Save the Date: Awards Ceremony May 30, 2013
*The 2013 Maine Literary Award Submissions Are CLOSED
The Maine Literary Awards is an annual competition sponsored and coordinated by the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance. This statewide competition is for published books, drama, short works (either published or unpublished), and student writing.
→ This year’s awards ceremony will be held at Space Gallery in Portland.
More information to come…
2013 Categories
BOOK AWARDS
→ Fiction
→ Crime Fiction
→ Speculative Fiction
→ Nonfiction
→ Memoir
→ Poetry
→ Children’s
→ Young Readers/Young Adult
→ Anthology
→ John N. Cole Award for Maine-themed Nonfiction
DRAMA AWARD
EXCELLENCE IN PUBLISHING AWARD
SHORT WORKS COMPETITION
→ Fiction (20 pages)
→ Nonfiction (20 pages)
→ Poetry (10 pages)
YOUTH COMPETITION
→ Fiction
→ Nonfiction
→ Poetry
Submission Guidelines
ELIGIBILITY
The 2013 Maine Literary Awards are open to all Maine residents, including seasonal residents. All nominations, regardless of category, must have been published during the 2012 calendar year. The editors (or lead editor) of books entered in the Anthology category must be Maine residents. Maine publishers of books by out-of- state authors may enter the Excellence in Publishing Award.
DEADLINE
All books and manuscripts must be postmarked by February 1, 2013. The MWPA is not responsible for lost or damaged submissions. The 2013 Maine Literary Awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. More detailed information about the event will be posted in advance on our website.
MULTIPLE ENTRIES
Authors and publishers may nominate multiple different books or manuscripts, but each individual entry must be accompanied by its own nomination form. Each individual book may only be entered into a single category, e.g. either nonfiction or memoir, but not both.
SELF-PUBLISHED BOOKS
Self-published books should be entered in the relevant book-award category. There is no separate category for self-published books.
REVIEW PROCESS
All entries will be judged by a panel of professionals in the literary arts. Jurors have been selected for their expertise in a specific genre or in the literary arts generally. Every possible effort will be made to avoid conflicts of interest during the review and award process.
Submission Fees
+ Book Awards and Excellence in Publishing Award
Members $25 | Nonmembers $45
+ Drama Award and Short Works Competition
Members $10 | Nonmembers $25
+ Youth Competition
Free!
THE FINE PRINT
If an incomplete nomination is received and time allows, the MWPA will do its best to notify the submitter and rectify the problem, however, the MWPA is not responsible for fixing incomplete nominations. The MWPA reserves the right to decline to give out an award in any category if the judges determine that there are no entries of sufficient quality to merit an award. In such a circumstance, one-half (50%) of the entry fee will be returned to the entrants in the relevant category.
SPONSORS
The 2013 Maine Literary Awards are generously supported by Just Write Books, Longfellow Books, Maine Authors Publishing, Maine Poetry Society, University of Southern Maine, the University of Southern Maine Bookstore, and the Maine-based publications The Aurorean, Beloit Poetry Journal, Café Review, Down East, The New Guard, Off the Coast, and Puckerbrush Review.
Submission Details
BOOK AWARDS & EXCELLENCE IN PUBLISHING HONOR
- Please submit two copies of each book being nominated. No submissions will be returned.
- Books published exclusively as ebooks may be entered but must be submitted in printed form on 8.5 x 11 paper.
- Crime Fiction includes crime, noir, thriller, suspense, mystery, police procedurals, and cozys.
- Speculative Fiction includes science fiction, fantasy, dystopian, horror, and supernatural.
- Submissions in the Crime and Speculative fiction categories are elective; authors may nominate crime or speculative fictional works in the general Fiction category.
- Children’s is a general term for illustrated books meant to either be read to young children or read by very young, new readers.
- Young Reader/Young Adult is a general term for chapter books meant to read by kids who are reading comfortably on their own.
- Submissions to the John N. Cole Award for Maine-themed Non- fiction must be both Maine-themed and nonfiction.
- The Excellence in Publishing Award is open to Maine publishers of books written by out-of-state authors and submissions may also include a wide range of books that do not fit other categories, such as photography books, cookbooks, and field guides, for example.
DRAMA AWARD & SHORT WORKS COMPETITION
- Please submit two copies of your manuscript, which cannot exceed 10 pages for poetry (one poem per page) or 20 pages for drama, fiction, and nonfiction.
- Previously published works from 2012 and excerpts from larger works are accepted.
- All manuscripts must meet the following formatting requirements: 12-point font, double-spaced lines, and one-inch margins on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.
- The author’s name should not appear on any of the manuscript pages.
- A separate cover sheet with the author’s name and the title of the work may be included.
- All winning works in the drama and short works categories will be considered for publication in the MWPA’s print publication, although publication is not guaranteed.
- No submissions will be returned.
YOUTH COMPETITION
This free competition is open to young adults in Maine’s middle and high schools, and to home-schooled students at a comparable age and grade level.
- Please submit two copies of your manuscript, which cannot exceed 10 pages for poetry or 20 pages for fiction and nonfiction.
- All manuscripts must meet the following formatting requirements: 12-point font, double-spaced lines, and one-inch margins on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.
- The author’s name should not appear on any of the manuscript pages.
- A separate cover sheet with the author’s name and the title of the work may be included.
- Multiple nominations for the Youth Competition categories will be accepted, but make sure the relevant name, work, and genre are clearly indicated on a cover sheet.
- No submissions will be returned.
- Teachers and Parents: Please include your name and contact information if you are nominating a student. The following format can be used:
Mrs. Teacher Jones, Maine Country School
1. Jane Student – “My Summer Vacation” – Nonfiction
2. Joe Student – “Mrs. Jones Is Awesome” – Poetry
Submit!
*The 2013 Maine Literary Award Submissions Are CLOSED
No email or fax submissions will be accepted. Please mail your books or manuscripts, a completed nomination form, and entry fee to:
Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance
Attn: 2013 Literary Awards
Glickman Family Library
318 Forest Avenue, #318
Portland, ME 04101
*Please do NOT send any submissions that require a signature.