The 2012 Adventure Writers' Competition $1,000 grand prize: The Grandmaster Award Unpublished writers in the adventure genre can vie to be the next Clive Cussler by submitting their original fiction manuscripts for a chance at the $1000 grand prize The Grandmaster Award

Announcements:

The Adventure Writer’s Competition Panel is proud to announce the Top 5 manuscripts for the 2012 competition. In no particular order:

The Adventures of Jonathan Moore: Skull Eye Island by Peter Greene
Zero Point by Tim Fairchild
The Devil’s Accomplice by Scott Slater
Revenge of the Maya by John Schofield
English as A Second Life by Patrick Parr

Congratulations to all 26 authors who participated this year. The quality and content of their manuscripts made it a difficult yet rewarding challenge to choose a top 5. Each story brought a unique and engaging approach to adventure, and demonstrated what we already suspected – that there are a lot of talented authors out there just awaiting the chance to be read.

The winner will be announced the night of October 6th in Phoenix, Arizona at the eighth annual Clive Cussler Collector’s Society Convention. Please visit the Society’s web page (cusslersociety.com) for details of how you can attend.

The public voting portion of the Adventure Writer’s Competition is now open via the
competition’s Facebook page.

Once you access Adventure Writer’s Competition on Facebook, you will note a button on the left hand side of the screen marked “voting”. That link will take you to the opening chapters of the competition manuscripts. Please read each one and vote for your favorite. These votes will be combined with our judges inputs to determine the Top 5. Public voting will remain open until January 1, 2012. Due to a clerical error - the competition has been expanded to 26 entries this year. Please note that The Sword Of David by Steve Wilkens has been added to the 2nd page.

The 2012 Adventure Writer's Competition is officially closed for the receipt of new entries.

Twenty-six qualified manuscripts have been received, and are being prepared for submittal to the competition panel for the first round of judging. All the authors have been notified via email of their official acceptance in the competition. Please check back here in the near future to see how you can read the opening chapters of each and vote for your favorite entry.

We are pleased to announce the panel members for the 2012 Adventure Writer's Competition. Authors Jeff Edwards, Ian Kharitonov, Sean Ellis, and J.D. (Jimmy) Gordon; and Clive Cussler Collector's Society members Pete Ragan, Lara Marchesi, Morgan Yates, John Vinson, and Lynn Rice.

Competition Rules:

Due to a clerical error - the competition has been expanded to 26 entries this year. Please note that The Sword Of David by Steve Wilkens has been added to the 2nd page.

Manuscripts will be accepted beginning October 1, 2011. The competition deadline is January 1, 2012 with a maximum of 26 entries/manuscripts. The competition will be closed with the receipt of the 26th manuscript. They must be sent to the following email: adventurewriterscompetition@gmail.com

Eligibility:

(a) Participants must be 18 years of age by October 1, 2011.

(b) The Adventure Writers' Competition is open only to unpublished writers.*

An “unpublished writer" is defined as: an author whose fictional work has not appeared in book, magazine, or periodical format via a Fortune 500 recognized publishing firm. Self-published/Vanity Press authors are eligible as long as their work has not appeared in any of the formats listed above.

(c) Clive Cussler Collectors Society' Officers, Panel Judges, and their families/relatives are not eligible for the contest.

Rules & Submittal Requirements:

(a) Full-length submittals must be original and cannot include characters from another authors' work - i.e. fan-fiction is not allowed.

(b) The length of the manuscript shall not exceed 130K words or less than 50K words.

(c) Format: 12 pt.- Times New Roman font, paginated and double-spaced with one-inch margins, and numbered pages.

(d) Writers may only submit one manuscript.

(e) Submitted manuscripts must be of the action-adventure genre. The story must have action and conflict, and the reader must identify with the character(s) in order to draw them into the plot. Fantasy and Science Fiction entries will not be accepted.

(f) The deadline of the competition is January 1, 2012.

(g) Attendance to the Clive Cussler Collector's Society Convention is not required to claim the Grand Prize.

(h) A minimum of 10 entries/manuscripts will need to be submitted by the deadline for this competition to take place, with a maximum of 26 entries/manuscripts.

Judging:

The first 26 submitted manuscripts (which meet the requirements of the competition) will be judged by a select panel composed of recognized authors and members from the Clive Cussler Collectors Society. The manuscripts’ opening chapters will also be posted on the competition’s Facebook page for fans to vote for their favorite Top 5. Voters will do this by hitting the “like button”. The panel members input will be weighted heavier than the votes from the Facebook site. From a compellation of these votes, the 65 will be down-selected to the top three finalists.

Competitors' Rights:

(a) By submitting a manuscript to the competition, the author (i) certifies their eligibility per the contest eligibility rules, (ii) grants the Society the right to publish excerpts on the web site, Facebook page, and in conference material, (iii) grants the Society the right to forward the winning manuscript to participating Literary agents for consideration, (iv) represents or warrants their work to be original and to have not used licensed material owned by someone else - thus being libelous, or infringing or violating the rights of any third parties, (v) and agrees to not submit their work to any other publisher, competition or self-publish until notified of their elimination from the contest.

(b) By entering this competition, the author (i) acknowledges the competition will be conducted in good-faith by members of the Clive Cussler Collectors Society acting as judges and overseers of the process, and (ii) agrees to not hold the Society responsible for violating copyright infringements both during and beyond the competition.

The Prize:

(a) The Clive Cussler Award winner will receive a $1000 cash prize and additional amenities to be named at a later date.

(b) The winner will be announced at the 2012 Clive Cussler Collector's Society Convention. The location and date of the event will be announced at a later time.

(c) Dirk Cussler will select the winner from the top finalists.

