Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition, The North Carolina Writers’ Network

The North Carolina Writers’ Network is now accepting submissions for its annual Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition, administered by the creative writing program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

And for the first time ever, this contest is accepting electronic submissions.

The final judge is award-winning author, arts journalist, and creative writing instructor Shawna Kenney. Her memoir I Was a Teenage Dominatrix (Last Gasp) enjoys international translation and is in development as a television series with the FX network. She also co-authored Imposters (Mark Batty Publisher), a coffee-table book about celebrity impersonators. Her work has appeared in Creative Nonfiction, Bust, Juxtapoz, Veg News, AP, Ms., Mix Mag, Transworld Skateboarding, the Baltimore Sun and the Florida Review, among others.

Kenney’s personal essays appear in numerous anthologies. She received a BA in Communications from American University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She teaches creative writing in private workshops and for the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.

The Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition encourages the creation of lasting nonfiction work that is outside the realm of conventional journalism and has relevance to North Carolinians. Subjects may include traditional categories such as reviews, travel articles, profiles or interviews, place/history pieces, or culture criticism. The first-, second-, and third-place winners will receive $300, $200, and $100 respectively. The winning entry will be considered for publication by Southern Cultures magazine.

Poet, novelist, and former Davidson College professor Anthony S. Abbott won top honors in the 2012 Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition for his essay “The White Dress.”

The 2013 guidelines are as follows:

Eligibility and Guidelines Postmark Deadline: January 17, 2013

• The competition is open to any writer who is a legal resident of North Carolina or a member of the North Carolina Writers’ Network.
• The postmark deadline is January 17, 2013.
• The entry fee is $10 for NCWN members, $12 for nonmembers.
• Entries can be submitted in one of two ways:
  1. Send two printed copies through the U.S. Postal Service (see guidelines and address below), along with a check for the appropriate fee, made payable to the North Carolina Writers’ Network.
  2. Submit an electronic copy online at http://ncwriters.submittable.com, and pay by VISA or MasterCard.
• Each entry must be an original and previously unpublished manuscript of no more than 2,000 words, typed in a 12-point standard font (i.e., Times New Roman) and double-spaced.
• Author’s name should not appear on manuscript. Instead, include a separate cover sheet with name, address, phone number, e-mail address, word count, and manuscript title. If submitting electronically, page 1 should be your cover sheet.
• An entry fee must accompany the manuscript. Multiple submissions are accepted, one manuscript per entry fee: $10 for NCWN members, $12 for nonmembers.
• You may pay the member entry fee if you join the NCWN with your submission. Checks should be made payable to the North Carolina Writers’ Network.
  • Entries will not be returned. Winners will be announced in March.
  • Send submission to:

  North Carolina Writers’ Network ATTN: Rose Post PO Box 21591 Winston-Salem, NC 27120