My Mind Words Paper [Search results for writing contests] 

Deadline: 30 June 2012

What is love to you? Write Film / Make Film / Distribute Film: a unique competition from The London Screenwriters’ Festival!

Get your script produced and get your movie released in cinemas. A unique competition that guarantees 50 scripts will be shot and 50 films will be theatrically released next year. Are you in? Read on…

Write Film…What does love mean to you? Write something extraordinary. Write a two page screenplay set on Valentine’s Night and enter it into our free London Screenwriters’ Festival Feature competition (closes June 29th). From the entrants, fifty winning scripts will be chosen by our judges. These scripts will then be released to the film making community on July 30th. Filmmakers around the world can then make films based on this rich vein of themed and loosely connected scripts.

RULES FOR SCREENWRITERS

• Above all TAKE ACTION AND START WRITING NOW!
• The deadline for submitted scripts is June 30th
• Scripts must be two pages or less and contain at least one kiss.
• By submitting, you will assign the right to produce the work into a film. You will assign distribution rights too. You will maintain all copyright in your work should you wish to expand it or rework it.
• You do not need to call your script ’50 Kisses’, you should give it a unique name.
• Expanded rules will be issued closer to the time.

Your script will be produced by filmmakers who may not have much money, so consider this in your writing. Remember, the film makers will choose the script they want to make after reading all 5o winning scripts.

FAQ

Can people from overseas enter?

Yes of course.

Is there a fee for this contest?

No, it’s 100% free. So please tell ALL your filmmaking friends.

Can I write and submit more than one script?

No, just one script per entry.

If I win, will my script definitely get made?

No – it will be made available on the website for others to read, and should filmmakers wish to, make it and enter into the film competition. If that does not appeal and you do not want your script to made available like this, please do not enter.

Can I use alternative formatting to fit my script on one page?

No. Please use standard spec script format, otherwise we will have no choice but to disqualify your script (just so it’s fair for everyone). If you’re not sure what the standard for spec scripts is, check out the format list.

Can I go over two pages just a tiny bit?

Nope, sorry – this is a two-page script competition. And don’t try any tricks like over-widening the margins, ‘cos our crack team of readers will find you out and hunt you down like the dogs you are. Or disqualify you, whichever is quicker.

Where do I send my script?

Please send your script to contests@londonswf.com in PDF format. Please ensure you have a TITLE PAGE attached to your two-pager, complete with the title of the script, your name and a valid email address. If we don’t know what it’s called or whom it’s by, we won’t enter the script into the contest. And if we don’t know how to contact you, we can’t tell you if you’ve won!

Can it be set anywhere?

Yes, though remember, someone will have to make this, so keep an eye on budget when writing.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: contests@londonswf.com

For submissions: send your script to contests@londonswf.com

Website: http://www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com

Deadline: 17 May 2012

NaijaStories.com is pleased to announce the first in a series of online writing contests in collaboration with Worldreader. The theme of this edition is “A Touch of Spice”. Naijastories and Worldreader are seeking steamy love stories from a Nigerian or African Perspective.

One of the things we’re looking for is a great and entertaining short story about love/sex. In relevant scenes, we would prefer that the writer subtly promotes safe sex for young people. We will also appreciate stories with well rounded female characters.

By submitting your story for this contest, you accept the terms and conditions of the Naijastories and Worldreader Agreement.

DATES FOR CONTEST:

• The contest opens today April 20th, and submissions end on May 17th, 2012.
• First round Polls – May 17th – 23rd
• Judging – May 17th – 23rd
• Final Judging – May 24th to 20th 2012
• The winner will be announced by May 31st, 2012.

There will be 3 cash prizes for this contest.

First Prize – 100,000 points ($100)

Second Prize – 50,000 points ($50)

Third Prize – 50,000 points ($50)

Also,

- Selected submissions will be published on the Worldreader App and their ereader programs.

- Selected stories may be made available for sale on Amazon.com and other eBook retailers either as ‘singles’ or as an anthology.