How to Enter:

Information on the contest can be found on the Adventure Writer’s Competition Facebook page or solicited through Kerry Frey - c/o the Clive Cussler Collectors Society.

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The 2010 Adventure Writers Competition

Ian Kharitonov's "The Russian Renaissance" won the 2010 Adventure Writers Competition. Clive Cussler and Kerry Frey are presenting Ian with the trophy and $1000.00 Adventure Writer's Grandmaster Award at the Clive Cussler Collector's Society 2010 Scottsdale, AZ. Convention on September 11, 2010.

Kerry Frey, Competition and Panel Director opened the ceremony by giving a background on how the competition was conducted. He then recognized the eight panel members who graded the manuscripts, several of whom were in the audience - Sean Ellis, Lara Marchesi, and Morgan Yates. Frey then announced the competitions Top Five: Brian Bryans - Sand, Matt Cook - Sabotage, Barry Grant - Hell's Fury, Ian Kharitonov - The Russian Renaissance, and Lynn Rice - The Yezdi Link. Four of the twenty-four competition authors were in the audience and were recognized - Matt Cook, Ian Kharitonov, Lynn Rice, and Bob Woodward.

Ian was speechless as he received the award, but did recognize his parents - Igor and Elena, several long time friends from the society, and thanked Clive, Dirk, and the co-authors for inspiring him through their work. It was a priceless moment that won't be forgotten anytime soon.

The Society congratulates all the 2010 competition participants - and will announce the next Adventure Writer's Competition in the spring of 2011. Please look for that announcement via email and on the Society's web page.

The 2010 Adventure Writers' Competition $1,000 grand prize: The Grandmaster Award Unpublished writers in the adventure genre can vie to be the next Clive Cussler by submitting their original fiction manuscripts for a chance at the $1000 grand prize The Grandmaster Award

We are pleased to announce the 2010 Adventure Writer's Competition "Top 5" as selected by the following panel members:

Kerry Frey - Competition & Panel Director
Jeff Edwards - Award winning author of "Torpedo" & the Inaugural "2008" Adventure Writer's Competition Winner!
Tony Eldridge - author of "The Samson Effect"
Sean Ellis - author of "The Shroud of Heaven" & co-author of "The Clive Cussler Code"
J.D. Gordon - author of "Caribbean Calling"
Lara Marchesi - Society member
Pete Ragan - Society member & 2007 Literary Idol Winner
John Vinson - Society member
Morgan Yates - Society member

Each manuscript was critiqued for: opening, setting, characterization, plot line, dialogue, narrative, pacing, motivation, point of view, style/voice, relationship, mechanics, format, and overall impression. Scores were tallied, combined, and evaluated to determine the top 5.

Here are the Top 5 in alphabetical order of author:
Brian Bryans - Sand
Matt Cook - Sabotage
Barry Grant - Hell's Fury
Ian Kharitonov - The Russian Renaissance
Lynn Rice - The Yezdi Link.

Congratulations to the Top 5 authors - and a special thanks to all the participants. The quality of the manuscripts made the panel member's job of picking a top 5 a difficult task. The winner will be announced at the September Clive Cussler Collector's Society Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona. Hope to see everyone there!

Kerry Frey 2010 Adventure Writer's Competition & Panel Director c/o The Clive Cussler Collector's Society.

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The 2008 Adventure Writers Competition

Jeff Edwards' "The Seventh Angel" won the 2008 Adventure Writers Competition. Clive Cussler and Kerry Frey are presenting Jeff with the $1000.00 award at the Clive Cussler Collector's Society 2008 Denver Convention.

The 2008 Adventure Writers' Competition $1,000 grand prize: The Grandmaster Award Unpublished writers in the adventure genre can vie to be the next Clive Cussler by submitting their original fiction manuscripts for a chance at the $1000 grand prize The Grandmaster Award

The 2008 Adventure Writers Competition Update:

Fourteen (14) full-length adventure novels were submitted by aspiring authors to the 2008 Adventure Writers Competition by the March 1, 2008 deadline - all vying for the $1,000 prize and recognition as the inaugural winner of The Grandmaster Award.

The fourteen novels and authors in alphabetical order are:

* The Legacy - C.J. Carlson
* The Seventh Angel - Jeff Edwards
* Into the Black - Sean Ellis
* Vengeance is its own Reward - AB Given
* Moonstar One - Terry Heath
* Muties: White Knights and Raiders - Steven Phillip Jones
* Palmetto Sky - Mark A Payden
* Angel DeSalvo - Don Quigley
* The Island - Pete Ragan
* Runt Wade - R.G. Rogers
* The Acropolis Plot - Phil Schneider
* The Crown Conspiracy - Michael James Sullivan
* Sweet Justice - Sandy Thomas
* The Loyal - Mark Wright

Judging these manuscripts will be done using a scoring template that will focus on setting, characterization, plot line, dialogue, narrative, pacing, motivation, point-of-view, style/voice, mechanics, format, and overall impression (to name a few). Society members will serve as Panel Readers.

The Panel Readers are:

* Kerry Frey - Competition & Panel Director
* Liz Boissonneault
* Tony Eldridge - author The Samson Effect
* Jimmy Gordon - author Island Bound, Caribbean Calling, and Pirate’s Fall
* Kurt Gray
* Michelle Gwyn
* Ian Kharitonov
* Jim Olson
* John Vinson
* Morgan Yates

The top three (3) manuscripts by score will then be forwarded to Dirk Cussler who will select the winner & runner-ups. These selections will be announced in Denver, Colorado at the October 2008 Clive Cussler Convention.

Congratulations to all the entrants for successfully completing their manuscripts and good luck to each as the competition selection process gets underway.

http://www.facebook.com/AdventureWritersCompetition
adventurewriterscompetition@gmail.com