Categories: Fiction or Nonfiction
Grades/Age Groups: (Grades based on Fall 2019 enrollment) Grade K-2 / Grade 3-5 / Grade 6-8 / Grade 9-12
/ Adult-19+
Deadline: At the library by April 18, 2020.
Prizes: Provided by the Coeur d’Alene Kiwanis Club and the Friends of the Coeur d’Alene Public Library –
First: $100, Second: $50, Third $25. In case of ties, full duplicate prizes will be awarded.
► Rules must be followed or the entry may be disqualified.◄
Adults organizing group entries for children: Please make sure you have read and understand the rules.
Entry forms are available at the library, 702 E. Front Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814-4012, through the
library website: /
cdalibrary.org/writers/, and by mail. An entry form must accompany each entry.
YOUR RULES CHECKLIST
►A participant may submit only ONE (1) entry.
►Entries may be either fiction or nonfiction.
►Entries can be up to 2,000 words or less.
►Entries must not have been previously published. (Entries submitted simultaneously to the PBS Kids Writers Contest are also welcome in this competition.)
►Participants in Kindergarten through Second grades may submit hand-written entries as long as the writing is legible. (Entries submitted electronically may have to be photographed or scanned for submission. It may be advisable to submit these entries by mail.)
► Participants who can’t yet write may dictate their entry to an adult to be typewritten.
► Entries for Grades 3 and older must be typewritten on one side of standard letter-size white paper with at least one-inch margins.
► Double spacing is encouraged to increase legibility.
► Illustrations are encouraged, but must be within the proscribed
margins.
► Do not use cursive, all-cap, complicated, or other difficult-to-read fonts.
► Title page must be included and contain the following information: Title, your name, category and grade or age group. (Your name should appear ONLY on the title page. Do NOT begin your story on the title page.)
► Beginning with the page after the title page, include the title and page numbers on ALL pages in the upper right-hand corner. The page after the title page is Page 1. (The title and page number can be within the margin
space.)
Winners will be notified of the time and place of the awards ceremony. (Time constraints do not allow the staff to contact all competitors.) Prizes will be given to the winner (or his/her authorized representative) at the ceremony. Prizes will NOT be mailed to winners. Winners’ names will be provided to local news media and will also be listed on the Coeur d’Alene Public Library’s website and its social media sites.
Tips for competitors:
Before you begin to write, read the rules that accompany your entry form and then REREAD them. You must use the required format.
Try to write the same way you talk. You may find it useful to read your entry out loud. Does it sound natural
to you?
Write about what you know. Look for stories in the world around you.
You will find it valuable to have another person read your story for errors before you submit it.
Format, spelling, and grammar are factors in judging. Don’t rely entirely on spell check.
If you have questions, contact the library: 208/769-2315 Ext. 426.
