Sigma Kappa Delta sponsors a yearly writing competition for members currently enrolled in two-year colleges. Winners are recognized at the national conference each year and receive monetary awards as well as the privilege of being published in our national literary journal, Hedera helix.
We welcome entries in poetry, personal essay, short fiction, and literary analysis. Prose manuscripts should not exceed 2,500 words, and no secondary sources may be used in literary analysis. Each member may submit up to three pieces of prose and six poems.
Submissions must be postmarked by NOVEMBER 30, 2007.
Editing Suggestions:
- Use active rather than passive voice.
- Reduce use of forms of he verb “to be,” such as “am, are, was, were, been.” Use active verbs.
- Vary sentence structure.
- Proofread and edit carefully.
- Think carefully about what grammar check suggests before accepting or rejecting it.
- Have other people proofread the manuscript.
- Document literary analyses with short quotations and paraphrases from the fiction itself. Do not conduct research of secondary sources. Submissions using secondary sources will be disqualified.
- Be thorough; follow all guidelines carefully.
Submission Guidelines
- Each entry must include an official entry form, three hard copies, and one electronic version.
- Use this format for hard copies:
- Three Word Document hard copies must be typed, double-spaced, on 8.5 x 11-inch paper with one-inch margins and a ½ inch header.
- Use plain, white paper.
- Use size 12 Times Roman font without italics or other special typefaces.
- Critical analyses must follow the format and documentation style defined in the latest edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
- DO NOT identify yourself in any way on any page of the submitted text.
- DO NOT submit an entry via FAX. It will not be accepted.
- Sign and attach the Waiver Form (pdf or Word document) for Sigma Kappa Delta Students Submitting Works for Publication in the Literary Magazine Hedera helix.
- Use these guidelines for electronic versions:
- Use 3.5 diskettes that contain a rich text formatted file or a CD Microsoft Word file manuscript.
- You may opt to use CD’s instead of diskettes.
- Label each electronic version with your name, the title of the work, and the year in which it is submitted.
- Contributors who desire confirmation of acceptance for judging should include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
- Winners will be announced and prizes will be awarded at the 2008 Sigma Tau Delta/Sigma Kappa Delta Conference in Louisville, KY.
Send submissions to
Jan Anderson
Calhoun Community College
English Department
P.O. Box 2216
Decatur, AL 35609
Email: skd@calhoun.edu |
