Contest Rules and Information Download A Copy of the Rules and Information Download an Entry Form Download The Score Sheet ELIGIBILITY The contest is open to any RWA or non-RWA member who has not been published in novel length (not less than 40,000 words) by an RWA recognized publisher in the last three years. An entrant must not have accepted a publisher's offer as of the August 1st, 2009 deadline. Previous first place winners may not re-enter the winning entry, even in edited format. They may, however, enter another work. Previous 2nd and 3rd place entries will be accepted, revision encouraged. While not required, all entries should be part of a completed manuscript. Finalists have often received requests for the full manuscript. ENTRY FEE $30 for Rose City Romance Writer Chapter Members, $35 for non-chapter members. Non-RWA members may enter for $50. You may pay by check or PayPal. PayPal payments include an additional $2 charge to cover the PayPal fees. To pay by check, send the appropriate amount, made out to Rose City Romance Writers to: RCRW 2009 Golden Rose Contest c/o Donna Keihle 2184 NE village Court McMinnvile OR  97128 PLEASE ENCLOSE COPY OF OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM WITH CHECK PAYMENT. PAYPAL Entry Fee Options: RCRW Chapter Members $32.00 Non-Chapter members $37.00 Non-RWA members $52.00 Name On Entry?

Winner's Experiences Selling my debut book, Romancing the Storm, to Harlequin American Romance was the fulfillment of a life-long dream. I believe that taking First Place in the Golden Rose Contest played a huge part in making that sale happen. I know a lot of writers weigh the importance of entering contests, but I'm not one of them. I’m convinced that a contest win is a milestone on the road to publication, especially when the win comes in a contest as prestigious as the Golden Rose. Lee Rhuday Duncan (Leigh Duncan) First Place, 2007 Golden Rose Series Contemporary I was awarded first place in the romantic suspense category in 2007. This was such an honor, and a real thrill for me as the judge was Esi Sogah from Avon. Although Esi did not request my full manuscript, the fact that she ranked it first place gave me the confidence that I needed at the time to continue pursuing both an agent and a publishing contract. Winning a prestigious award like the Golden Rose also helped when I sent out those query letters! I signed with my agent in 2008 and had a contract for "The Cost of Love" by the fall of 2009. It will be published by Five Star/Cengage in March 2010. I believe this contest was a major stepping stone in my pursuit of that first contract, and I'm very grateful to the Rose City Romance Writers for providing me such an opportunity. ~ Drue Allen and Rylee Andrews "The Rose City, Golden Rose was a career making contest for me. I was a triple finalist, a double winner, with two editor requests for full manuscripts. Five months and two revisions later, I sold 'Lily In Wonderland' to the final editor judge from Ellora's Cave. Well done Rose City for helping one writer bloom." ~ Kelly Fitzpatrick

ENTRY FORMATTING

Your entry must include the following:

1). A signed Official Entry Form/Entrant’s Agreement (signed by both authors if work is co-authored)

2) First three chapters or up to 50 pages maximum. A prologue may be included with the first chapter as long as the entry does not exceed 50 pages.

3) Entry fee receipt or confirmation of payment. This needs to be sent as an attachment to your email along with your manuscript submission. 

No synopsis is required with initial entry.  A maximum of a 2-page synopsis will be requested if you final; however it will not be judged.

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 must have the manuscript title on the left, followed by a slash (/) followed by the contest category and, if appropriate, followed by a second slash and the sub-genre. (Example: The Red Rose / Historical). Pages must be numbered and appear on the right.

3.  All chapter headers should begin 1/3 down the page.

4.  The total number of pages must not exceed fifty (50) (including a prologue if included). Any manuscript submitted beyond the allowed maximum pages will not be read and the entry fee will not be refunded.

SUBMISSION

1.  Send your entry, including signed entry form, via email as an attachment to our Contest Coordinator at goldenrose@rosecityromancewriters.com. The ONLY acceptable file format is .doc. If you are using MS Word 2007, make sure you save your entry in the Word 97-2003 format. Manuscripts the coordinator is unable to open will be returned for reformat.

2.  Please put GR Entry and the title of your book in the subject line. (i.e., GR Entry - My Mamma Makes Me Mad) This will help your email to not be eaten by some spam filters.

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

4.  Any questions, contact Nancy Lytle, Contest Coordinator at goldenrose@rosecityromancewriters.com.

CATEGORIES

For contest purposes:

1.  A novel is typically over 40,000 words. Many Single Title publishers expect novels of over 75,000 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. For Short Series 50,000 words and under is common, and for Long Series, over 55,000 words.

LONG SERIES CONTEMPORARY
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.

SHORT SERIES CONTEMPORARY
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. Similar to Long Series Contemporary but shorter in length.

SINGLE TITLE CONTEMPORARY
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 (prior to 1945)
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.

NOVEL WITH STRONG ROMANTIC ELEMENTS
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. In this category, the heroine and hero may not meet for the first ten (10) pages or so.

PARANORMAL/FUTURISTIC
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
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
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.

CONTEST COORDINATORS: 

Nancy Lytle & Kim Wollenburg - goldenrose@rosecityromancewriters.com

JUDGING

* First Round Judging

1.  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 totaled for overall score.

2.  Discrepancy judging will only take place if there is at least a 30 point spread between the two lowest scores, and the entry would have a possibility of finaling with a higher total score.

3.  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 will progress to final round judging. A minimum of two eligible entries in each category will move to the final round.

If you final in any category, you will have the opportunity, FOR ONE WEEK ONLY, to edit your manuscript based on the preliminary comments, before your manuscript is sent to the final judges.

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.

TBD = To Be Determined

FINALIST NOTIFICATION

Finalists will be notified via e-mail or phone by Oct 10th 2009. Finalists will have 1 week to fix their entries and return, along with a 1-2 page synopsis, to contest coordinators goldenrose@rosecityromancewriters.com by October 17th, 2009. Once all finalists have been notified, all other entrants will have their critiqued entries returned via e-mail.

AWARDS

The GRAND PRIZE winner is the entrant with the highest total score overall.  This winner will win an American Beauty Rose dipped in gold.