NEWS — Dec. 2, 2003
The biography contest for 2004 has now been completed. We reviewed over 180 submissions, and they were excellent. They exhibited your tremendous writing ability and your passion for history, as well as a strong desire to share the stories of these men and women from the past. It was very difficult to select the winners, as there were so many great entries. We are truly thankful to everyone who took the time and energy to craft and submit their work.
We have selected six winners, who appear below. We will publish their work over the course of the next year.
| Author | Subject |
| Robert Beckham | Johannes Gutenberg |
| Connie Clark | Ethelred the Unready |
| Phyllis Kay Geleynse | Yang Chien |
| Lorene Lambert | Amerigo Vespucci |
| Robin Phillips | Theodora |
| Robyn Stephen | Yohanan ben Zakkai |
Again, we are grateful to everyone who submitted work for this contest. If you did not win, and you sent a stamped envelope with your submission, we will send your manuscript back to you this week. We will offer another contest in 2005, and will release details about that in late 2004. Thank you again for your hard work.
— The Folks at Peace Hill Press
The Biography Contest
What is it? Why? Rules? Prizes? How do I submit?
What is it?
The Biography Contest is a search for junior-level biographies (appropriate for second and third grade readers) about great men and women. Peace Hill Press hopes to publish a biography series for this age group.
Why a contest?
In our search for resources that we could recommend to parents who are teaching history at home, we found six in-print junior biographies of Britney Spears — and none of Charlemagne. We found five of Matt Damon — and none of Suleiman. We found four of Richard Petty — and none of Richard the Lionhearted. (You get the idea.) We want to fill this enormous resource gap. And we're convinced that all those intelligent, well-educated home school parents who know what second and third graders can read are the ones who can help us fill it.
What are the rules?
1. Manuscripts must be submitted to Peace Hill Press by October 31, 2003, for the 2003 contest. This contest is open to residents of all countries, but entries must be written in English.2. Manuscripts should be appropriate for a strong second-grade student to read alone, with occasional help. Don't "dumb down" the story, but do try to avoid abstractions and obscure words. The tone of the biography should be narrative (story-like) rather than purely "textbook."
3. Manuscripts should be between 3,000 and 5,000 words in length.
4. All submissions must be typed (on a word processor; we'll ask you for a disk if your manuscript is selected) and double-spaced in an ordinary 12-point business font (Courier or Times New Roman). No unusual fonts or formats, please!
5. Submissions must include your name, address, phone number, and e-mail if appropriate.
6. You must attach a list of all resources used in your research.
7. If you submit a manuscript and would like it returned when the contest is over, YOU MUST INCLUDE A SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED ENVELOPE large enough to hold the manuscript. If you would like to know that we have received your submission, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard with your entry. NO PHONE CALLS, PLEASE!
8. Manuscripts which have previously been published elsewhere are ineligible.
9. Please select one of the following historical figures for your biography:
Diocletian
Vortigern
Augustine of Canterbury
Justinian
Theodora
Chandragupta
Skandagupta
Yang Chien, founder of the Sui dynasty
Li Yuan, founder of the Tang dynasty
Clovis
Tariq Bin Ziyad
Charles Martel
Charlemagne
Alfred the Great
Sweyn Forkbeard
Ethelred the Unready
Edward the Confessor
Harold (Edward's successor)
William the Conqueror
Oda Nobunaga
Peter the Hermit
Saladin
El Cid
John (Lackland)
Richard the Lionhearted
Yohanan ben Zakkai
Kublai Khan
Rurik the Viking
Vladimir (the Rus prince)
Ivan the Great
Ivan the Terrible
Mehmed the Conqueror
Suleiman the Magnificent
Henry V of England
Charles VI of France
Henry VI of England
Charles VII of France
Edward IV of England
The Princes in the Tower
Richard III of England
Henry VII of England (Henry Tudor)
Ferdinand of Spain
Isabella of Spain
Henry the Navigator
Gil Eannes
Al-Bakri
Mansa Musa
Leo Africanus
Babur the Tiger
Akbar of India
Amerigo Vespucci
Hernan Cortes
Montezuma II (reigned 1502-1520)
Martin Luther
Henry VIII
Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary)
Johannes Gutenberg
Philip II of Spain
John White, leader of the Roanoke colony
John Cabot
Jacques Cartier
Donnacona of the Hurons
NOTE: Some of the most familiar names from this period do not appear on this list because quality junior biographies have already been published about them. If you would like to write about a great man or woman who is neither found on this list nor has a junior biography already in publication, you must contact us at info@peacehillpress.net for approval. Keep in mind that he or she must be a historical, non-legendary figure who lived between the years A.D. 300 and A.D. 1600.
10. We’ve received several emails from parents asking if their high-school age students could submit biographies. This contest is intended for adult writers, who we feel are most likely to have the necessary combination of writing skills and knowledge of the needs and capabilities of second and third grade readers. In some unusual cases parents might feel that their high-school level child is a highly qualified writer with the discernment to craft a biography with all these issues in mind. We will accept all submissions, asking only that parents prudently review their child’s manuscript.
11. If you are interested in submitting illustrations, please read below.
Regarding illustrations: we are not actively seeking them. If you would like to submit illustrations to accompany your written biography, we will consider them separately. The competition is between written works only. We may choose a manuscript to be a winner, but reject its accompanying illustrations. We may choose both, and will negotiate the illustration issue separately. Likewise, we may reject a manuscript but contact the illustrator in order to discuss publishing the illustrations. Any illustrations submitted must be black and white, pen and ink or pencil line drawings (minimal shading). They must be no larger than 11” x 17”.
What is the prize?
We hope to have more than one winner! Winners will receive $750, and publication with Peace Hill Press under a standard publishing contract. Winners will be announced December 1, 2003.
Where do I send my submission?
Send entries to:
Biography Contest
Peace Hill Press
18101 The Glebe Lane
Charles City, VA 23030
Questions? E-mail us at info@peacehillpress.net
Happy writing...and good luck!
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