Phidians announce competition
DIXON – Phidian Art Club is looking for local writers to enter its 22nd annual Literary Competition for poetry, fiction and nonfiction.
The deadline for entries is March 15. All entries must be postmarked by this date. Mail or hand-deliver entries to: Phidian Art Club c/o Dixon Public Library, 221 S. Hennepin Ave., Dixon, IL 61021.
Prizes for first, second, and third places will be provided by Doris Isgrig, poetry, in memory of her late husband, Eric Isgrig; Dixon’s Books on First, fiction; and Sauk Valley Newspapers, nonfiction. Honorable mentions also may be given in the poetry category.
Judges are Michael Aycock for poetry, Katy Hansen for fiction, and Larry Lough for nonfiction.
Aycock teaches creative writing at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Terre Haute, Ind., and serves as an editor of Snowy Egret, a magazine of nature writing.
Hansen is director of operations at the Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indianapolis. She is the author of three original plays that have been performed, and has worked as an actor and director for many productions. Her writing has appeared in McSweeney’s and Opium magazines, among other venues.
Lough, executive editor of Sauk Valley Newspapers, has been in the newspaper business for 38 years, the past 6 years in various management positions with Shaw Newspapers.He previously was editor of The Star Press in Muncie, Ind., where he worked for most of his career. He also taught journalism at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., for 17 years.
The committee for this year’s literary competition is Chairman Nancy Mayfield, Rosalind Wakem, Judith Valenti, and Beverly Power.
Contest requirements should be carefully followed before submitting entries.
The competition is open to any writer, professional or nonprofessional, 17 (by March 15) or older, residing within a 35-mile radius of Dixon.
Categories – (only one entry per category): poetry, any form, 30-line limit; fiction, 3,500-word limit; and nonfiction, 3,000-word limit. The fee is $8 per entry. Checks should be made payable to Phidian Art Club.
All entries must be original and unpublished and typed, double-spaced on one side of 8.5-by-11-inch paper. Each individual may submit one entry in each category. Each entry must have a cover sheet that lists the title of the piece, the category, the author’s name, address, phone number, and e-mail address.
The manuscript pages should have only the title and page number on the top of each page. The author’s name and identifying information should not appear on the manuscript pages. Fiction and nonfiction entries must show the word count on the upper right corner of Page 1 of the manuscripts.
Submit a self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage to have the manuscript returned. This is recommended, as judges often include helpful remarks with the manuscripts. Keep a copy of the manuscript. The Phidian Club is not responsible for lost or damaged material.
In each of the three categories, there will be a $50 prize for first place, a $35 prize for second place, and a $25 prize for third place. There must be at least three entries in each category for awards to be given, unless the work merits an award.
Decisions of the judges are final. Winners will be notified in mid-April. An awards luncheon will be May 4 for writers, judges, sponsors, and members. The luncheon will include readings by the writers of the first-place winners in fiction and nonfiction and all winners in the poetry category.
Copies of these rules will be available at local libraries and from Dixon Public Library at www.dixonpubliclibrary.org; The Next Picture Show at www.TheNextPictureShow.org; the City of Dixon at www.discoverdixon.org; and Sauk Valley Newspapers at www.saukvalley.com.
Call Mayfield at 815-285-0035 or e-mail her at npmayfield@yahoo.com for more information.
A bound volume of winning entries from previous competitions may be seen at the Dixon Public Library.
