Gateway To the Best Contest

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2012 Gateway To the Best Contest Information

Eligibility

Open to writers unpublished and not contracted in novel length (40,000+) fiction within the last three years.  See official rules for complete eligibility requirements.

Categories

The Gateway accepts entries for the following categories:

• Contemporary Series—Novels emphasizing development of long-term romantic relationships with a completed word count of 50,000–90,000 words. Example target imprints include: Harlequin Intrigue, Harlequin Romance, Harlequin SuperRomance, Silhouette Bombshell, Silhouette Desire, Silhouette Special Edition.
   

• Historical—Romantic novels set primarily more than 100 years in the past with a completed word count of more than 75,000 words. Example target imprints include: Avon, Bantam, Berkley/Jove, Dell, Kensington, NAL, Warner.
   

• Paranormal—Romantic novels with any of the following elements: time travel; fantasy; magic; angels; futuristic; supernatural or other paranormal themes. Example target imprints include: Dorchester, St. Martin’s, Tor/Forge.
   

• Single Title/Mainstream Romance—Romantic novels exceeding 75,000 words, including inspirational romance; traditional romance; romantic novels with strong suspense, mystery, or horror elements; and women’s fiction and chick lit with strong romantic elements. Example target imprints include: Bantam, Berkley, Mira, NAL, Pocket, Warner.
   

• Suspense - Romantic novels exceeding 75,000 words with an element of mystery, thrills, chills, and adventure.  Note:  Suspense novels targeted for Category series such as Silhouette Suspense should be entered in the Contemporary Series category.  Example targets include Berkley, Mira, Pocket, Grand Central.
   

• Young Adult - Novels about young adults, emphasizing their growth as they overcome conflict.  The typical character is 15-19 years old and the plot may or may not include a romantic relationship.  Good examples:  Harry Potter, Twilight, The Vampire Diaries.  Completed word count of 60-90,000 words.  Example target imprints: Harper, Teen Dial Group/Penguin, St. Martin's Press, Little,Brown.

Note:  Word counts are for general guidelines only.  If less than ten entries are received in any category, the contest coordinator may choose to combine the entries into another category.  Entrants are encouraged to list an alternate category they want their entry judged in if the categories are combined.

Final Judges

• Paranormal:  Latoya Smith, Grand Central Publishing
• Single Title: Katherine Pelz, Berkeley Publishing Group
• Historical:  Esi Sogah, HarperCollins
• Contemporary Series:  Laura Barth, Harlequin
• Romantic Suspense:  Patience Smith, Harlequin
• Young Adult:  Stacey Barney, Penguin Putnam

Deadlines

Entry Deadline:  Entry must be RECEIVED not later than midnight, Central time, September 7, 2012. 

First Round Finalists Announced on/about:  October 31, 2012

Final Winners Announced on/about:  December 8, 2012

Judging Criteria

Each entry will be judged by three experienced judges with the lowest of the three scores dropped from the final tabulations.  Judges will be encouraged to write comments on both the score sheet and manuscript.

Prizes

GRAND PRIZE:

The Grand Prize winner will receive US $100, a full reading and critique of her entire manuscript by a MORWA Published Author, a certificate, and a "Gateway to the Best Grand Prize Winner" electronic banner announcing the win for the author's website.

First, second, and third places are awarded in each category. 

First place winners will receive:

• A certificate of accomplishment
• A one-year membership to MoRWA (e-newsletter option only)
• The Gateway charm
• An electronic banner announcing the win for the author's website

Second place winners will receive:

• A certificate of accomplishment
• A one-year membership to MoRWA (e-newsletter option only)

Third place winners will receive:

• A certificate of accomplishment

Submission Package

The Gateway to the Best Contest is an electronic format only contest.  Please read the official rules prior to completing the submission process.

Manuscripts must be in Word .doc or standard .rtf (rich text format) only.  We will reject entries that do not conform to one of these formats.

Submission Period:

This contest will open for submissions in July 2012.  Please check back then for links to submit your contest entry.

** All information on this web page is subject to the official rules listed with the entry form.