BAZZANELLA LITERARY AWARDS

The English department has hosted the Dominic J. Bazzanella Writing Competition each Spring semester since 1981. Each year, undgraduate and graduate students are invited to submit their best poetry, critical analysis, short fiction, and/or creative nonfiction for the chance to win cash prizes and publication.

Spring 2013 Submission Deadline: 12PM Monday, April 8, 2013
Winners Contacted and Announced the Week of April 24, 2013.
Awards Ceremony: Thursday, May 16, 2013, at 6:30PM in the Epicure Restaurant, first floor of the University Union.

Award

The competition will be separated between graduate and undergraduate students as determined by their Spring semester class standing. The first place graduate and undergraduate winners in each category will be awarded $200. The second place graduate and undergraduate winners in each category will win $100. All winning entries will be published in the Bazzanella LiteraryAwards Book, to be handed out at the awards ceremony.

The Awards Committee reserves the right to not award prizes in every category.

Eligibility

All students currently enrolled at CSU, Sacramento (not including audited courses) are eligible to enter.

Submission Guidelines

The Bazzanella Awards competition is divided into four categories:

• Critical Analysis: Restricted to essays which analyze a work of art, such as novels, poetry, essays, film, music, or some other aesthetic medium. Essays not analyzing an art work should be submittted under the creative nonfiction category. 5,000 words maximum, not including bibliography or footnotes.
• Creative Nonfiction: 5,000 words maximum.
• Poetry: 1 poem only. Submissions of "prose poetry" or "flash fiction" may be entered in one category only.
• Short Fiction: 6,000 words maximum.

Submitted manuscripts must be original work by the author and may not have been published or won a prize in a previous literary contest. Students may enter more than one category, but may submit only one entry in each category. The coordinator reserves the right to change to a different category an entry which, in his opinion, has been submitted incorrectly. Manuscripts which exceed the maximum length for the category will not be submitted to the judges.

Students must submit four things with each entry (students submitting entries in more than one category must submit a seperate packet for each):

• a manuscript which conforms to the following formatting guidelines:
  • typed
  • double-spaced
  • 1" margins
  • 12pt. Times New Roman font
  • title at the top of the first page
  • does NOT include the author's name
  • pages numbered
  • stapled
• an information sheet with the following information:
  • full name
  • address
  • telephone number
  • email address
  • Social Security Number (MUST be included receive award)
  • graduate or undergraduate level
  • title of manuscript and category
  • the file format used to save the manuscript
• an envelope with the following information written on the front:
  • Title of the manuscript
  • category
  • graduate or undergraduate level
• a flash drive or CD-ROM with a digital copy of your entry (preferrably saved as a Word document)

Seal the information sheet and flash drive inside the envelope, then paper clip the manuscript to the front of the envelope. Submit the whole packet to the English department office (CLV 103) by the deadline listed at the top of this page. Late entries will NOT be accepted.

Please Note

• There is a separate judge for each of the four categories. These judges are not currently working as staff or faculty at Sacramento State.
• The judges decisions are final.
• Winners will be notified by phone by the date listed at the top of this page. Winners will be announced publicly once all winners have been contacted.
• We will publish the first and second place graduate and undergraduate winning entries in the Bazzanella Awards booklet. If you do not want your entry published, you should not enter this contest.
• Flash drives and CD-ROMs will be available for contestants to pick up after winners have been announced. They will be kept in CLV 103 until September 28, 2012, and then discarded.

Questions?

If you have any further questions regarding the Bazzanella Literary Awards, please contact Dr. Josh McKinney (jmckinney@csus.edu).