ACFW 2007 Genesis contest

Captain’s Log, Stardate 02.13.2007

I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned anything about the Genesis contest yet.

Well, it’s finally here! The 2007 Genesis contest for unpublished writers, put on by American Christian Fiction Writers.

The Genesis contest, formerly known as the Noble Theme contest, is becoming one of the largest Christian Fiction writing contests in the world.

Yours truly is the contest coordinator (again) this year. Head on over to the Genesis page on the ACFW website for more information.

Some highlights of the contest:

--We have TEN CATEGORIES of Christian Fiction

--You can enter as many entries as you like, in as many categories as you like (although you need to pay a separate entry fee for each entry)

--It is all electronic this year, which means no postage, no printing, no copying, no self-addressed stamped envelope, no entries or scoresheets lost in the mail.

All entries will be judged using Microsoft Word’s Track Changes feature. And if you don’t have Microsoft Word, no problem! We can return your judged entries in .pdf file format so you can still see the comments.

--Each entry gets THREE judges in the first round. (That’s three critiques of your manuscript’s first 25 pages! It’s a great price for objective feedback.)

The top five scoring entries in each category are Category Finalists who go on to the second round.

--We have a great lineup of editors and agents as second round judges in each of our categories.

• Contemporary Romance: JoAnne Simmons, Barbour Publishing, and Stephanie Broene, Tyndale

• Historical Romance: Melissa Endlich, Steeple Hill, and Tamela Hancock Murray, Hartline Literary Agency

• Romantic Suspense: Sue Brower, Zondervan, and Joyce Hart, Hartline Literary Agency

• Women’s Fiction: Beth Jusino, Alive Communications, and Steve Laube, the Steve Laube Agency

• Chick/Mom/Hen/Lady Lit: Ahna Phillips, Eames Literary and Krista Stroever, Steeple Hill

• Suspense/Thriller/Mystery: Susan Downs, Barbour Publishing, and Kelly Mortimer, Mortimer Literary Agency

• Contemporary Fiction: Janet Grant, Books and Such Literary Agency, and Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary

• Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Allegory: Andy Meisenheimer, Zondervan, and Reagan Reed, NavPress

• Historical Fiction: Rebecca Germany, Barbour Publishing and Charlene Patterson, Bethany House Publishers

• Young Adult: Barbara Scott, Zondervan, and Annie Tipton, Barbour Publishing

--This year, we have a terrific FAQ page that will answer all your questions. On the Genesis webpage, we also have a Manuscript Formatting Article, the Genesis scoresheet, a Sample Manuscript, and a Sample Track Changes .pdf file.

--The deadline for submissions is APRIL 15TH, 2007, but we're strongly suggesting you get your entries in by April 1st so that if there's any problem with your file, there's plenty of time to fix it!

I hope you all enter the Genesis contest this year! It’s going to be great!