
Dylan Days seeks poems, stories and plays for 2009 contest
HIBBING,
Minn. ─ The Dylan Days Creative Writing
contest recently announced the winners of its 2009 contest. The
annual contest
based in Bob Dylan's hometown includes poetry, short fiction and our
wildly successful new one-act play category. The
deadline was March 15, 2009. Poetry and Short fiction will
be
accepted through an online
entry
system. One act plays are accepted only through the mail.
First,
Second
and Third prizes will be awarded to writers in poetry and short fiction
categories, in both open
and student
divisions. First Prize wins
$100, Second Prize wins $50 and Third Prize wins $25. Honorable
mentions will
also be named. All winning entries appear in the Dylan Days literary
journal,
“Talkin’ Blues,” providing many first-time publication credits for
emerging
writers and poets.
In the one act
playwright competition, one winner will be named
along with honorable mentions. The top work will be produced and
performed on the Hibbing Community College stage
during Dylan Days as the featured entertainment for our annual Literary
Showcase. The grand prize winner will receive $100. The play will be
cast with experienced actors and directed by
Michael Ricci, the award-winning director of the HCC theatre program
whose acclaimed work has included "Tommy," "Hair," "Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "Amadeus," and many more.
Scroll down for rules and entry
information on
the five divisions: Open Short Fiction, Open Poetry, Student Short
Fiction, Student Poetry and Open One-Act Play
Original one-act
play competition
(open to all playwrights)
All submissions should be plays that have not been produced in any
other theatres. They can be of any genre except musicals, or
puppet theatre.
Scripts should be between 30 and 60 minutes in length, and contain 3-6
characters. Settings should be fairly modest, staying away from
extravagant set pieces and special effects. Content and subject
matter are completely open, but should reflect what Bob Dylan came to
be known for - an original voice who embraced a new direction, a unique
vision with the power to move people. All submissions will be
reviewed by a panel of judges, and the winning entry will be given a
fully mounted production on the Hibbing Community College Theatre stage.
Entrants in the playwright
contest only should submit via mail only:
Dylan Days One Act Playwright Contest
C/O Mike Ricci
Hibbing Community College
1515 E. 25th St.
Hibbing, MN 55746
(All entries for fiction and
poetry must be electronically
submitted. No entries in fiction or
poetry categories will be considered unless they are submitted
following the electronic submission guidelines listed in each
category's rules
listed below).
For more information on the one-act competition, contact Mike Ricci at 218-262-7377.
Open Division Poetry
- Poems limited to 1,000 words on
any subject. Because of overwhelming interest in our small contest,
limit yourself to
entering your best unpublished poem. Multiple entries will not be
considered.
- Deadline is March 15, 2009; Enter
through electronic submission only
by clicking on the ENTER link at the
bottom of this page and properly filling out the online submission form.
Open Division Short Fiction
- Short story in any genre,
1,000-4,000 words, limit one story per person.
- Deadline is March 15, 2009; Enter
through electronic submission only
by clicking on the ENTER link at the bottom of
this page and properly filling out the online submission form.
Student Division Poetry
- Must be currently
enrolled in high school or
undergraduate college and
have no professional literary publication.
- Poems limited to 1,000 words on
any
subject. Because of overwhelming interest in our small contest, limit
yourself to entering
your best unpublished poem. Multiple entries will not be considered.
- Deadline is March 15, 2009; Enter
through electronic submission only
by
clicking on the ENTER link and properly
filling out the online submission form.
Student Division Short
Fiction
- Must be currently
enrolled in high school or
undergraduate college and
have no professional literary publication.
- Short story in any genre,
1,000-4,000 words, limit one story per person.
- Deadline is March 15, 2009; Enter
through electronic submission only
by clicking on the ENTER link at the bottom of
this page and properly filling out the online submission form.
In all divisions, entries need
not be about Bob
Dylan or use his style of writing; but they should strive for
creativity,
originality and literary theme.
All prizewinners are invited
to take part in a literary reading and reception at Hibbing Community College during Dylan
Days 2009. We
will also offer a free creative writing workshop (to be
announced). This
year, the Literary Showcase is one of
several
Dylan Days activities including the Saturday night "Bob’s Birthday
Bash"
songwriter’s
contest, a visual art contest, weekend bus tours of “Bobby Zimmerman’s Hibbing” live music, Dylan documentaries and
displays, and an
exciting concert event on the stage Dylan used by Dylan back when he
was Bobby
Zimmerman (also to be announced).
NOTICE ON RIGHTS AND PRIOR PUBLICATION: We ask that only original,
unpublished works be submitted to our contest. Entering the contest
grants us one time rights to publish and winning works in the Dylan
Days
literary journal and program. In the playwright contest, entering
grants Dylan Days and its assigns to stage and perform the play once
during Dylan Days, but does not include publication. After publication
or performance, rights revert to the
authors.
SUBMISSION
DEADLINE FOR ALL CATEGORIES: 11:59 p.m.,
March 15, 2009
You will be
asked to provide your name, the title of piece, your
phone number, address and your e-mail address along with the text of
your work. Students will be asked to list the school or college they
are enrolled in at the time of entry. Any special formatting must be
done in HTML, otherwise entries should be submitted text only (Please
indent paragraphs or separate them with one space). Be sure to select
the correct division in the
online submission form. You
must be a
registered high school or college student at the TIME OF ENTRY to be
eligible
for the student divisions. Previous winners are eligible to enter. We
strictly
enforce word counts for poetry and short fiction.
THANKS FOR ENTERING; WINNERS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED. STAY TUNED
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT NEXT YEAR'S CONTEST
See who's
in the Dylan Days Creative Writing Contest
Hall of Fame, including past winners and honorees since 2003.
Dylan
Days
is an annual event and an association
dedicated to advancing the arts in Bob Dylan's hometown of Hibbing,
Minnesota.
All content copyright by Aaron J. Brown.