Voice Office Competition Approval Guidelines
Required Elements
- Clear Grading Criteria - This is perhaps the most important aspect to any competition, fiction competitions included. While we encourage folks to use the official Voice Fiction Grading Rubric , it is not a requirement. As long as the criteria are clearly stated, it will be sufficient for this requirement.
- Separation Between Prompt and Instructions - When submitting a fiction competition, there should be a clear separation between the prompt and grading criteria and other instructions. This can be through the use of headings, bold/italic text, or other methods to create a clear delineation in the final product.
- Word Count Minimum - When submitting a competition, clearly define minimum word counts or post counts for run-ons, if any exist. While not required, we recommend prose competitions have a minimum word count of five hundred (500) words. Run-on based events are suggested to have a minimum of two posts of two hundred fifty (250) words. This guarantees that all submitters receive a minimum of one Cluster of Ice.
Prohibited Elements
- Page Minimums/Maximums - All submission minimums and maximums should be stated in a number of words as opposed to a number of pages. Word count is a much clearer and harder to fudge criterion.
- Font/Size Limitations - Because page based limitations are not allowed, regulating font and size is also prohibited. All submissions should be in a legible font and size, but specifying allowed fonts is neither necessary nor permitted.
After The Competition
- Report Word Counts to Voice Staff - At the end of the competition, word counts and PINs for all submissions should be sent to the Voice for processing.