By The Society Of Midland Authors
The Society of Midland Authors is accepting submissions for its annual literary awards, which will honor books by Midwestern authors published in 2016.
Each winner will receive $500 and a recognition award. The judges in each category may also deem one or two honorees as worthy of recognition, and each finalist will receive a commemorative award. These honors will be given out at the awards banquet the second Tuesday in May.
A book may be nominated by its author or publisher. Authors do not need to be members of the Society of Midland Authors in order to enter the contest. Please read the following rules carefully before submitting. (The rules are also on our website.)
* An entry form must accompany each book. One copy of the book and one entry form go to each of the three judges in its category. That means a total of three forms per title (three judges, three forms, three books). Books unaccompanied by completed entry forms will not be considered.
* Each book entry must have a 2016 publication date with corresponding copyright date. The author must either reside in, be born in, or have strong ties to one of the 12 Midland states SMA represents: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin.
* Each submission requires an entry fee of $10. To pay by PayPal or credit card, please click here. You may also pay by mailing a check to Society of Midland Authors, P.O. Box 10419, Chicago, IL 60610. This payment must identify the book title, author and source of check, so SMA knows which author and book entry to confirm as a paid entry. (You may use the “comments” box to write the information for PayPal. Copy the entry form to go with your snail mail check.)
* For now, we do not consider e-book originals unless accompanied by a print edition.
* Books by deceased authors are eligible, providing they meet the other requirements.
* Submissions must be postmarked by January 7, 2017. We urge early submissions. Send entries to the appropriate judges.
* To enter this year’s competition, print out the entry form at this link: http://midlandauthors.com/contest_form.html. Include a completed copy with each nominated book. Mail a copy of the form and the book to each of the three judges in the selected category. Do not mail the book to the Society’s P.O. box. Make sure that you enter the book in the proper category. (For example, all children’s books go to children’s categories, rather than Poetry or Biography and Memoir, which are for adult submissions only.) Books submitted to improper categories will be disqualified.
If you’d like to confirm that your entry reached the judges, please send a self-addressed stamped postcard with each book submission. Or you can contact Marlene Targ Brill, who will verify whether your entry arrived.
JUDGES FOR BOOKS PUBLISHED IN 2016:
Adult Fiction:
* Stephen Sposato, 1440 W Argyle St #1, Chicago, IL 60640
* David MacLean, 2232 W. Giddings St Chicago, Il 60625
* Eckhard Gerdes, 4212 Chesapeake Drive, Apt. 1A, Aurora, IL 60504
Adult Nonfiction:
* Susan Croce Kelly, 29233 Cardinal Lane, Gravois Mills, MO 65037
* Kim Hiltwein, 820 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60202
* Libby Hellmann, 272 Summerfield Road, Northbrook, IL 60062
Biography/Memoir:
* Bob Remer, 5840 N. Kenmore, Chicago, IL 60660
* Jerry Apps, 522 Togstad Glenn, Madison, WI 53711
* Ronne Hartfield, 5750 S. Kenwood Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637
Poetry:
* Rosina Neginsky, PO Box 2175, Station A, Champaign, IL 61825
* Jill Baumgaertner, 841 W. Monroe St., #5PH, Chicago, IL 60607
* Joshua Corey, 729 Emerson St. #3W, Evanston, IL 60201
Children’s Nonfiction:
* Pat Kummer, 2671 Normandy Place, Lisle, IL 60532-1081
* Andrea Warren, 4908 W. 71st St., Prairie Village, KS 66208
* Suzanne Slade, 605 Dawes St., Libertyville IL 60048
Children’s Fiction:
* Marlene Targ Brill, 314 Lawndale, Wilmette, IL 60091
* Patricia McKissack, 14629 Timberlake Manor Court, Chesterfield, MO 63017
* Mary Losure, 1311 Osceola Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105
We look forward to your submissions. Thank you and good luck.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on November 22, 2016