The Poetry Instigator has announced the winners of its first Fall for the Book Poetry Contest, presented in conjunction with Fall for the Book and The Writer’s Center. This year’s winning poems include:

FIRST PLACE: “MOTEL” by Missy Purcell

SECOND PLACE: “Yes, Gale” by Alyse Knorr

THIRD PLACE: “Sounds of Unforgiveness” by Maggie Beetz

HONORABLE MENTION:

• [Untitled] by Cori Stash
• “The Navigator” by Stephanie Myrick
• “Some Might Say It’s Hot” by Eleanor Graves
• “Or as you say, ‘bread and butter’” by Liz Gerber
• “The Message” by Clarinda Harris

The winning poems themselves will be posted soon at The Poetry Instigator — along with fresh prompts to provoke new poems ahead.

Design an “artsy” poster, win money, and see your work all over the region!

Deadline: Postmarked March 15, 2010

Grand Prize: A cash award of $500

2009's Prize-Winning Poster

Fall for the Book is hosting a poster contest to celebrate the 2010 festival. The grand prize-winning poster will be a cornerstone of the upcoming festival’s annual marketing campaign. The festival, now in its twelfth year, is one of the oldest, largest, and best of its type in the country. The 2009 festival attracted about 14,000 attendees to more than 30 venues in 12 different localities in the DC metro region. Past festivals have featured authors and performers for all ages, including Chinua Achebe, Sherman Alexie, Michael Cunningham, E.L. Doctorow, Khaled Hosseini, Sue Miller, Pat Conroy, Joyce Carol Oates, and Tim O’Brien.

Now, the festival planners seek a full-color poster that celebrates the interaction between readers and writers, and calls people’s attention to the festival’s September dates. The poster will be printed in the spring and distributed throughout the capital region. Entries will be judged by the festival staff. Entries should appear in the same form as the final artwork; electronic files will be necessary for reproduction of the winning poster.

GUIDELINES

• The poster must include the Fall for the Book logo, the festival dates (September 19-24, 2010), and the website (www.fallforthebook.org).
• Though Fall for the Book does not have a yearly theme, you may want to highlight the following information in your design:
  • Six Days
  • Nearly 150 Authors
  • Readings, Discussions, Performances & More
  • Throughout Northern Virginia, D.C. and Maryland
• You can find out more about the festival by exploring this website, and a PDF of the 2009 program is available here.
• Electronic files of the logo can be obtained by contacting Ruth Goodwin at (703) 993-3986 or fftb@gmu.edu.
• Artwork must be 18” x 24” and can be vertical or horizontal. Do not matte or frame artwork.
• All two-dimensional media are accepted, including computer-generated images. Note: Chalk, charcoal and pastel entries should be sealed with a fixative spray to prevent smearing. Do not laminate entries.
• Three-dimensional entries will not be accepted.
• While collaborations are welcome, collaborators must split the prize money.
• Artists may submit multiple posters. You may send all your posters in one package.
• Participants accept all responsibility for late, lost, misdirected or illegible entries. Entries sent with insufficient postage will be disqualified. Fall for the Book is not responsible for entries damaged, destroyed or lost during the judging process.
• Fall for the Book reserves the right to alter the final poster design or to reject all submissions for the final poster design.
• All submissions become the property of Fall for the Book and may be used for commercial purposes. No entries will be returned, so please keep all your files and/or scan your work.
• In consideration for the opportunity to enter the Fall for the Book Poster Contest, participants agree to allow Fall for the Book to use their names and photographs for promotional and publicity purposes.
• Finalists may be asked for additional materials including a disk or CD of all poster files.

IMPORTANT: Entries must include the artist’s name, address, phone number, and valid e-mail address on the back of each poster. Only original artwork will be considered. Please do not use copyrighted images or materials.

All submissions must be mailed to:

Fall for the Book Festival

English Department – MS3E4

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA 22030

Deadline: Postmarked March 15, 2010

Please contact Ruth Goodwin at (703) 993-3986 or fftb@gmu.edu with any questions.