Erma Bombeck Writing Competition

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Capture the essence of Erma's writings and you could win $500 and a free registration to the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop! 853 writers from 13 different countries and 48 states entered the 2014 competition.

Erma Bombeck, graduated from the University of Dayton in 1949, lived with her husband and family in Centerville, Ohio, and inspired people worldwide with her columns and books about life's trials and tribulations. Her memory lives on with the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition hosted every two years by the Washington-Centerville Public Library and the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop hosted by the University of Dayton.

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12/1/2015: U.D. Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop Registration Opens

1/4/2016 (8 AM): Erma Bombeck Writing Competition Opens

2/15/2016 (8 AM): Erma Bombeck Writing Competition Closes

2/19/2016 through mid-March: Erma Bombeck Writing Competition Judging

3/30/2016 (7 PM): Erma Celebration

3/31- 4/2/2016: U.D. Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop

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• Check out these great books and movies.
• Read past winning entries.
• Sign up for the FREE Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop email newsletter.
• View the 2016 competition statistics.

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Eligibility:

• Entries are accepted from anywhere in the world.
• Previous contest winners are encouraged to enter.
• Children under 13 are NOT eligible to enter.
• Registration to the University of Dayton's Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop is NOT required to enter the writing competition.
• The following are not eligible to enter: Washington-Centerville Public Library employees & board members, contest judges and their families, and Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop faculty and speakers for the current year.

Rules:

• $15 entry fee.
• Entry must be written in English.
• Limit one entry total (not per category) per person.
• Personal essay must be 450 words or less (entries of more than 450 words will be disqualified).
• Essay must be previously unpublished in its entirety or pieces thereof. Essays must not have been previously published in a blog, book, magazine, website or any other medium.
• Essay must be written by one person; no writing teams, ghostwriters or writing partnerships.
• Payment and entry must be submitted online using the official online entry form. PayPal link will be visible below when the contest opens.
• You do not need to set up a PayPal account in order to pay the Entry Fee. PayPal accepts credit cards and is simply the administrator of the payment.
• Hard copy entries will not be accepted and will not be returned if submitted.
• Entries must be submitted by 8 AM, EST, February 15, 2016.
• All submissions are final! Corrections to and replacements for submitted essays will not be allowed.
• By submitting your entry, you guarantee the work was written by you and expresses your original ideas.
• Washington-Centerville Public Library reserves the non-exclusive right to publish the winning entries; however, the owner retains ownership rights for future publication.

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• Choose one category for entry:
  • Humor
  • Human Interest
• Write a personal essay of 450 words or less following the judging criteria.
  

  A personal essay "deals lightly, often humorously, with personal experiences, opinions, and prejudices, stressing especially the unusual or novel in attitude and having to do with the various aspects of everyday life." ˜Phillip Lopate, The Art of the Personal Essay.

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• Entries in the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition are judged in two rounds - first by a panel of volunteer judges from across the United States and Australia, and then by a final judge in each category.
• Blind judging is used which means that the author's name is not on the work as it is being judged.
• Meet our esteemed panel of judges.

General Criteria (All entries)

• Does it have the voice of Erma? Erma knew how to portray the humor in the mundaneness of everyday life.
• Is it organized? Does it stay on topic and have well-developed ideas?
• Does it have a compelling lead? The piece should "Hook 'em with the lead. Hold 'em with laughter. Exit with a quip they won't forget."

Humor Criteria (Humor entries)

• General criteria as stated above.
• Is it funny?

Human Interest Criteria (Human interest entries)

• General criteria as stated above.
• Is it true and does it evoke emotion?

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• 4 first place winners will be selected:
  • Humor - Global (Regional & International)
  • Humor - Local (Montgomery County/Dayton, Ohio area)
  • Human Interest - Global (Regional & International)
  • Human Interest - Local (Montgomery County/Dayton, Ohio area)
• $500 cash prize to winners in all four categories.
• First place winners also receive free admission ($425 value) to the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop hosted by the University of Dayton from March 31 through April 2, 2016. First place winners who have already registered and paid for the Workshop will have their registration fee refunded. Winners who are on the Workshop Waiting List or have not registered for the Workshop, will be admitted to the Workshop, if they want to attend.
• Winning essays will be published on Washington-Centerville Public Library's website and in a local newspaper.
• Judges will also select several essays for Honorable Mention.
• Writers of essays selected for Honorable Mention will receive a competition certificate.
• Decisions of the judges are final.
• Winners will be announced around March 17.

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• Featuring Dr. Gina Barreca!
• Centerville Library, Wednesday, March 30, 2016, at 7 PM
• Everyone is welcome to attend this free event! Registration is not required.
• Attendance at this event is not required to enter the writing competition.
• About the Speaker: Dr. Gina Barreca, author of the brand-new "If You Lean In, Will Men Just Look Down Your Blouse? Questions and Thoughts for Loud, Smart Women in Turbulent Times" has appeared on 20/20, The Today Show, CNN, the BBC, Dr. Phil, NPR and Oprah to discuss gender, power, politics, and humor. Her earlier books include the bestselling "They Used to Call Me Snow White But I Drifted: Women's Strategic Use of Humor" and "Babes in Boyland: A Personal History of Coeducation in the Ivy League" in addition to the six other books she's written and the sixteen she's edited. Gina has been called "smart and funny" by People magazine and "Very, very funny. For a woman," by Dave Barry. She was deemed a "feminist humor maven" by Ms. Magazine and Wally Lamb said "Barreca's prose, in equal measures, is hilarious and humane." Gina, whose weekly columns from The Hartford Courant are now distributed internationally, is a Professor of English at the University of Connecticut.

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• Hosted by the University of Dayton
• Registration starts on December 1, 2015.
• SOLD OUT in less than 6 hours!
• Workshop dates: March 31 - April 2, 2016.
• Keynote Speakers
• $425 Registration Fee (waived for winners of the writing competition)
• Read about the keynote speakers, sessions, and workshop presenters on the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop website.
• Attendance at this workshop is NOT required to enter the writing competition.

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