CONTEST GUIDELINES:

1. You must be a registered member of Naijastories.com.

2. Submit your entry as a post with a title that defines your entry.

3. At the end of the post, provide the following;

a, your name and country of residence,

b, a bio of not more than 3 sentences.

4. Your entry should be between 1000 and 2500 words.

5. Put the entry in the category of “A Touch of Spice” and press the button, “Submit for Review”.

CONTEST PROCEDURE:

There will have 3 stages for determining the winner;

Stage 1. – All the entries that meet the contest rules will be put to the public poll for 40% of points.

Stage 2. – At the same time, the Naija Stories board leaders will score all the accepted entries for 60% of points. This will be added to votes polled on NaijaStories.com to select the top 10 entries. These will proceed to the last round.

Stage 3. – The NS Editors will select the winners.

JUDGING CRITERIA:

- The initial site editor will make sure that entries stick to the criteria of love stories and “A Touch of Spice”.

- Second round judges will be checking for clean use of the English language, so polish your grammar and keep typos to a minimum please! We will also be looking for creativity, so go on and give it your all.

- The final judge will be looking for great writing. Be genuine! Be unique! Be original! Use this as an opportunity to write about the best/worst/funniest love stories you can think of.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: send a mail to admin@naijastories.com

For submissions: register at the website via http://www.naijastories.com/register/

Website: http://www.naijastories.com, http://www.worldreader.org/

Deadline: 17 May 2012

NaijaStories.com is pleased to announce the first in a series of online writing contests in collaboration with Worldreader. The theme of this edition is “A Touch of Spice”. Naijastories and Worldreader are seeking steamy love stories from a Nigerian or African Perspective.

One of the things we’re looking for is a great and entertaining short story about love/sex. In relevant scenes, we would prefer that the writer subtly promotes safe sex for young people. We will also appreciate stories with well rounded female characters.

By submitting your story for this contest, you accept the terms and conditions of the Naijastories and Worldreader Agreement.

DATES FOR CONTEST:

• The contest opens today April 20th, and submissions end on May 17th, 2012.
• First round Polls – May 17th – 23rd
• Judging – May 17th – 23rd
• Final Judging – May 24th to 20th 2012
• The winner will be announced by May 31st, 2012.

There will be 3 cash prizes for this contest.

First Prize – 100,000 points ($100)

Second Prize – 50,000 points ($50)

Third Prize – 50,000 points ($50)

Also,

- Selected submissions will be published on the Worldreader App and their ereader programs.

- Selected stories may be made available for sale on Amazon.com and other eBook retailers either as ‘singles’ or as an anthology.

CONTEST GUIDELINES:

1. You must be a registered member of Naijastories.com.

2. Submit your entry as a post with a title that defines your entry.

3. At the end of the post, provide the following;

a, your name and country of residence,

b, a bio of not more than 3 sentences.

4. Your entry should be between 1000 and 2500 words.

5. Put the entry in the category of “A Touch of Spice” and press the button, “Submit for Review”.

CONTEST PROCEDURE:

There will have 3 stages for determining the winner;

Stage 1. – All the entries that meet the contest rules will be put to the public poll for 40% of points.

Stage 2. – At the same time, the Naija Stories board leaders will score all the accepted entries for 60% of points. This will be added to votes polled on NaijaStories.com to select the top 10 entries. These will proceed to the last round.

Stage 3. – The NS Editors will select the winners.

JUDGING CRITERIA:

- The initial site editor will make sure that entries stick to the criteria of love stories and “A Touch of Spice”.

- Second round judges will be checking for clean use of the English language, so polish your grammar and keep typos to a minimum please! We will also be looking for creativity, so go on and give it your all.

- The final judge will be looking for great writing. Be genuine! Be unique! Be original! Use this as an opportunity to write about the best/worst/funniest love stories you can think of.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: send a mail to admin@naijastories.com

For submissions: register at the website via http://www.naijastories.com/register/

Website: http://www.naijastories.com, http://www.worldreader.org/

Deadline: 30 April 2012

The purpose of IWA, Inc., is the promotion of literacy. IWA, Inc. has established annual projects as our goals to meet this purpose: writing contests and book awards to Islamic school libraries.

