WORDHARVEST Writing Contests

Tony Hillerman Prize

The Territory Co-sponored by St. Martin's Press, the Tony Hillerman Prize is awarded annually for the best first mystery set in the Southwest. Andrew Hunt of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada received the 2011 Tony Hillerman Prize for his novel, "City of Saints," set in Salt Lake City in 1930. The prize was established in 2006 to honor Tony Hillerman and has been awarded for The Replacement Child by Christine Barber, The Ragged Edge of Nowhere by Roy Chaney, and The Territory by Tricia Fields. Manuscripts are sent to anonymous judges—among them librarians, publishers, writers, readers and bookstore owners. The prize winner is awarded a contract with St. Martin's Press for publication of the novel and $10,000.
The contest, named after New Mexico's best known mystery author, honors a first novel set in the Southwest. Hunt received a contract for publication with St. Martin's Press and a $10,000 advance.
The Tony Hillerman Prize competition is open to any professional or non-professional writer who has never been the author of a published mystery. Murder or another serious crime or crimes must be at the heart of the story, with the emphasis on the solution rather than the details of the crime. All entries must be received or postmarked no later than June 1. The deadline for entries in the Tony Hillerman Short Story Contest is August 15. The 2,5000-word mystery story must be set at least in part in New Mexico. Both contests are co-sponsored by WORDHARVEST, a Santa Fe-based business devoted to good writing. Here are the novel contest rules:

Hillerman Prize Mystery Contest Rules and Guidelines

(Sponsored by the Tony Hillerman Writers Conference (THWC) and St. Martin's Press, LLC)
The contest is open to any professional or non-professional writer, regardless of nationality, who has never been the author of a published mystery, as defined by the guidelines below, and is not under contract with a publisher for publication of a mystery. Only one manuscript entry is permitted per writer.
All manuscripts submitted: a) must be original works of book length (no less than 220 typewritten pages or approximately 60,000 words) written in the English language by the contestants; b) must not violate the rights of any third party, and c) must generally follow the guidelines below.
GUIDELINES
1. Murder or another serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story, and emphasis is on the solution rather than the details of the crime.
2. The story’s primary setting is the Southwestern United States, including at least one of the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.
(The decision of the Competition's judges as to whether or not a manuscript qualifies will be final.)
Nominees will be selected by judges chosen by the organizers of the THWC, with the assistance of editorial staff of St. Martin's Press, and the winner will be chosen by St. Martin's editors. The decision of the editors as to the winner of the contest will be final. St. Martin's reserves the right not to select any winner if, in the sole opinion of the editors, none of the manuscripts submitted are of publishable quality.
An attempt will be made to notify the contest winner, if any, no later than October 1.
If a winner is selected, St. Martin's Press will publish the winning manuscript by offering to enter into its standard form author's agreement with the contestant. The winner will receive an advance against future royalties of $10,000. Those terms of the offer not specified in the printed text of the St. Martin's Press standard form author's agreement will be determined by St. Martin's Press at its sole discretion. The contestant may request reasonable changes in the offered terms, but St. Martin's shall not be obligated to agree to any such changes. St. Martin's may, but will not be required to, consider for publication manuscripts submitted by other contestants.
All entries must be received or postmarked no later than June 1 and must include: a) A double-spaced and neatly typed copy of the manuscript (photocopies are acceptable), with pages numbered consecutively from beginning to end. The author’s name should appear only on the title page, and otherwise not appear anywhere on the manuscript pages. b) A letter or cover sheet containing the name, address, email address and telephone number of the contestant and the contestant's previous writing credits, if any. c) The application form, duly completed and an SASE.
All entries must be mailed to St. Martin's Press.

For additional copies of the rules and to request an entry form, please send a stamped, self addressed envelope to:
St. Martin's Minotaur/THWC Competition St. Martin's Minotaur 175 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10010
*Each contestant must keep a copy of the manuscript for his or her own protection. St. Martin's Press will not be responsible for lost, stolen, or mislaid manuscripts. Because of the great volume of submissions we receive, the fact that judges are volunteers with full-time responsibilities elsewhere, and the fact that most writers now have the work in their computers, manuscripts will not be returned. Please do not send return postage or envelopes.
No critical evaluation or commentary will be offered by the judges or the editorial staff of St. Martin's Press unless, in the sole opinion of the editorial staff evaluation or commentary is appropriate in the case of a manuscript being considered for publication.
This Competition is void where prohibited or restricted by law.
*It is important that you submit your manuscript as early as possible. Our judges are volunteers who are extremely busy with their primary concerns, and it is inevitable that your submission will get a more careful reading if the judge does not have to contend with a flood of last-minute entries. However, it is not necessary to send it the most expensive way. We judge on-time delivery by the post-mark or equivalent, not by the date the judge receives the manuscript.
Good luck!

Hillerman Mystery Short Story Contest

Sherida Stewart of Farmington, N.M. is the winner of the 2011 The Tony Hillerman Mystery Short Story Contest for her mystery "Turquoise Remembrance." Stewart's story was selected from among more than 100 entries and will be published in the February 2012 issue of New Mexico Magazine, co-sponsors of the contest. Stewart received a $1000 publication fee and two tickets to the awards dinner, part of the annual Tony Hillerman Writers Conference.

Tony Hillerman Mystery Short Story Contest Rules and Guidelines


What we are looking for: Your best mystery short story, set primarily in New Mexico. We’re seeking compelling, original, well-written stories that have not been previously published.
Submission details - Submit mystery short stories that are 2,500 words or less, written in English, set primarily in New Mexico. The story must be previously unpublished. Submissions must be typed, single-sided, double-spaced. Please use page numbers and your title ONLY on each page. Submissions must include a separate cover sheet with title, word count, writer’s name, address, phone number and email address.
Fee – Each entry must be accompanied by a check or money order for $20 payable to WORDHARVEST. Multiple entries by the same writer are allowed. Want a critique from the contest judge? Please add $100 per story.
Deadline - All entries must be postmarked no later than August 15.
The Prize - The winning story will be published in an issue of New Mexico Magazine, probably the February issue which is devoted to books and reading.The winner will receive two tickets to the awards ceremony at the Tony Hillerman Writers Conference and other prizes to be announced shortly.
More information - Decision of the judges is final. No whining allowed. Please make a copy of your manuscript. Entries will not be returned and will be destroyed after the contest. Please include your email address so you can be easily reached if we have questionsor good news. Enclose a stamped, self-addressed post card if you want an acknowledgment that your story has been received.
Sponsored by Wordharvest Writers Workshops and New Mexico Magazine

ENTRY FORM: Tony Hillerman Mystery Short Story Contest
Co-sponsored by New Mexico Magazine and WORDHARVEST
Name: _______________________________________
Address: _____________________________________
City: ________________________________________
State_________________________Zip ____________
Phone: ______________________________________
Email: _______________________________________
Story title: ___________________________________
Word count (2500 maximum) ______
Entry Fee: $20 per manuscript. (You may submit as many entries as you like.)
I am submitting a total of ________entries @ $20 per manuscript.
I'd like an optional critique of my story(ies) @ $100 each Total enclosed (U.S. funds) $_______________
Check or money order enclosed (U.S. funds only payable to Wordharvest)
Signature ___________________________________________

Please let us know how you heard about the contest. Thank you.
_________________________________________________________________________
Make a copy of this form and mail it along with your manuscript(s) and fee(s) to:
MYSTERY SHORT STORY CONTEST New Mexico Magazine 495 Old Santa Fe Trail Santa Fe, NM USA 87501