Dogs and the Women Who Love Them 2009 True Story Contest

Dogs and the Women Who Love Them True Story Contest Rules:

The Angel Animals Network (AAN) is accepting story submissions about dogs and the women who love them. The stories should demonstrate the benefits for a woman who fulfills a life purpose by partnering with a dog to perform extraordinary physical, emotional, or spiritual service.

Stories must be original, based on real dogs, people, and events. Preference will be given to emotionally evocative and well-written creative nonfiction stories. Please do not submit journalistic articles, profiles, testimonials, essays, or fiction for this contest.

Story submissions must be no more than 2,000 words in English. They should be typed or legibly handwritten. Each story submission must be accompanied with an Angel Animals Network official entry form (below), completed by the contestant submitting the story.

Contest story submissions will not be returned. Please do not include photographs. You may view the list of 1st place and 2nd place winners on the Angel Animals Network Website after winners are announced. You can also subscribe to the free weekly, online Angel Animals Story of the Week Newsletter and look for winners to be announced there.

To be eligible, contest entries must be postmarked no later than September 30, 2009.

If stories are selected as winners of the Dogs and the Women Who Love Them True Story Contest and later found to contain distortions or falsehoods, the AAN is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate entry or story information.

Any contest entries, but especially those of the winners, will be considered for possible publication in the new book Dogs and the Women Who Love Them by Allen and Linda Anderson to be published by New World Library in Fall 2010. However, the contest and the new book are separate projects. Entering or winning the contest doesn’t mean the story will be published in the book. Allen and Linda Anderson will contact entrants if they are considering a contest story for possible publication in the book. Previous books in the Angel Animals series have included many stories that were contest entries.

Entry Fee:

There is no entry fee to submit a story for the contest.

Number of Entries:

Each individual is limited to submit three separate entries.

Eligibility:

Employees/volunteers and the immediate family (spouse, mother, father, sister, brother, daughter or son, regardless of where they live) or members of the same households (whether related or not) of such employees/volunteers are not eligible. There are no citizen status or resident country restrictions for contestants.

Judging:

Judging the stories for this contest will be based on the exceptional nature of the dog(s) who demonstrates partnering with a woman to fulfill a life’s purpose including a dog who performs some type of extraordinary physical, emotional, or spiritual service. Other categories on which stories will be judged are: readability, spiritual connection between human and animal, dramatic/emotional appeal, inspirational, and represents good practices for animal health and welfare. A panel of judges, who are known for their service to animals, will select the finalists.

All Dogs and the Women Who Love Them True Story Contest decisions are final.

Prizes:

Grand Prize

One grand prize of $250 will be awarded to the first-place winning contestant.

2nd Place Prize

A second place prize of $25.00 will be awarded to 5 contestants.

Honorable Mentions

There will be 5 entries chosen as Honorable Mentions.

Click Entry Form PRINT VERSION to go directly to the Dogs and the Women Who Love Them True Story Contest Official Entry Form.