Official Story-Writing Contest Rules 2018:

1. No fee is required to enter; no purchase is required.

2. Contest is open to anyone under the age of 18, with parent permission, from any country that

distributes the books. Entry form must be signed, scanned, and returned by email with the story

entry to CircleCAdventures@gmail.com (Entry form only may be sent separately by snail mail

to: Circle C Adventures, 3 Box Canyon Road, Tonasket, WA 98855). However, all stories

must be sent electronically. No mailed-in stories will be accepted.

3. Winners of previous Circle C Adventures story-writing contests are eligible to enter if they have

moved up to the next age category.

4. DEADLINE: Contest begins August 1, 2017 and ends January 15, 2018. Winners will be

announced and notified on or before April 1, 2018.

5. Entries cannot be returned, so please keep a copy of your story. Make sure your story includes

a contact email address.

6. Stories may be submitted by attaching a Word file, by copying the story into the body of an

Email, or by sending via file-sharing or Google docs. No PDF files.

7. You may enter up to two (2) original stories.

8. CONTENT: Stories must revolve around the characters and settings from the Circle C or

Goldtown books. Any characters from any of the five (5) series may be used in any

combination. You may also create new characters, so long as the characters from the original

series are part of the story in some way.

9. CATEGORIES AND WORD COUNT: There are 3 age categories (I am flexible between “A”

and “B” to allow for reading ability. Parents can judge which category best fits their child.)

A. Ages 6-9 (500 – 1,000 words) (children may narrate story to a parent or older sibling)

B. Ages 10-13 (1,500 – 2,500)

C. Ages 14-17 (2,000 – 3,500 words)

10. PRIZES: Prizes for first, second, third, and honorable-mention winners from each category.

See a full-color graphic of the prizes on page 4 of this document.

A. First-place winners receive:

● $10 cash (U.S. winners only, unless PayPal is available to the foreign winner)

● an 11x17 Circle C Adventures poster (U.S. winners only)

● horse (or dinosaur) T-shirt (4 designs and a variety of colors, U.S. winners only)

● the paperback contest book, Into the Sunset, containing the 12 winning stories

● Circle C Adventures or Goldtown journal (winner’s choice) and pen (U.S. winners only)

B. Second place winners receive:

● an 11x17 Circle C Adventures poster (U.S. winners only)

● horse (or dinosaur) T-shirt (4 designs and a variety of colors, U.S. winners only)

● the paperback contest book, Into the Sunset, containing the 12 winning stories

● Circle C Adventures or Goldotwn journal (winner’s choice) and pen (U.S. winners only)

C. Third place winners receive:

● an 11x17 Circle C Adventures poster (U.S. winners only)

● the paperback contest book, Into the Sunset, containing the 12 winning stories

● Circle C Adventures or Goldotwn journal (winner’s choice) and pen (U.S. winners only)

D. Honorable mentions receive:

● an 11x17 Circle C Adventures poster (U.S. winners only)

● the paperback contest book, Into the Sunset, containing the 12 winning stories

11. JUDGES: Entries will be judged by independent judges well-acquainted with the

characters and settings of all 5 series. See judges and their bios on the Circle C Contests blog.

Susan Marlow reads, enjoys, sorts, and formats the entries to ensure uniformity in

presentation, but she does not judge entries herself. This is a “blind” judging. Names and ages

are not displayed with the stories. The judges see only the age category and entry number.

12. CRITERIA: Entries will be judged based on the following criteria:

A. How well the story incorporates the Five Elements of a Story (click the link to learn more)

1. Characters: the core characters should stay in “character” with how they are

portrayed in the books. Example: Chad runs the ranch. Don’t suddenly make him a

shopkeeper in town unless you have a believable reason for his job change and it’s

necessary to the plot.

2. Setting (time and place) consistent with the books. Example: characters can travel

to other places, but not to the moon. Example: characters can be old or young (Andi

can even be a grandmother), but do not pick up the characters and set them in a time

period inconsistent with the timeline of their life spans. (No modern settings.)

3. Story problem: a problem the characters face and need to solve (internal or external)

4. Plot (interesting events that happen as the characters try to solve their problem)

5. Solution: The story has a realistic ending and doesn’t just end abruptly.

B. How entertaining and creative the story is.

Creativity is more important than spelling and perfect grammar. However, if two

stories tie for placement, the story with good spelling and punctuation will be chosen

as the winner. So, please edit your story before submitting. Note: Parents may offer

editing suggestions, but please allow the child to do his or her actual writing.

13. PUBLICATION: By participating in this contest, entrants and their parents agree that Susan K.

Marlow may publish their stories on CreateSpace/Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats

without payment to the entrants (except as noted for the prizes). Sales from the contest books

are used to cover the costs of this contest and to sponsor future contests.

14. LIABILITY: By participating in this contest, entrants and their parents agree to release and

hold harmless Susan K. Marlow from and against any injuries, losses, damages, claims,

actions, or liability of any kind arising from participating in the contest or from accepting prizes.

15. PRIVACY: Susan K. Marlow will not use the entrant’s name or private information anywhere,

except as noted in the entry/release form on the next page.

Circle C Adventures Story-writing Contest

ENTRY FORM

DEADLINE: January 15, 2018

WINNERS ANNOUNCED: April 1, 2018

Name of Entrant: ________________________________________________ Age: ___________

Name of Parent: _________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address: _________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

Email address for notification: ______________________________________________________

Your story’s title: ________________________________________________________________

Entry category (Circle one):

Ages 6 - 9 Ages 10 - 13 Ages 14 - 17

If you win, how do you want to be recognized in the book? (Circle all that apply)

first name • last name • age • city/state • pen name: _________________________

I hereby give permission for my child __________________________________________ to enter

the Circle C story-writing contest. I understand that the entries will not be returned. I also agree to

allow Susan K. Marlow to publish my child’s story in the print book, Into the Sunset (and in Kindle

format), with no payment to the child other than the prizes. I verify that this story is my child’s own

work. I give permission to allow Susan K. Marlow to use my child’s name, age, etc. on his/her story

as indicated above.

__________________________________________________ Date: ____________________

Print this entry form, fill it out, and scan it. Then email the completed form—along with your story entry—to CircleCAdventures@gmail.com. Or mail entry form only to Susan Marlow; 3 Box Canyon Road; Tonasket, WA 98855. Story may be attached as a Word file or included in the body of an email. You may also create your story on a site like Google.docs and send a link for download.

Parent signature (electronic signature accepted)

Prize details: The T-shirts are great for girls or boys. A black horse T-shirt or a

dinosaur T-shirt are offered for boy winners. In addition, boys may choose the

Goldtown Adventures journal instead of the Circle C Adventures journal if desired.