Collins Writing Contest

2024 Collins Writing Contest: Memories

Memories connect us to the past and keep our history alive. They stay with us forever. Memories can be vivid pictures or sweet recollections, but they can also be distorted or unreliable.

As we head into the 20th anniversary of the Collins Writing Contest, we ask local writers to explore the idea of Memories.

Entry Deadline:

Thursday February 29, 2024 at 8:00 pm

Contest Entry Form

2024 Collins Writing Contest

Rules and Regulations

1. By submitting an entry, authors confirm that they have read and understand the full contest rules and regulations available online at www.gppl.ca and at the Children’s Information Desk at GPPL.
2. Authors must live in the City of Grande Prairie, the County of Grande Prairie,
   or the MD of Greenview.
3. Authors may submit only one entry per year, 2000 words or fewer.
4. Judges must be able to read the stories easily.
   • Entries must be typed (not handwritten) and double-spaced, with a minimum 12-point font size.
   • Entries may not use custom fonts.
   • Stories must be written in English.
5. Entries must be able to be accurately reproduced in the print anthology.
   • Authors must retain a digital copy identical to the submitted entry.
   • Entries may not use custom fonts.
   • Stories may not refer to external material (websites, songs, etc.)
   • Stories may not include illustrations.
   • Authors must submit stories as .doc/.docx, .odt, .rtf if selected as a winner.
   • Authors may not edit their story after submission; the story printed in the anthology must be identical to the story as read by the judges.
6. Entries must represent a single author’s storytelling.
   • Authors are encouraged to use a spellchecker.
   • Parents and friends may assist with typing, answer questions regarding spelling and grammar, or assist by reading sections aloud to dyslexic authors, but the process must be author-directed.
   • Authors cannot work in teams, nor workshop stories online.
7. Entries must be unique and publishable with no legal impediments.
   • Stories must be original content with original characters.
   • Authors may not submit fanfiction.
   • Stories must be fiction, not a simple retelling of something that happened in real life.
   • Stories must be previously unpublished.
   • Stories may not be posted online.
   • Stories may not be self-published.
   • Story titles must be unique and not the same as the contest theme.
8. Stories must be able to be judged fairly.
   • Authors cannot put their names on their stories.
   • Authors cannot name characters after themselves, friends, or family members in any way that might identify the story’s author.
   • Judges may not judge a category a friend or family member has submitted a story for.
9. This year’s entry deadline is Thursday, February 29, 2024, at 8:00 pm.
   • Entries submitted after this point will not be accepted for judging.

GPPL staff members will notify contest winners by phone starting Friday, April 5, 2024. Please do not contact GPPL to ask if you have won.

Questions?

If you have any questions that are not answered on this page or the linked files, please e-mail Bailey Randolph at brandolph@gppl.ca.