Truett McConnell University 6th Annual Creative Writing Competition

Do you have a love for creating characters? Can you channel an inner O’Connor with a flick of a pen? Do you have an eye for photography? If so, the faculty of the Conrad Grebel School of Humanities invites your work to be entered into its third annual creative writing contest.

The contest is opened to any Truett McConnell student (part-time, full-time, online, dual enrolled, or graduate student).

Entries will be accepted in four separate categories:

  • Poetry
  • Creative Nonfiction essay
  • Short story (fiction)
  • Literary Review Cover Art

Cover page for each entry should contain:

  • Author’s name
  • TMU Student ID #
  • Title of the prose, poetry or art
  • Category (nonfiction, fiction, poetry, cover art)
  • Word count

Every page (after cover page) should contain

  • Header with page #, title, and student ID #

Eligibility for all categories

The competition is open to any current Truett McConnell student (part-time, full-time, online, dual enrolled, or graduate student).

Original unpublished work

Only unpublished work is eligible for this competition.

Judging (all categories)

Judging is anonymous. Entrant’s name and contact details must appear on the cover page ONLY, NOT on the subsequent pages in the piece.

The winning entries will be chosen by Truett English professors.

Winners will be officially notified by email and the winning entries will be published in the university’s literary journal, The Yonah Review. Winning entries may be edited by judges before publication.

All entries should comply with the university’s institutional identity and mission found in the following statement:

The mission of Truett McConnell University is to equip students to fulfill the Great Commission by fostering a Christian worldview through a Biblically-centered education in a family friendly environment.

A student may submit only one entry in fiction and nonfiction categories. See below for the poetry entry specifications. Students may submit entries in multiple categories.

Copyright

The author retains the copyright to his or her prose (short story or piece of creative non-fiction), and/or poem(s) or cover art but will allow the university to publish in its journal one time.

Creative Nonfiction Entry Specifications

The essay should be between 1,000 and 1,500 words long, excluding references. Writer must provide a word count on the cover page. The entry should be word-processed, preferably using Microsoft Word, and double-spaced. Each subsequent page must have a header which contains page number, the title of the piece, and  the student’s ID number. The entry may be submitted as an MS document or a PDF.

Short Story Entry Specifications

The short story—a work of fiction—should be between 1,000 and 1,500 words long. Writer must provide a word count on the cover page. The entry should be word-processed, preferably using Microsoft Word, and double-spaced. Each subsequent page must have a header which contains page number, the title of the piece, and the student’s ID number. The entry may be submitted as an MS document or a PDF.

Poetry Entry Specifications

Number of entries

A maximum of three (3) poems (any style or form) per author. These poems, (whether one, two, three) should be considered one entry.

Length

One poetry entry may be no more than 60 lines.

Format

Each entry must be accompanied by a cover page.  Each subsequent page must have a header which contains page number, the title of the piece and, the student’s ID number. The entry may be submitted as an MS document or a PDF.

Cover Art Entry Specifications

Artwork should be portrait orientation. If chosen for the cover of the review, it will receive an award. Other entries may be included in the Yonah Literary Review.

Formats may include photography, graphite, pen and ink, marker and graphic design. Please submit a high resolution, JPEG or PNG (300 PPI).

For photography, please provide two submissions (1) RGB and (2) CMYK. You will need to convert images to CMYK to ensure your editing will translate in the printed Yonah Literary Review.

All files should be NO LESS than the size below.

8.5 x 11 (if submitting portrait) = 816 px (W) x 1056 px (H)

11 x 8.5  (if submitting landscape) = 1056 px (H) x 816 px (W)

Each piece should be submitted with a cover page which includes the title and the student’s ID number.

Awards will be given in poetry, short story (fiction), art, and creative nonfiction essay.
Besides public recognition in the university’s literary journal, The Yonah Review, recipients of the awards in each category will receive a gift card for first place, for second place, and for third place. The winner of the cover art selection will receive $100.

AWARDS    (cash):

      • $300 – 1st place
      • $200 – 2nd place
      • $100 – 3rd place
      • $100 – for cover art selection

THE COMPETITION OPENS JANUARY 22, 2024. ENTRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN MARCH 1, 2024. Awards will be presented publicly at Honors Day chapel on April 16, 2024.

To submit your entries, log into the online classroom at online.truett.edu and go to the Student Resource Center course. There are f0ur drop boxes, one for each category.

For more information contact Cassandra Golden cgolden@truett.edu.