Erma Bombeck Writing Competition

Capture the essence of Erma's writings and you could win $1,000 and a free registration to the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop to be held March 24-26, 2022 at the University of Dayton! Honorable mentions will receive $100.

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.

Meet Our Finalist Judges

Final Judges Max Pross and Susan Pohlman

The Library is proud to announce that Max Pross, an Emmy Award-winning producer and writer known for The Simpsons, Seinfeld and Late Night with David Letterman, and Susan Pohlman, a memoirist who writes with grace and vulnerability, will serve as finalist judges for the 2022 Erma Bombeck Writing Competition.

For more information or questions about this competition, please call Debe Dockins, Community Outreach Specialist, at 937-610-4429 or send an email to: ddockins@wclibrary.info.

November 30, 2021 (8 AM EST): Erma Bombeck Writing Competition Opens

December 9, 2021 (noon): U.D. Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop Registration Opens

January 4, 2022 (8 PM EST): Erma Bombeck Writing Competition Closes

January 6, 2022 through mid-February: Erma Bombeck Writing Competition Judging

Week of February 14, 2022: (projected) Winners Announced

March 23, 2022 (7 PM EDT, 6 Central, 5 Mountain, 4 Pacific): Virtual Erma Awards Ceremony & Keynote Speakers

October 20 - 22, 2022: U.D. Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop (Rescheduled)

View The Erma Bombeck Collection video which premiered at the March 2022 Erma Bombeck Writing Competition Awards Ceremony. It's a glimpse of the treasure that's in the Erma Bombeck Collection in the University of Dayton's archives. #ebww2022

• Get the feel of the "Erma writing style" and learn more about one of America’s most celebrated storytellers and humorists by checking out these books and movies.
• Read past winning entries.
• Sign up for the FREE Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop email newsletter.
• View the 2022 competition statistics.

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, social media, 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.
• Deadline for entry submission is January 4, 2022, at 8 PM EST. Late entries are not permitted.
• 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.

• Choose one category for entry:
  • Humor (Is it funny?)
  • Human Interest (Is it touching and poignant, but less humorous?)
• 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.

• Entries in the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition are judged in three rounds.
• All entries are judged anonymously.
• All judges are highly qualified and may include actors, authors, bloggers, columnists, comedians, directors, editors, producers, professors, and writers from across the globe.
• Final Round judging will be judged by writer, director and producer, Max Pross (Humor) and author and editor, Susan Pohlman (Human Interest).
• 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?

• Read past winning entries.
• 4 first place winners will be selected:
  • Humor - Global (Non-Ohio & International)
  • Humor - Local (All Ohio Entries)
  • Human Interest - Global (Non-Ohio & International)
  • Human Interest - Local (All Ohio Entries)
• $1,000 cash prize to first place winners in all four categories and $100 to Honorable Mentions.
• First place winners also receive free admission ($499 value) to the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop hosted by the University of Dayton from March 24 - 26, 2022. 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.
• A press release will be sent locally and to the winners hometowns.
• Judges will also select several essays for Honorable Mention.
• Decisions of the judges are final.

• March 23, 2022, at 7 PM EDT, 6 Central, 5 Mountain, 4 Pacific.
• Registration is required as invitations to this virtual party will be sent shortly before the event.
• Register here: Erma Bombeck Writing Competition Awards Ceremony, Sponsored by the Washington-Centerville Public Library - Crowdcast: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/erma-bombeck-awards-ceremony-2022/register
• Please welcome our keynote speakers, Kathy Kinney (Mimi from the Drew Carey Show) and Cindy Ratzlaff, the duo behind Queen of Your Own Life!
• The awards event honors the winners of the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition who will read their essays in both the Humor and Human Interest categories.
• Everyone is welcome to attend this free event.

This year's winners of the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition are in for a special celebration. Keynote speakers Cindy Ratzlaff and Kathy Kinney will share their life's philosophy: a state of mind, Queen Of Your Own Life(tm), is about the practice of happiness and the simple actions we all can take to claim a life of joy and adventure. "It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else." - Erma Bombeck

Meet Our Keynote Speakers

Keynote Speakers Cindy Ratzlaff and Kathy Kinney

Cindy Ratzlaff is a 30-year veteran of the book publishing industry, having held executive positions at Rodale Inc. and Simon & Schuster and created and implemented the launch campaigns for more than 150 New York Times bestsellers. She also is an author through both traditional and self-publishing. Cindy's articles on business topics and happiness have been published on BusinessInsider.com, Oprah.com, CNN.com and other national publications. She speaks internationally on personal branding, marketing strategies, social media community building, marketing platforms and campaign building. Forbes named her one of the Top Women Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter, and Ad Age named her to the Advertising Age Marketing 50 list in 2003 for her work on launching The South Beach Diet brand. Cindy is the co-author, along with her friend Kathy Kinney, of three books, Queen of Your Own Life: The Grown-up Woman's Guide to Claiming Happiness and Getting the Life You Deserve; Queenisms: 101 Jolts of Inspiration; and Queen of Your Own Life: If Not Now, When? Together, they host a popular Facebook Live Check-In at 3 p.m. (EST) on Thursdays, an outreach that started during the pandemic.

Kathy Kinney, who may be known best for her role as Mimi on the hit ABC series The Drew Carey Show, has appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies. She is the co-author, along with her friend Cindy Ratzlaff, of three books, Queen of Your Own Life: The Grown-up Woman's Guide to Claiming Happiness and Getting the Life You Deserve; Queenisms: 101 Jolts of Inspiration; and Queen of Your Own Life: If Not Now, When? Together, they host a popular Facebook Live Check-In at 3 p.m. (EST) on Thursdays, an outreach that started during the pandemic. Kathy is the star and co-producer of the children's website MrsP.com, which promotes creativity, literacy and the joy of reading. With a background in improvisational comedy, she has performed extensively in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, Caesars Palace and the Mirage with Drew Carey and the Improv All-Star. She also has performed on tours with the USO in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the Persian Gulf.

• Hosted by the University of Dayton
• Registration starts February 1, 2022.
• Workshop dates: October 20 - 22, 2022.
• $499 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.