2020 Moore County Writers’ Competition

WINNERS!

2020 was our first themed competition honoring the works of J.K Rowling. We invited writers of all ages to be inspired by the magic of Rowling’s tremendous legacy.

Since 1986, Weymouth has hosted the Annual Moore County Writing Competition which seeks to promote writing throughout Moore County. This competition is underwritten by the Donald and Elizabeth Cooke Foundation.

Cash prizes are awarded to first, second and third place winners; honorable mentions receive a certificate. Winning entries are printed in a special publication that is available at Weymouth.

2020 Moore County Writers’ Competition

Eligibility

The competition is open to students and residents of Moore County, NC.

Entry Categories

Poetry—60 lines maximum

Fiction—3,000 words maximum

Nonfiction—3,000 words maximum

Age Groups

Grades 1-4; Grades 5-8; Grades 9-12; Adult

Awards

The following awards will be presented for each age group within each entry category.

First Place-$100

Second Place-$50

Third Place-$25

Honorable Mention – Certificate of Merit

Winning entries are printed in a special publication that is made available at Weymouth. 2020 Moore County Writers’ Competition Book

Winners have been contacted via email. Awards will be presented by US mail, due to the issues with coronavirus. (The Wizards of Weymouth Festival which was scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2020, has been canceled.)

Submission Guidelines

All entrants must be students or residents of Moore County. Please follow these submission guidelines.

  1. Entries must be original, unpublished, and not currently entered in other competitions. They must be written within the broad realm of the work of J.K. Rowling.

  2. One entry only, per person, in each category.

  3. Entries must not exceed the stated word: Poetry – 60 lines maximum; Fiction – 3,000 words maximum; Nonfiction – 3,000 words maximum.

  4. Font: Use only 12 point Times New Roman. Black ink.

  5. Digital format only. 

  6. Send one file per entry: the cover page should be included with the pdf. We will remove the cover page prior to judging.

  7. On each page after the cover page include only the title of your entry and the page number, starting with #1.  Do not include any information that may identify the author.

Cover page should contain these items:

Entry Title

Author’s name

Author’s home address

Author’s phone number and email address

Entry Category

Age Group (if a student, please include the name of your school, teacher’s name and teacher’s contact email)

Word Count of Entry

Please – no color, photos or graphics.

  1. Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities has first publication rights and reserves the right to edit or excerpt manuscripts before publication.

  2. Please ensure you include all requested entry information, as entries with missing information, or not meeting the submission guidelines, will be disqualified.

For all submissions:

  1. Your name/identifying information should only appear on the cover page. This competition uses a blind judging format. Cover page information will be removed prior to judging so the author’s name is not on the work as it is being read.

  2. No need to send separate cover page – please keep cover page and entry together in a single pdf.

  3. Entries become the property of Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities.

  4. Please ensure you include all requested entry information, as entries with missing information, or not meeting the submission guidelines, will be disqualified.

  5. Choose the correct age and contest category.

  6. Entrants must be from Moore County, NC.

Winning entries will be included in a special writers’ publication available at Weymouth Center. Weymouth Center has first publication rights and reserves the right to edit or excerpt manuscripts before publication.

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