COLCHESTER — Entries are being accepted for the Vermont Writers’ Prize, an annual competition sponsored by Green Mountain Power and “Vermont Magazine” that provides an opportunity for Vermont writers to celebrate the state while highlighting their talent.
 “Every year writers across Vermont send us wonderful stories, poems and essays that give insights into this wonderful state we live in,” said Dorothy Schnure, spokesperson for Green Mountain Power and organizer of the Prize since its start in 1989. “We are always thrilled to see that the Vermont Writers’ Prize encourages so many regional writers and that we are able to showcase their work for all to enjoy.”
The Vermont Writers’ Prize is considered by Vermont writers to be one of the state’s premier literary honors. It was created in honor of Ralph Nading Hill, Jr., a Vermont historian and writer who published numerous books and magazine articles on the subject of Vermont and was a longtime member of Green Mountain Power’s Board of Directors.
The contest is open to all Vermont residents, including seasonal residents and students enrolled in Vermont colleges. Entrants may be amateur or professional writers. The most recent winner was “Maybe Lake Carmi,” by Frederic Martin of Richmond, Vermont, and is in the March/April edition of “Vermont Magazine.”
Phil Jordan, editor and publisher of “Vermont Magazine,” noting that Martin’s story was “pure Vermont” and would resonate with Vermonters as well as those who live out of state, said, “I look forward to reading the many wonderful submissions to this year’s Vermont Writers’ Prize competition.”
The deadline for this year’s Vermont Writers’ Prize is November 1, 2018.
Click here to submit an entry. Submissions need to be essays, short stories, or poems on the themes of “Vermont — Its People, Its Places, Its History, or Its Values.” Entries must be unpublished and less than 1,500 words long. More detailed submission instructions are available at greenmountainpower.com.
The winning entry will be selected by an independent panel of judges and will be published in a special section of the March/April 2019 edition of “Vermont Magazine.” The author will receive a cash prize of $1,500.