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2008 GOLDEN ROSE CONTEST

Rules and Information

Entry Deadline August 3, 2008


2007 Contest Winners


Formatting
| Submissions | Categories | First Round Judging | Final Round Judges | Awards

 

Eligibility

The competition is designed to prepare you for the RWA Golden Heart contest. Therefore it follows the same formatting rules and category structures. The contest is open to any RWA member who has not been published by an RWA recognized publisher in the last five years. An entrant must not have accepted a publisher's offer as of the August 3, 2008 deadline.

All entries should be part of a completed manuscript. Finalists have often received requests for the full manuscript from editors.

Golden Rose

Entry Fee

$30 for Rose City Romance Writer Chapter Members, $35 for non-chapter members. You may pay by check or PayPal. PayPal payments include an additional $2 charge to cover the PayPal fees.

 

RCRW Chapter Members

 

All other RWA Members

 

 

Entry Format

Your entry must include the following:

  1. A completed contest entry sheet. This needs to be sent as an attachment to your email along with your manuscript submission.
  2. Each entry will consist of the beginning of your manuscript and a synopsis for a total page count of 55 pages. Both the manuscript and synopsis will be judged. The synopsis cannot exceed 15 pages. The electronic entry must be submitted with the chapters first, followed by the synopsis, numbered as consecutive pages.

Your electronic entry must be formatted as follows:

  1. 8-1/2 x 11 paper size, 1 inch margins, double spaced. Use a standard font (Courier or Times New Roman 12).
  2. Header on each page should have the manuscript title on the left, followed by a slash (/) followed by the genre category and, if appropriate, followed by a second slash and the sub-genre. (Example: The Red Rose / Historical). The page number should appear on the right.
  3. All chapter headers should begin 1/3 down the page.
  4. Synopsis pages should begin with a centered title that says "Synopsis." The header line should also say "Synopsis" followed by the title. (Example: Synopsis The Red Rose)

NOTES:

The total number of pages must not exceed fifty-five (55). Any manuscript and synopsis submitted beyond the allowed maximum pages will not be read and the entry fee will not be refunded.

If the name of the author(s) appears anywhere on the manuscript or synopsis, the entry will be disqualified and the entry fee will not be refunded.

 

Submitting Your Entry -- We accept ONLY electronic entries!

Send your entry as an attachment to an email, addressed to the appropriate category coordinator listed on the right side of thsi page. The ONLY acceptable file format is Rich Test Format (RTF).

To convert a document to RTF, open your manuscript in your word processing program. Click on "File" and select the "Save As" option. When the "Save As" window appears, scroll down through the "Save As Type" options and select Rich Test Format or RTF. A copy of your document will be saved in RTF format.

You may submit multiple entries as long as you pay an entry fee and submit a completed entry form for each submission. You may NOT enter the same manuscript in more than one category.

Any questions contact the Contest Coordinator, Brenda Rice Wright.

 

Categories

For contest purposes:

  1. A novel is typically over 40,000 words.
  2. Series is defined as those books issued under a common imprint/series name which are usually numbered sequentially and released at regular intervals, usually monthly, with the same number of releases each time.


  3. All categories may have varying levels of sensuality, ranging from sweet to erotic (except for Inspirational).

CONTEMPORARY SERIES ROMANCE
Coordinator: Donna Zeigler

Series romance novels focus primarily on the romantic relationship. In this category, the love story is the main focus of the novel and the end of the book is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.

 

CONTEMPORARY SERIES ROMANCE: SUSPENSE/ADVENTURE
Coordinator: Janice Hussein

Series romance novels which focus primarily on the romantic relationship but may have more cmoplex suspense or adventure subplots. In this category, the love story is the man focus of the novel and the end of the books is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.

 

CONTEMPORARY SINGLE TITLE ROMANCE
Coordinator: Brenda Rice Wright

Romance novels which focus primarily on the romantic relationship, released as individual titles, not as part of a series. In this category, the love story is the main focus of the novel and the end of the books is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.

 

HISTORICAL ROMANCE
Coordinator: Delilah Ahrendt

Romance novels set in any time period prior to 1945, and taking place in any location. In this category, the love story is the main focus of the novel and the end of the books is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.

 

REGENCY HISTORICAL ROMANCE
Coordinator: ??

Romance novels in which the majority of the story is set in the Regency period of the British Empire. In this category, the love story is the main focus of the novel and the end of the books is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.

 

INSPIRATIONAL ROMANCE
Coordinator: Mary Stepec

Romance novels in which religious or spiritual beliefs (in the context of any religion or spiritual belief system) are a major part of the romantic relationship. In this category, religious or spiritual beliefs (in the context of any religion or spiritual belief system) are blended with and form a significant part of the love story, and the end of the book is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.

 

NOVEL WITH STRONG ROMANTIC ELEMENTS
Coordinator: Maggie Lynch

A work of fiction in which a romance plays a significant part in the story, but other themes or elements take the plot beyond the traditional romance boundaries. Novels of any tone or style, set in any place or time are eligible for this category. A romance must be an integral part of the plot or subplot, and the resolution of the romance is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.

 

PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Coordinator: Jessie Smith

Romance novels in which the future, a fantasy world or paranormal happenings are an integral part of the plot. In this category, a futuristic, fantasy, or paranormal element is blended with the love story, which is the main focus of the novel, and the end of the book is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.

 

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Coordinator: Kim Wollenberg

Romance novels in which suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot. In this category, a suspense/mystery/thriller plot is blended with a love story, which is the main focus of the novel, and the end of the book is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.

 

YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE
Coordinator: Amy Danicic

Novels with a strong romantic theme geared toward young adult readers. In this category, the love story is an important element of the novel, and the end of the book is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.

 

All entries will be read and scored by three trained judges, at least one of which will be a published author. All three scores will be averaged. There will be no discrepancy judging. Entries must have a minimum average score of 80% of the total available points to be eligible to proceed to the final round. The top 10% of eligible entries in each category wil progress to final round judging. A minimum of two eligible entries in each category will move to the final round. Sample Score Sheet.

RCRW reserves the right to discard all electronic entries and return fees if a minimum of seven (7) entries are not received in any category. Entrants will be contacted before the entries are returned and given the option to place their entry in another category.

 

Final Round Judges

 

An editor/agent will rank the finalists in each category and select the winner.

Contemporary Series Romance TBA
Contemporary Series Romance:
Suspense / Adventure
TBA
Contemporary Single Title Romance TBA
Historical Romance TBA
Regency Historical Romance TBA
Inspirational Romance TBA
Novel with Strong Romantic Elements TBA
Paranormal Romance TBA
Romantic Suspense TBA
Young Adult Romance TBA

 

Notification

Finalists will be notified via e-mail or phone by September 30, 2007. Once the finalists have been notified, all other entrants will have their critiqued entries returned via e-mail. Winners will be notified by November 15, 2007, via a phone call or by e-mail. The names of all winners will be publicized. Recognition will include announcements on the RCRW website and in the Romance Writers Report (RWR).

 

Awards

The GRAND PRIZE winner is the entrant with the highest total score.  This winner will win an American Beauty rose, preserved and dipped in 14 carat gold.

24 kt Golden Rose

The FIRST PLACE winner in each category will receive $35 cash, plus one year’s membership in Rose City Romance Writers ($30 value) and a Certificate of Achievement.

The SECOND PLACE winner in each category will receive a Certificate of Achievement.

The THIRD PLACE winner in each category will receive a Certificate of Achievement.