• Entry Form/Waiver
• Score Sheet
• Printable Rules
• 2008 Winners

Rules

Fee: $25.00 (U.S. funds) per entry. Make check payable to RCRW (River City Romance Writers) or pay with PayPal. Fees are non-refundable.

Deadline: Entries must be post marked by February 14, 2009 and received by February 18, 2009.

Contents: The first chapter, up to 25 pages, including prologue, if applicable. Additional pages will not be judged.

You may include an optional one-page, single-spaced synopsis. The synopsis will not be judged, but may be used as a reference to answer questions that arise during judging.

Entries in all categories must be romantic fiction. Short stories, nonfiction, and fiction in genres other than romance 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 three (3) different entries (first chapter from three (3) different manuscripts) in each category with a maximum total of fifteen (15) entries. Each first chapter may be entered in one category only. 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Eligibility requirements: The Duel on the Delta Contest is open to unpublished writers and to any author who has not been published in the past five years and/or contracted within the last three years for any novel-length work of fiction (40,000 + words) in any format (ebook, mass market, etc). Disregarding this rule will result in immediate disqualification and entry fee forfeited. Past Duel on the Delta Winners are eligible to enter a manuscript that has not previously won the Duel on the Delta Award.

Submission must include the following:

SASE with sufficient postage for return of judged entry and score sheets.

Entry: The total page number may not exceed 25 pages, excluding an optional one-page synopsis. Any additional pages will be removed prior to judging. RCRW will return only copies that have been judged. Additional copies will be destroyed after the contest is completed. Each entry should be bound separately with a large paper or binder clip or rubberband. Do not bend or staple.

Submission format:

1. 8 1/2" x 11" or A4 (European size) white paper, printed on one side only.
2. At least 1" margins on top, bottom, and sides.
3. Letter-quality, minimum 12 point font. Double spaced.
4. Manuscript title in upper left-hand corner.
5. Page number in upper right-hand corner.
6. Unjustified text, aligned left.
7. Bind copy with a large paper or binder clip or rubberband. Do not bend or     staple.
8. Author's name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript.
9. Deductions from final scoring will be made for manuscripts not in the     standard format as defined above.

Contest entry form and waiver: Each submission must include a separate Duel on the Delta Contest entry form and waiver. Photocopies of the form are acceptable. The contest entry form and waiver become the property of RCRW and will not be returned.

Postage: Each entry must include a SASE with sufficient postage and large enough to return the judged manuscripts used to compute your scores, plus score sheets. If you live outside the United States, check with your local postal service to determine sufficient return postage from the U.S.. 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. Upon completion of the contest, the manuscript will be destroyed.

Judging: Individual judges are encouraged to make written comments directly on the manuscript and the score sheets. The extent of the critique provided is at the discretion of the individual judge. A minimum of three (3) judges read and score each entry. Judges will be either published authors, PRO members, or RCRW-trained. All judging is confidential. Please review the judge’s score sheet available on the contest page of the RCRW website.

Finalists: The top three (3) finalists in each category will be the three (3) highest scoring entries once the top two scores for each entry are added to arrive at a grand total for each entry. Finalists will be notified by April 25, 2009. To be considered a finalist, an entry must have a minimum score of 200 points out of 300. If there are no score above 199 in a particular category, RCRW 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 the final-round judge. If a finalist does not return a revised manuscript by the deadline, his or her entry will be disqualified and will not be submitted for final round judging.

Prizes: The final round judge ranks the top three (3) entries in her/his respective categories. Top prize: Duel on the Delta pin and $25. All finalists receive certificates. Winners are announced in the Romance Writers Report. Approximate date of winner notification is June, 2009.

Number of Entries: RCRW reserves the right to eliminate a category if there aren't sufficient entries aren’t received.

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 Duel on the Delta Contest Chair reserves the right to return any entry that does not comply with contest rules.

E-Mail questions to Annmarie McGhee, contest coordinator at
duelonthedelta @ yahoo DOT com.
(no spaces, use a period instead of "DOT")

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River City Romance Writers

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Contest entries should be mailed to the appropriate coordinator listed below.

Duel on the Delta Category Coordinators