2009 On The Far Side Contest

Got fantasy, futuristic, or paranormal? Then the On the Far Side contest is for you!!
Welcome dragons, witches, ghosties, vampires, shape shifters, unicorns, and any creature your imagination can conjure up in a galaxy far, far away, in a time long past, or in your very own backyard. Every category MUST contain a futuristic, fantasy, or paranormal element.

NEW:  First 20 pages of manuscript for $20 ($25 for non-members)
         plus OPTIONAL two-page, double-spaced synopsis

OTFS IS ALL ELECTRONIC!! NO MAILING FEES!
CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

Contest Timeline:

• August 29, 2009 - Deadline for submissions
• October 20, 2009 - Finalists notified by telephone or e-mail, on or before this date
• December 1, 2009 - Winners announced

Categories:

Futuristic: Hard SF/SF/General Futuristic
Paranormal: Dark/Light/General
Time Travel: Time Travel/Steampunk/Historical with Paranormal Elements
Fantasy: Dark/Urban/General
Erotic (with FF&P elements)
Romantic Elements (with FF&P elements)
Young Adult (with FF&P elements)

Entrant Eligibility:

• Must not be published in full length fiction (40,000+) for the genre entering/or not published in genre entering for past 5 years
• Entry fee: $20 members/$25 non-members
• First 20 pages of manuscript plus an optional (unjudged), 2 page maximum synopsis

Official Rules:

1. All entrants must be valid members of RWA National® with a valid RWA® number.
2. Entries shall consist of first 20 pages of manuscript plus an optional, unjudged 2 page maximum synopsis of the novel. A prologue and/or second chapter may be included if within total page guidelines.
3. Do not include illustrations, author bio/photos, vocabulary lists, or footnotes.
4. Entries shall be in standard manuscript format, 12 inch Courier or Courier New font or 14 inch Times New Roman font, 1" margins, and double spaced. (Format is not a judged component of the On The Far Side contest. No points are deducted for format infractions.)
5. The title and category should be on top left of the page, page number on top right.
6. The author's name should not appear anywhere on the manuscript or synopsis. Entries bearing the author's name on them shall be disqualified.
7. Entries must be submitted by midnight EST August 29, 2009. If requirement is not met, entries will be unopened. Payment must also to be received by Contest Coordinator before deadline.
8. NEW!! Entry forms may be submitted in advance of file upload. Entrants will receive an email with instructions for how to edit their entry form and/or upload or re-upload their files. No changes may be made after the contest deadline.
9. Entries will be received in RTF (Rich Text Format) files only. (To convert your file to RTF, open the document, go into File, click on Save As and choose RTF format. This will create a new document with the same title in RTF format.)
10. No more than TWO (2) entries per entrant per category.

Judging:

First round entries will be judged by experienced, qualified, or published judges. FF&P cannot guarantee judge commentary will be on every entry; however, we strongly encourage our judges to provide positive, constructive feedback. 2009 OTFS Scoresheet

Entries will be judged by FOUR (4) first round judges. Lowest score will be dropped to determine final average. Three highest scoring manuscripts will advance to the final round. All judged copies will be returned to non-finalist entrants following finalist announcement. Finalist entries will be returned after winners are announced.

Erotic: Kelli Kwiatkowski, Ellora’s Cave
Romantic Elements: Lucy Carson, Friedrich Agency
Futuristic: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency
Paranormal: Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester
Time Travel: Colleen Lindsay, Fineprint Literary
Fantasy: Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks
Young Adult: Michelle Grajkowski, 3 Seas Literary

Awards:

• All finalists receive a certificate and an OTFS finalist website banner
• Winners of each category receive a check for $20, a pin, an OTFS winner website banner, and a certificate.
• 2nd Place receives a check for $15 and a certificate
• 3rd place receives a check for $10 and a certificate

2008 OTFS Results

Questions? Email us!
Contest Chair/Coordinator: Michelle Miles Contest Coordinator: Arwen Lynch