The IWA will conduct the 8th Annual IWA Poetry Contest in April 2012. This year's contest is a themed contest, with Taqwa (or piety) as the general theme.

All poetry for Islamic Writers Alliance Annual Poetry contests must conform to the following general guidelines. Poems that do not adhere to these standards will be automatically disqualified from the competition.

· Poetry must be of an Islamic theme

· For 2012, the Theme of the Contest is Taqwa, so all poems submitted must fit within this broad topic

· Poetry must consist of at least 2 but no more than 100 lines

· Poetry may be of any ‘type’ of poetry, including but not limited to ballad, couplet, iambic pentameter, quatrain, cinquain, sonnet, haiku, epic, free verse, and even light verse, limerick and spoken word

· Poetry contest has 3 categories of submission

o IWA Members –

o Adults – authors 18 and over who are not members of IWA

o Youth – authors under the age of 18 who are not members of IWA

· Maximum of 1 submission per individual

· Entries that have won previously cannot be resubmitted

· Poems will only be accepted as plain text (ASCII) format in the body of email, as an attachment in Microsoft Word or as a PDF

· Poems must be submitted via email

· Poems must include authors name, category, email address, mailing address and phone number and title of poem

· Poems that are submitted by youth under the age of 18 must also include a statement from a parent or legal guardian authorizing the IWA’s public use of poem on the website

· Teachers may submit ‘class’ poetry as individual submissions from one school

· Poems are the legal property of the author

· IWA retains the right to disqualify and reject submissions deemed inappropriate

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: KhansaaPoet@aol.com

For submissions: Poems must be submitted to KhansaaPoet@aol.com

Website: http://www.islamicwritersalliance.net/

Deadline: 30 June 2012

Second Wind Publishing invites you to submit an entry to our holiday short story contest.

Entries are to be holiday stories of any genre that mention a food of some kind. (The food item can be a focus of the story or simply a prop.) The winner will be included in Second Helpings, a short story/recipe anthology to be released in time for Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, New Years. So, be thinking of holiday stories with delicious recipes. The story and recipe must be your own original work since the recipe will also be published in the anthology. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. The story must not exist in print form or in any current or upcoming anthology. The story must be no longer than 5,000 words.

The contest is open to anyone in the world, 18 or older, though the entry must be written in English. There is no entry fee. The best entries will be posted on this site for everyone to read and comment. The authors and management of Second Wind Publishing will choose the three finalists, but reader comments will be taken into consideration. Entries will be judged on originality, readability, writing skills, characterization, plot, and how well they fit in with the theme of the anthology. Spelling and grammar count. The decision of the judges is final.

Everyone is welcome to vote for the winner, which is to be chosen from the three finalists. The winner will be the finalist with the most comments.

The winning entry will be published in the upcoming Second Wind anthology, Second Helpings. (Title is subject to change.) The winner will also receive a coupon from Smashwords.com for an unlimited number of free downloads of the anthology for one month. The coupon can be sent to as many people as you wish during that month. The winner will also be able to purchase an unlimited number of print copies of the anthology at half price plus shipping costs. And the winner will receive a one year free VIP account from Angie’s Diary, the online writing magazine to help you get even more exposure for your writing. ($99 value).

All entries will be deleted once the contest is over.

The contest begins April 1, 2012 and ends June 30, 2012.

SCHEDULE:

• June 30, 2012 at 11:59 pm ET: Contest ends.
• July 1 — July 15, 2012: Judging of entries by 2W (and 2W authors) to pick top three entries
• July 15 — July 31, 2012: Judging of the three finalists by blog readers to pick the winner
• August 1, 2012: Winner announced
• October 1, 2012 Book published (In an ideal world …)

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. By participating in the contest, entrant certifies the entry is original, has not been previously published, and does not contain material that would violate or infringe upon the rights of any third party, including copyrights, trademarks or rights or privacy or publicity. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entry that it deems unsuitable or ineligible for the contest. The decision of the judges is final and binding.

