Futuristic, Fantasy, & Paranormal RWA Chapter presents:

The 2019 On the Far Side Contest

Write fantasy, futuristic, or paranormal? Then the On the Far Side Contest is for you!!

Welcome dragons, witches, ghosties, psychics, vampires, shapeshifters, unicorns, and any creature your imagination can conjure up in a galaxy far, far away, in a time long past, or in your very own backyard.

Entrant Eligibility

Entrants must be:

• unpublished in romantic fiction; OR
• not published for the past 5 years in the category which they are entering

Note: No member of the On the Far Side Contest Committee is eligible to enter.

Entry Fees

2019 On the Far Side Contest Schedule

• Contest opens for submissions and judges on March 11, 2019
• Contests closes at 11:59p.m. PDT on May 12, 2019; all entries and payments must be received by this time
• Finalists notified the week of June 24, 2019
• Scoresheets returned to entrants who did not final by July 20, 2019
• Winners notified the week of August 12, 2019
• Full list of Winners and Finalists posted by August 26, 2019
• Scoresheets returned to all Winners and Finalists by September 20, 2019

2019 On the Far Side Contest Rules

• All entries MUST contain romantic elements.
• All entries MUST contain futuristic, fantasy, or paranormal elements.
• Entries must be unpublished and not under contract by the contest deadline.
• Entries must be submitted electronically as a .doc or .docx file.
• An entry consists of a blurb in the format of back-cover copy and no more than the first 20 pages of your manuscript. Both elements should be contained within a single document, with the blurb on the first page and the manuscript beginning on the second page.
• Entry files should be saved with the year, OTFS, and the entry title as the file name. Example: 2019OTFSExampleEntry.docx
• Finalists will be required to provide a synopsis of no more than 2 pages to accompany their entries into the final round. (The synopsis is not judged, but helps determine elements of story for our final-round judges.) Finalists will be given approximately one week after notification to submit their synopses.
• The author’s name must not appear anywhere on the entry.
• Entrants may submit no more than TWO (2) entries per category.
• Entrants may submit a single entry into more than one category.
• Please be advised, the Contest Coordinator cannot provide category recommendations for your entry. Choose the category that best fits your story. See category descriptions below.
• A category must receive at least 5 entries to be viable. If a category does not receive enough entries to be viable, entrants will be offered the opportunity to move their entries to an alternate category or receive a refund.
• Any entry that has won in a previous OTFS Contest may NOT be resubmitted in ANY category.
• Novellas are allowed.
• Judges are not eligible to judge any category in which they are entered.
• An entry that violates any of the above rules will be disqualified.
• Entries deemed by the FF&P Executive Board to have been plagiarized in part or in whole will be disqualified.
• Entries containing abuse, rape, bestiality, pedophilia, or other illegal, non-consensual, or objectionable practices will be disqualified for content at the discretion of the FF&P Executive Board.
• No refund shall be provided for any disqualified entries.

When formatting your entry for submission, please adhere to industry standards:

• 1” margins
• Double-spaced
• 12-point face type, Times New Roman
• Title and category on top left of page, page number on top right
• Each chapter should start on a new page, 1/3 of the way down the page
• Do not include illustrations, author bio/photos, vocabulary lists, or footnotes

2019 On the Far Side Contest Categories

With the exception of Erotic, all categories may have varying levels of sensuality.

DARK PARANORMAL: These stories include paranormal happenings as a major element of the plot and contain ominous overtones.

LIGHT PARANORMAL: These stories include paranormal happenings as a major element of the plot and are lighter in tone.

SCIENCE FICTION/FUTURISTIC: These stories may be set in an alternate reality or in the future, and include elements such as technological advancements, space travel, and aliens. NOTE: Time Travel by scientific means (e.g., a time machine or wormhole) falls in this category.

FANTASY: These stories may be, but are not limited to, settings in the past, and include mythical creatures and magical elements. NOTE: Time Travel by magical means (e.g., an imbued object or supernatural portal) falls in this category.

URBAN FANTASY: These stories take place in contemporary urban settings and include mythical creatures and magical elements.

STEAMPUNK: These stories typically feature Victorian era or American Old West style and sensibilities, advanced steam-powered machinery, and alternate histories. They may take place in a historical, contemporary, futuristic, or otherworldly setting.

EROTIC: These are paranormal stories in which explicit sensuality is inherent to the work. They may take place in a historical, contemporary, futuristic, or otherworldly setting.

HISTORICAL: These are paranormal stories that take place in the past, from ancient times to World War II.

YOUNG ADULT: These are paranormal stories that are appropriate for teen readers, featuring main characters in high school or of equivalent ages (14-18). They may take place in a historical, contemporary, futuristic, or otherworldly setting.

NEW ADULT: These are paranormal stories that feature main characters in college or of equivalent ages (18-24). They may take place in a historical, contemporary, futuristic, or otherworldly setting.

Judging

• Each entry will be reviewed by four (4) experienced, qualified judges in the first round. The lowest of these scores will be dropped and the three remaining scores will be averaged to calculate the final score for the first round.
• The three manuscripts per category with the highest scores will advance to the final round.
• Each finalist entry will be reviewed and ranked by one (1) agent and one (1) editor. Entry rankings will be averaged to calculate the final ranking score and winner placement.
• FF&P cannot guarantee commentary on every entry, but we strongly encourage our first-round judges to provide positive, constructive feedback both on the scoresheet and within the document itself. However, judges will remain anonymous.
• No member of the On the Far Side Contest Committee is eligible to judge.

2019 On the Far Side Contest Final Round Judges

Note: Final-round judges subject to change.

Questions?

Contact the 2019 On the Far Side Contest Coordinator at [email protected]

The Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal chapter of RWA appreciates your willingness to enter this contest. Not a member of FF&P? Please see Join FF&P. Interested in past OTFS winners?