Save time and money with all-electronic entry!

ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY May 1, 2009

Entries received after May 1st will be returned or deleted unread.

What better way to celebrate a hot summer than with sexual tension? The Summer Sizzle contest is based on your best sexual tension scene. The scene should be 12 pages or less and may include a love scene (though a love scene is not a requirement). A non-judged one page scene set up may be added. Categories will be based on the type of sexual tension rather than the usual categories. Our categories are Sweet (Inspirational type scenes), Sensual (Desire/Temptation type scenes), Spicy (Blaze/Brava type mss) and Sexy (Erotica type scenes).

JUDGING:

First round: Each entry will be judged by three experienced RWA members, with a judging panel made up of published and unpublished writers. A fourth judge will read any entry with a disparity of 25 points or greater between low and high scores. Finalists will be announced in mid-June.

Final round: The three entries in each category with the highest combined scores in the first round will be judged by an editor, who will determine the first, second and third place manuscripts. Winners will be announced by Sept. 1.

Final Round Judges:
Sweet - Chelsea Gilmore, Avalon Books
Sensual - Amanda Bergeron, Avon
Spicy - Kathryn Lye, Harlequin/Silhouette
Sexy - Tera Kleinfelter, Samhain Publishing

Judges are encouraged to enter comments on the manuscript pages and/or score sheets.  Any category with fewer than ten entries may be combined or dismissed.

AWARDS: Winners of each category will receive $20.00. Finalists names and manuscript titles will be published in RWR.

RETURN OF ENTRIES: Finalists entries, score sheets and awards (if not received in person) will be emailed/mailed following the winners announcement.

ELIGIBILITY: You must be a RWA member in good standing, not contracted or published in book-length romantic fiction by an RWA-eligible publisher in the last three years.

ENTRY FEE: $20.00 in U.S. funds, payable by check, money order, or PayPal. This fee is NON-REFUNDABLE.

To Enter:

Complete our Electronic Entry Form and submit your contest entry online! Entries can be no more than 12 pages (not including the one-page setup, if applicable), and should be in Microsoft Word (.doc) format or rich text format (.rtf).

Entries must be formatted in standard manuscript format as follows:

You may submit as many different manuscripts as you wish, as long as each one is treated as a separate submission. Up to four entries may be submitted together on one electronic entry form. Manuscripts do not need to be finished, and multiple scenes from the same manuscript may be entered, as long as each is considered a separate submission. All requirements must be met in each contest submission, or your manuscript will be returned. Corrected manuscripts may be resubmitted, but must still be received by the contest deadline.

Score Sheet

Please contact the Summer Sizzle Contest Coordinator if you have questions.

Past Winners