Contest! | Cathy C. Hall Writes

I’ve always been kind of a history nut. Like if I’m walking along a path around Native American mounds, I might say, “Wow. Four hundred years ago (give or take a decade), a Cherokee woman might have walked this exact same path.”

When my kids were little, and accompanied me on these adventures back in time, they laughed about my “Wow” remarks. That’s okay. I’ve always been seriously awed by the people who’ve walked before us. I still am. So I just might give this latest Children’s Writer Contest a go.

It’s historical fiction for age 13, up to 1500 words, and due by October 31st. And you must have a strong bibliography of resources. That’s the sticking point for me. I don’t have any historical research hanging around.

But if you’ve written an historical novel, and have tons of interesting tidbits in your research file, you should jump on this contest! You could win FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS! And if you already subscribe to Children’s Writer, you don’t have to pay the entry fee. But even if you have to pay the $15, you’ll get an 8 month subscription with it.

Um, anyone got some great historical research they’re not using? I’ll trade you for a scathingly brilliant story idea.

You know, that post title doesn’t quite capture what I mean.

That is to say, this is not exactly a contest for Jewish children. It is a contest for writers who might have a nifty work of unpublished fiction with universal appeal of Jewish content.

Now, I imagine that many of the writers competing for the the Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award may, in fact, be Jewish. But that’s certainly not a prerequisite for this contest sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries. In fact, the manuscript should have appeal for both Jewish and non-Jewish readers, ages 8 to 11. So, anybody might have the perfect manuscript.

Or maybe you have a brilliant idea, and you just haven’t quite put pen to paper-or fingers to keyboard. So aren’t you glad I’m spreading the word now? Because you still have a few months before the deadline.

Check out the guidelines and information here. Deadline’s December 15, 2010. And the prize award is $1,000. I think that’s pretty clear, no matter how you write it.