Library Writers Competition turns 25

COEUR d'ALENE - The 25th annual Writers Competition at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library has begun.

Entry forms and rules are available at the library, 702 E. Front Ave., or can be downloaded from the library website, www.cdalibrary.org. The web entry forms can be found under the "About Us" link and are listed under "Annual Events."

Entrants can also receive entry forms and rules by mail by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Writers Competition, Cd'A Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave., Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814.

Also available at the library and online is a guide to creating an entry: "What Should a Writers Competition Entry Look Like?" This guide shows how to format the entry and has other tips for making it more readable for the judges.

Writers ages 6 to adult can submit up to two entries of fiction and nonfiction prose - two fiction pieces, two nonfiction or one in each category - up to 2,000 words. There is not a category for poetry. Entries must not have been previously published.

The deadline for entries is March 31.

The entries are judged by professional writers, editors, and educators who volunteer their time.

Winners will be announced and cash prizes are awarded in each category and age group at a ceremony in May hosted by the Friends of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library. Prizes are $100 for first place, $50 for second and $25 for third.

Former Library Director Julie Meier began the competition more than 25 years ago with the goal of discovering great writers in our midst, to provide young writers an outlet for their work, and to encourage excellence in writing.

Each year all entries in the competition - not only the winners - are included in professionally bound volumes added to the library's collection. These volumes can be reviewed in the Nelson Memorial Room at the library.