2. Limit one (1) entry per person and per e-mail address for the duration of the contest. Winners of previous contests held by the sponsor are prohibited from entering again within a one-hundred eighty (180) day period of previous winning submission announcement. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, or inaccurate entries. In the case of a dispute as to the identity of an online entrant, the prize will be awarded to the authorized e-mail account holder.

3. Online entrants must have a valid e-mail address. Entrants agree to be bound by the terms of these official rules and by the decisions of the sponsor and judges which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this contest. Winners will be required to sign and return a Short Story Publishing Contract within seven (7) days of winner selection, which will give Second Wind exclusive print and ebook rights for two (2) years. Failure to comply will result in selection of an alternate winner. Acceptance constitutes permission for the sponsor and its agencies to use winner’s name and/or likeness, biographical material and/or entry (including an edited form of the entry) for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation. By accepting prize, winner agrees to hold the sponsor, its affiliates, and anyone associated with the sponsor harmless for any injury or damage caused or claimed to be caused by participation in the promotion or acceptance or use of the prize. Sponsor is not responsible for any printing, typographical, mechanical or other error in the printing of the offer or in the announcement of the prize.

4. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, modify or suspend the contest. Sponsor reserves the right to select winners from eligible entries received as of the termination date. Sponsor further reserves the right to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: secondwindpublishing@gmail.com

Website: http://secondwindpublishing.com/

Deadline: 6 July 2012

Aren’t we all tired of being boxed and punched into, “the African writer must write poverty p0rn to be successful” casket? It is time…no actually; it is way past time for us to write about those little geeks and five legged mathematicians in our head. It is time to write stories that rely more on our imagination than on the circumstances around us and the problems that we are forced to face. Get your word processor and write a story that will identify you as a writer and not an African writer.

Lesleigh Inc will be running a series of short story contests starting this June.

The June contest runs in conjunction with UP Magazine and will be on the Sci-fi/ fantasy theme. All creative writers are invited to participate.

THE INNIS AND THE OUTIS A.K.A THE RULES

• The story must be original enough to make us bow in awe at the mind of the writer.
• Word count: Exactly 3687 words. Nothing more, nothing less.
• Font type: Book Antiqua
• Font size: 12
• Spacing: 1.5
• Justified

• The word count mentioned above.
• Please edit your work before submitting it.

• Subject: Innis and Outtis Short Story Contest
• A cover letter on the main body of the email that has a 100 word writer bio and a 250 word synopsis of the story.
• Your story in a Microsoft Word 97-2003 attachment.
• Deadline for submission: 6th July 2012-06-04

• Free ticket to a Lesleigh Inc Creative Writing Workshop in July
• An opportunity to become a resident contributor of fiction to our literary magazine Bullet Pen.
• Serialisation of winning story on UP Magazine.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: bulletpen@lesleighinc.com

Website: http://www.lesleighinc.com/

Deadline: 31 July 2012

Contest Theme: How can India and Africa compete, collaborate and co-create the future on Environmental issues?

The contests will be open in the following languages: • English • French • Portuguese • Spanish • Arabic • Hindi • Swahili

CONTEST CATEGORIES

1. Eastern Africa*

Open to citizens of United Republic of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, Réunion, and Mayotte only

2. Western Africa*

Open to citizens of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo only.

3. Central Africa*

Open to citizens of Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe only.

4. Northern Africa*

Open to citizens of Algeria, Egypt, Libyan Arab jamahiriya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia and Western Sahara only

5. Southern Africa*

Open to citizens of Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland only.

6. India*

Open to Indian citizens and Non resident Indians only

AWARDS

Cash Prize of US$ 1000 for three winners from each of the regions*

1. Eastern Africa
2. Western Africa
3. Central Africa
4. Northern Africa
5. Southern Africa
6. India

RULES OF PARTICIPATION

ELIGIBILITY

• The participant must ensure he/she registers and submits for the correct category i.e. East Africa segment, South Africa segment etc of the Essay Writing Contest.

• Submission in an incorrect category will lead to disqualification.

