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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENTRIES!

Please click here for the 2021 booklet which includes the winning entries.

Weymouth Center will kick off another writing competition in early 2022. Please refer to these guidelines and get ready to enter your work!

Since 1986, Weymouth has hosted the Annual Moore County Writers’ Competition, underwritten by the Donald and Elizabeth Cooke Foundation. The competition seeks to promote writing throughout Moore County and honor the work that goes into creating superior writing.

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 made available at the Weymouth Center and The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines.

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

  • Elementary (Grades 1-5)
  • Middle School (Grades 6-8)
  • High School (Grades 9-12)
  • Adult

Awards

Winners will be contacted by email. 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

Deadline for entries is July 15, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. Reception date at Weymouth Center is September 26, 2021.

 

Specific Entry Format

All entrants must follow all entry format and submission guidelines.

  1. Entries must be original, unpublished, and not currently entered in other competitions.
  2. One entry, per person, in each category.
  3. Entries must not exceed the stated word limit which is: Poetry—60 lines maximum; Fiction—3,000 words maximum; Nonfiction—3,000 words maximum
  4. Font: 12 point Times New Roman or Arial. Maximum 6 pages single spaced or 12 pages double spaced.
  5. Digital format only. Email pdf to weymouth.writerscompetition@gmail.com.
  6. Send one file per entry: the cover page should be included with the pdf. See cover page instructions below. We will remove identifiable information from 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 information that may identify the author.

Cover page should contain these items in black:

  • 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.

Submissions Guidelines

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 the Weymouth Center and The Country Bookshop. The Weymouth Center has first publication rights and reserves the right to edit or excerpt manuscripts before publication.

The Moore County Writers’ Competition is underwritten by the Donald and Elizabeth Cooke Foundation.

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