Writers! Check out the Stiletto Contest!
Stiletto Contest
for Unpublished Contemporary Fiction
2014 Contest Information
OPEN FOR ENTRIES – ENTER NOW
We’re excited to bring back the Stiletto Contest devoted strictly to unpublished manuscripts ready to be discovered! With industry professional final judges and 3 preliminary judges per manuscript, your entry will receive exposure, consideration, and feedback.
The 2014 Stiletto Contest is now open and closes at midnight on September 5, 2014.
2014 Contest Timeline:
August 1: Contest Opens to Entries – ENTER NOW!!
September 5: Contest Closes to Entries
September 12 – October 10: First Round Judging
~ October 17: Finalists Announced
October 24 – November 15: Finalist Judging
~ December 1: Winners Announced
CATEGORIES AND FINAL JUDGES:
Single Title Contemporary Romance (70,000 words and up)
A love story set in the contemporary/modern world in which the romance is the main focus of the novel and it has an optimistic or happy ending.
Final Judge: Amanda Bergeron, Editor, Avon Romance
Single Title Contemporary Erotic Romance (70,000 words and up)
A love story set in the contemporary/modern world in which sexual situations and the sexual relationship of the characters is fundamental to plot and characterization. May use explicit language and contain graphic descriptions. The erotic romance is the main focus of the novel and it has an optimistic or happy ending.
Final Judge: Christa Desir, Editor, Samhain Publishing
Short Contemporary Romance (40,000 – 70,000 words)
A shorter love story set in the contemporary/modern world in which the romance is the main focus of the novel and it has an optimistic or happy ending.
Final Judge: Alethea Spiridon Hopson, Editorial Director of Indulgence, Entangled
Contemporary Novel with Strong Romantic Elements (60,000 words and up)
A story set in the contemporary/modern world that includes romantic elements (situations, relationships, etc.) but in which the romance does not have to be the main focus of the novel. Examples of possibly relevant story types include but are not limited to women’s fiction, chick lit, contemporary fiction, etc.
Final Judge: Allison Carroll, Editor, Harlequin HQN
Young Adult Contemporary Romance (50,000 words and up)*
A love story set in the contemporary/modern world in which a romance between adolescents is the main focus of the novel and it has an optimistic or happy ending.
Final Judge: Margo Lipschultz, Editor, Harlequin Teen
Young Adult Contemporary Novel with Romantic Elements (50,000 words and up)*
A story set in the contemporary/modern world centered around adolescent characters that includes romantic elements (situations, relationships, etc.) but in which the romance does not have to be the main focus of the novel.
Final Judge: Elizabeth Poteet, Assistant Editor, St. Martin’s Press
New Adult Contemporary Romance (70,000 words and up)
A love story set in the contemporary/modern world in which a romance usually involving at least one college-aged character (i.e., 18-24) is the main focus of the novel and it has an optimistic or happy ending.
Final Judge: Nicole Fischer, Editor, William Morrow Books
ELIGIBILITY:
All authors, regardless of publishing status, are welcome to enter this contest. All authors must be at least 18 years of age.
Submitted manuscripts must be new, original works of fiction that have not been published, self-published, or contracted to be published. Manuscripts must meet the word count minimums, as described in the corresponding Category section.
Authors may enter as many manuscripts as they choose, but each manuscript may be entered in only one category.
Each category must have a minimum of 10 entries to remain a part of this contest. RWA-CRW reserves the right to close a category if we receive less than 10 entries or more than 50 entries in that category.
**PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED AND ENCOURAGED**
