2018 Betty Creative Writing Awards

Contest Rules

Through the generosity of Dr. Stafford Betty, the 2018 Betty Creative Writing Awards are presented annually to honor the creative work of students at the undergraduate and graduate levels at California State University, Bakersfield and California State University, Bakersfield – Antelope Valley Campus. Awards in three categories will be presented:

Poetry
● 1st Place - $500
● 2nd Place - $300
● 3rd Place - $200 / Short Story
● 1st Place - $500
● 2nd Place - $300
● 3rd Place - $200 / Drama
● 1st Place - $500
● 2nd Place - $300
● 3rd Place - $200

Application Deadline: April4, 2018

Submission Guidelines

Only entries received by 5 p.m. on April4, 2018 will be considered.

Only one entry per contestant may be submitted per category.

Submissions must have been written by a student who is an undergraduate or graduate student at CSUB and CSUB-AV during the current school year.

Submissions must not have been published previously and must be the original work of the submitter.

There are no entry fees or payments to enter or win the Betty Creative Writing Awards.

As a co-sponsor of this contest, Sigma Tau Delta will be responsible for assembling and managing the awards screening committee, which will consist of CSUB faculty and staff.

Sigma Tau Delta/The Betty Creative Writing Awards reserves the right not to name a winner in any or all of the categories if insufficient entries are submitted.

Awards will be presented at the Annual Sigma Tau Delta Induction and Awards Ceremony on April 20th, 2018. Award winners need not be present to win.

Per CSUB regulations, awards will be paid to each award recipient’suniversity account through the Financial Aid Office.

First place winners will have the option of publication in the CSUB literary journal Orpheus. All copyright privileges will be retained by the submitter.

By entering the contest, contestants confirm that the submission is their own original creation.

Submission Specifications

Each entry should be given an original title, which should appear at the top of the first page of the submission.

Since judging of entries is done anonymously, no other identifying information should be included on the submission itself.

Eligible categories are:
Poetry – Poetry may be one poem or a sequence of poems but must be between 40 and 80 lines in length; entries should be in a standard font (Times New Roman 12 point).

Short Story – Short stories must be a minimum of 8 typed, double-spaced pages and a maximum of 25 typed, double-spaced pages in length in a standard font (Times New Roman 12 point).

Drama – Drama may be for radio, stage, or screen; entries must be a minimum of 8 typed double-spaced pages and a maximum of 25 typed, double-spaced pages in length in a standard font (Times New Roman 12 point).

Entries that do not conform to these standards will not be considered for an award.

Submitting Your Entry

Entries must be in either Word or .pdf formats. No other formats are acceptable.

Please name your submission using the following format:

LastName_Betty_2018

Entries must be received electronically by Dr. Emerson Case by 5 p.m. on April 4, 2018at the following email:

  • When submitting, please attach an electronic version of your submission to your email:
  • Include the following information in the body of your email message:
  • Name
  • Address
  • CSUB ID#
  • Email address
  • Preferred telephone number
  • Category of submission (Poetry, Short Story, or Drama)
  • Title of submission