form shall be attached to each of the four copies comprising the entry. (See below.) In the case of books, the set of entry forms for each entry, consisting of 1 copy of part A and four copies of Part B, may be sent by the author and the four copies of the book may be sent separately by the publisher. A book entry is not complete until both the forms and the books reach the office. Entries that do not include a printed date shall have a copy of the documentation of publication or presentation (Part C or D below) attached to Part A. To be eligible, entries, including books, must reach the office of Washington Independent Writers, at 1001 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Suite 701, 
Washington, DC 20036, by 5:00 p.m., January 31, 2008. Entries may not be faxed or e-mailed.
JUDGING: Judging will be conducted by the Judging committee according to the announced criteria. Their decision is final. If, in the opinion of the judges, no entry in a category merits the Prize, then no Prize in that category shall be awarded.

For 2008 Entry Forms (PDF), click here.

Read the 2007 award-winning work

Read the 2006 award-winning work

Read the 2005 award-winning work

Read the 2004 award-winning work

Read the 2003 award-winning work