The Zebulon
Pikes Peak Writers Fiction Writing Contest
Welcome to the 2015 Zebulon Fiction Writing Contest! Hosted by Pikes Peak Writers, the Zebulon gives fiction writers at all levels the chance to get their work in front of professional agents and editors. The contest simulates the real process of acquiring an agent, serving as an excellent learning experience. Do you have what it takes to get published? The Zebulon will help you find out.
Contest Dates: Contest opens September 15th, 2014. Contest closes November 2nd, 2014, 12:00 p.m, MST. Only the first 400 entries will be accepted.
Eligibility:
- Open to both published and unpublished authors of novel-length fiction.
- The entry submitted must be for an unpublished manuscript. Entrants must certify that the entry has not been accepted for publication prior to the date of entry.
- The entry submitted cannot be part of an already published series.
- Manuscripts that previously have won first place in a Pikes Peak Writers contest, including the Zebulon, are not eligible for entry.
Entry Fee: $20. You may purchase up to two critiques for an additional $20 each. A portion of your entry fee will go toward funding PPWC scholarship recipients and our monthly free programming.
Winners: Winners will be recognized on April 25th, at the Saturday night Zebulon Awards Banquet of the 2015 Pikes Peak Writers Conference. The first place winner in each category will be refunded his/her Conference registration fee if attending PPWC 2015, or will be awarded a cash prize of $100 if not attending. Second place will be awarded $40. Third place will be awarded $20. All winners attending PPWC 2015 will be given top priority with respect to their editor/agent pitch appointment selections.
Contest Format and Judging: Entrants submit three documents, in the spirit of simulating an attempt to acquire a literary agent: a query letter, a 500 word synopsis, and the first 2,500 words of the novel manuscript. Entries are judged in three distinct rounds.
Round One — The Query Letter: Two judges evaluate your query letter, which is addressed to a virtual agent. The higher score of the two will be counted. Like when submitting to a real agency, your query letter is your first impression, your chance to sell yourself and your novel. If it doesn’t score high enough, the rest of your entry will not be considered, and you will not advance to Round Two.
Round Two — Synopsis and Manuscript: Judges evaluate the first 2,500 words of your manuscript, along with your 500 word synopsis. If you score high enough AND manage to finish in the top three entries in your category, you will advance to Round Three.
Round Three — VIP Judging: The VIP judges, all publishing professionals, will rank the top three entries in each category.
Categories:
Middle Grade / Young Adult: Finalists judged by Andrea Somberg, agent at Harvey Klinger.
Mainstream / Literary / Historical: Finalists judged by Sandy Lu, senior agent at the L. Perkins Agency.
Romance / Women’s Fiction: Finalists judged by Mary Sue Seymour, agent/owner of The Seymour Agency.
Mystery / Suspense / Thriller: Finalists judged by Dana Isaacson, senior editor at Ballantine Books at Random House.
Science Fiction / Fantasy: Finalists judged by Tricia Narwani, editorial director at Del Rey/Random House Worlds.
Horror / Urban Fantasy / Paranormal: Finalists judged by Margaret Bail, agent at Inklings Literary.
Find out more about our virtual agents.
Check out our handy genre guide.
Submissions:
While submitted manuscripts don’t have to be complete, it’s recommended you have a good enough idea of the novel to adequately write a query letter and synopsis for it. You may enter as many times as you like, but you may not submit the same manuscript more than once per category. We recommend you limit the categories you submit your manuscript to, as each entry will be judged by the standards of the genre you’ve selected. Each entry must be submitted separately and include its own entry fee.
To enter, follow these steps:
- Review the below links for detailed information on the contest:
See the complete contest rules.
View the contest checklist to make sure you cross all ‘t’s and dot all ‘i’s.
See the frequently asked questions (FAQ).
- Create an account here. You may create an account before the contest opens.
- Between September 15th and noon on November 2nd, log in to your contestant account and follow the steps. Make sure you’ve double-checked all the rules with our contest checklist!
Thank you to all who have entered contests of years past.
View a list of the 2014 Zebulon winners here!
Questions? If you can’t find your answer in the FAQ or complete contest rules, email your question to contest@pikespeakwriters.com