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Abilene Writers Guild
Abilene, Texas, U.S.A. "Not failure, but low aim, is crime." (Lowell) P.O. Box 2562—Abilene, Texas 79604 Monthly meetings are the fourth Thursday at 7:00 P.M. Meeting at the Center for Contemporary Arts, 220 Cypress St. |
Abilene Writers Guild has an annual contest open to the public with small entry fees and significant cash prizes. For the 2007 contest, the fees were $5 for seven of the categories and $10 for three novel categories. Each of the ten categories has a first prize of $100, second of $65, and third of $35. Judging is done by qualified professionals, many of whom include comments and suggestions on each entry. Rules for the contest are posted early in the calendar year, and submissions are accepted during the month of July. Each year we have approximately four hundred entries from all over the world.
ABILENE WRITERS GUILD CONTEST 2007
WINNERS LIST
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Category - Poetry, Rhymed 35 Entries Judges - Western Poetry Society of Elko , Nevada | |||
| First Place | Mavericks | Rita Rasco | Abilene Texas * |
| Second Place | The Wilderness of Paradise | Yvonne Nunn | Hermleigh Texas |
| Third Place | Lady Spring | Lena Roach | Lake Charles Louisiana * |
| Honorable Mention | I Take Pen in Hand | Barbara Darnall | Abilene Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | Lament for Louisiana | Diane Dees | Covington Louisiana |
| Honorable Mention | Age Grabs the Reigns | Dorothy Sue Davis | Abilene Texas * |
| Category - Poetry, Unrhymed 68 Entries Judges - Western Poetry Society of Elko Nevada | |||
| First Place | Hundred Mile Prayer | Jim Wilson | Abilene Texas * |
| Second Place | The Death of my Life | Loretta Diane Walker | Odessa Texas |
| Third Place | Dolores | Karen Greene | Abilene Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | The Mirror | Barbara Darnall | Abilene Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | Shoeless Summer | Ginny Greene | Clyde Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | Harvest From the Great Plains | Carol Dee Meeks | Artesia New Mexico |
| Honorable Mention | Midday Sunset | Lena V. Roach | Lake Charles Louisiana * |
| Category - Children (Readers ages 3 to 8) 35 Entries Judge - Kimberly Griffiths Little, Author - Knopf | |||
| Third Place | Just a Saying | Greg Hare | Kinistino Canada |
| Second Place | The Land of the Crum-Crum Tree | John Payette | Surprise Arizona |
| First Place | Three Wishes | Sally Clark | Fredericksburg Texas |
| Honorable Mention | If it weren't for Gustabella | Jan Sherbin | Cincinnati Ohio |
| Honorable Mention | Surprise for Amelia | Katherine Kelly | Lubbock Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | Hey Diddle Diddle | Hugh Neld | Jacksonville Texas |
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Category - Middle Reader Novel 10 Entries Judge - Kimberly Griffiths Little, Author-Knopf | |||
| First Place | To Dingwall, Y'all | Barbara B. Rollins | Abilene Texas * |
| Second Place | The Return of the Mirage | Patti J. Kurtz | Minot North Dakota |
| Third Place | The Chronicles of Marvin Archibald Trekker: Boy Magician | Christopher (C.S.) Larsen | Rochester Minnesota |
| Honorable Mention | Territories of Trouble | Greg Hare | Kinistino Canada |
| Honorable Mention | Celia's War | June Venable | Georgetown Texas |
| Category - Adult Short Fiction 46 Entries Judge - Gretchen Craig/Author-Kensington | |||
| First Place | Dear God | Dixon Hearn | Huntington Beach California |
| Second Place | The Chair | JoAnne Horn | May Texas * |
| Third Place | Westward With Hope | Claudia Shelton | O'Fallon Missouri |
| Honorable Mention | Progress | Anna M. DeRosa | Abilene Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Just Business | Lynn Davidson | Abilene Texas * |
| Novel-Category 8 - Mystery/Adventure/Sci Fi/Horror 15 Entries Bobbie Christmas/Zebra Publications | |||
| First Place | Shuffle | Cher McHan and Gina DeVita | Bryan Texas |
| Second Place | Bleeding Hearts | Ash Krafton | Barnesville Pennsylvania |
| Third Place | Skagway | Maris A. Soule | Kalamazoo Michigan |
| Honorable Mention | The Araike | James T. Worlton | Argyle Texas |
| Honorable Mention | The Road to War | Andrew Miller | Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania |
| Novel - Category 9 - Mainstream/Romance/Western 23 Entries Bobbie Christmas/Zebra Publications | |||
| First Place | Boudica's Head | Brenda Bensch | Lehi Utah |
| Second Place | The Cost of Gold | Josiah McClellan | Beacon New York |
| Third Place | Shadows of the Past | Lena V. Roach | Lake Charles Louisiana * |
| Honorable Mention | A Dream as Big As Texas | Rita Rasco | Abilene Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | These Ancient Sounds | William Mays | Corpus Christi Texas |
| Category - Articles of General Interest 20 Entries Judge - Denise Vitola, Editor-Writing Coach, Author of Award-Winning Books | |||
| First Place | Parting Words | Lena V. Roach | Lake Charles Lousiana |
| Second Place | Butterflies Without Borders | Jan Carrington | Lake Coleman Texas * |
| Third Place | Frontier Life In Runnels County Texas | Ruth Sellers | Lawn Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | One is All...All is One | Cheryl Caruolo | Whitman Massachusetts |
| Honorable Mention | The Evolution of Cool | Debbie Conway | Conway Arkansas |
| Honorable Mention | Grow Your Own Greek Oregano | Harvest McCampbell | Hoopa California |
| Category - Memoir/Nostalgia 49 Entries Judge - Denise Vitola, Editor-Writing Coach, Author of Award-Winning Books | |||
| First Place | This is the Photo | Darla Curry | The Woodlands Texas |
| Second Place | Moon Children | Rosana Clarkson | Los Angeles California |
| Third Place | Imelda, My Friend | Sharon Ellison | Abilene Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | New Year's Day in Amman, Jordan | Lisa Ohlen Harris | Arlington Texas |
| Honorable Mention | Making Way for Miss Mary | Barbara Darnall | Abilene Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | Dance When the Brain Says No | Kathleen Price | Las Cruces New Mexico |
| Category - Inspiration 25 Entries Judge - Susan Denny, Author and Writing Teacher | |||
| First Place | Carhart Angels | Susan Turner | Rochester Texas * |
| Second Place | Valentines Day | Sally Clark | Fredericksburg Texas |
| Third Place | Protected | Pat Capps Mehaffey | Weatherford Texas * |
| Honorable Mention | Snapshot from the Other Side | Judy Lee Green | Mufreesboro Tennessee |
| Honorable Mention | Thanks in All Circumstances | Karen Witemeyer | Abilene Texas * |
| Best of Members Only Contests for 2007 - Saving Baby Ryan - Jan Carrington (Selected from the six monthly winners by Three of Our Contest Judges) | |||
*Members of Abilene Writers Guild
In addition to the annual contest, AWG Members participate in approximately six members-only contests through the year with a monthly prize of $25.00. Please join us so you can participate in these contests.