2005 SmartWriters.com Short Story Competition: Because the annual Write It Now! Competition has been so successful in helping new writers and illustrators get their work in front of the editors who helped launch their careers, the SmartWriters want to do that for short story writers, too!

Three Categories: Young Adult Readers, ages 15+; Mid-grade Readers, 11 – 14; Young Readers, ages 7 – 10.

Grand Prize: $200, plus a 2006 Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market; First Prize, each category: $50, plus a 2006 Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s MarketEntry Fee: $10 per manuscript.

Plus, the 1st – 3rd place finishers in the MG and YA categories will be published in a 2007 anthology by Blooming Tree Press. Entry Deadline: October 31, 2005; Email entries are welcome and encouraged. See rules, FAQ, submission guidelines, and entry form.

Cynsational News & Links

Alan Armstrong’s Stories Write Themselves by Susan VanHecke from Authorlink. Alan is the author of Whittington (Random House, 2005). October 2005.

Liz Bonham Fine Art: illustrator site, apparently specializes in the Christian market.

Meet the Author: Cynthia Leitich Smith by Toni Buzzeo from Library Sparks. October 2005. PDF file (takes a few moments to load if you’re on dial-up due to images).