The Big Read offers annual writing contestFor the third year in a row, writers can celebrate great fiction through The Big Read South Dakota’s Writing Contest. This year’s The Big Read selection is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.“Four quotes have been selected as prompts – or idea starters,” volunteer Contest Chair Corey Vilhauer said. “They were chosen because they best encapsulate the spirit of Bradbury’s story, and should serve as the basis of some great fiction and essays.”Two contest categories are available: students grades 6-12 and adults. Submissions should be no longer than eight pages in length, double-spaced, with pages numbered. Entrants should use Courier font with 12-point type. A submission form is required, and can be picked up at any of the Sioux Falls Library branches or downloaded at www.sdhumanities.org. No identifying information should appear on the submission itself.Entries will be judged on content, voice and organization. The prompt selected for the entry should be included at the top of the entry, though it does not need to be included verbatim in the entry. Poetry entries cannot be accepted.“This is a great way for writers of all abilities to get involved with this year’s The Big Read,” Vilhauer said. “These prompts were picked to inspire and illuminate, and we hope that all writers are able to celebrate the passion of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.”Submissions can be dropped off or mailed to any of the four Sioux Falls Siouxland Library branch locations or sent electronically to corey@henkinschultz.com before close on Thursday, April 17.Prizes in each of the two categories include a $100 gift certificate for first place, a $50 gift certificate for second place and a $10 gift certificate for honorable mention entries. All gift certificates are donated in part from Barnes and Noble. Winners will be notified by April 28, 2008, and will be presented at Up in Smoke, a Fahrenheit 451-themed event on Friday, May 1 at Food and Fermentation. Winners will be asked to read their selections, if they wish.This contest is part of a state-wide reading celebration called The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, and the South Dakota Center for the Book, a program of the South Dakota Humanities Council. The program is running in several South Dakota communities throughout April and May of this year.Get more information on the contest, find the writing prompts and learn more about Fahrenheit 451 at www.sfbigread.org.