• The participant must be an enrolled student in any school/college/institute and be over 18 and under 28 years of age as on 31 December 2011. Proof of the same will have to be submitted at the time of submission. Eg: student ID card, institutional proof etc.

• Participation is open to individuals only.

TECHNICAL CRITERIA

• The Submissions can be sent in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Swahili.

• The essay should be in 3000 words or less.

• The essay should include a title and word count.

• Submitted entries that have been awarded at other competitions will not be considered eligible for entry and will face immediate disqualification.

• More detailed biographical information may later be requested from the shortlisted candidates.

• Submitted entries should be unpublished, original work of the participant.

SUBMISSION

• The entry should be submitted electronically to essay@indiafrica.in latest by 31 July 2012, 1200 hrs GMT.

• They can also be mailed at Ideaworks Design & Strategy Pvt Ltd 609, Block-C, 6th Floor, Nirvana Courtyard, South City-2, Sector-50, Gurgaon, Harayana, Pin-122018, India

• The submission should contain the candidate’s

~ Full Name
~ e-mail address
~ Contact no
~ City, Country and Region
~ Date of birth (date-month-year)
~ Institution / Organization
~ Student Proof of identity

For queries please mail us at contact@indiafrica.in

RIGHTS AND REPRODUCTION

• All submissions to the INDIAFRICA : A Shared Future contest series will be, for exhibition or publication purposes, the property of the Organizers. The Organizing Committee retains the right to publish the business plan ideas and information associated with them and the participants in all communication exercises related to INDIAFRICA : A Shared Future.

• The Organizers or any employee or agent of the Organizers will NOT be liable for:

(a) any costs incurred or loss or liability suffered by the participants in relation to the program

(b) any lost expectation of profits by participant

(c) any failure by participant to understand their rights in relation to Intellectual Property, or the rights of The Organizers in relation to Intellectual Property

(d) any other benefit applicants may expect to gain by participating in the program.

• The Organizers may change the Terms and Conditions of participation at any time without specific notice. The amended Terms and Conditions of Entry will be effective immediately upon being posted on the Website. Important changes to the Terms and Conditions will be highlighted on www.indiafrica.in for your convenience; however, you acknowledge that it is your sole responsibility to regularly visit www.indiafrica.in to read any changes to the Terms and Conditions of Entry. Disputes, if any, are subject to the jurisdiction in the courts of Delhi only.

IMPORTANT DATES

• Registration opens on 20 August, 2011

• Submission closes on 31 July 2012, 1200 hrs GMT

DECLARATION OF RESULTS

• Winners in each of the categories will be announced on 30 September 2012.

SELECTION CRITERIA

• The essay will be judged on the relevance and the quality of perspective presented within
the context of the contest theme.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: contact@indiafrica.in

For submissions: register here and submit your essay to essay@indiafrica.in

Website: http://www.indiafrica.in

(Note: Amazon Studios is open to ideas from around the world. They have recognized talented writers and filmmakers in the US, Canada, the UK, China, Zimbabwe, the Dominican Republic and other countries.)

Amazon Studios is now developing movies and series. They are looking for great scripts to turn into great entertainment. Will your story be the next big hit? You can start a movie project at Amazon Studios by uploading an original script that is wholly new to Amazon Studios and free of any elements from scripts and movies already at Amazon Studios. These are called original properties.

OPPORTUNITIES

Original ideas

Upload your original script at Amazon Studios. Every script is evaluated by Amazon Studios' story department. They will have 45 days to decide whether to pay you to add your project to their Development Slate. You may submit a script privately for the 45-day option and evaluation period (with only the title and premise competing in the public Premise War game).

Paid Assignments

Check the listings here for paid assignments on projects under development. They are looking for independent contractors for writing, directing and other work.

Contests

When you complete the upload of a movie or script at Amazon Studios, your work will be automatically entered into any current contest for which it is eligible.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: check the FAQs here and for other questions, contact Amazon Studios through this link

For submissions: create an account here and upload your work by clicking "Upload your work" (blue button) at the top of the page

Website: http://studios.amazon.com