It is time to get excited! Submissions are already coming in and I can't wait to get more. Remember you have until 8:00 est on April 1st to e-mail me your submissions. Please send your submissions to sb.knight@live.com.

I have the judges panel set and ready to pick the winner. Who, you might be thinking, would take on such a grand adventure that holds the fate of the contestants in their hands? Well, for privacy reasons, I will not share their names but I will give you a little job description. Their are five total judges and to make sure we have a variety of interests and views I picked individuals from all areas of the writing and publishing world. Here is a list of our judges -

Judge #1 is the creator and editor for a magazine that has a focus on writing, publishing and the arts.
Judge #2 is a published and award winning poet.
Judge #3 is an avid reader of just about every genre.
Judge #4 is a publisher and editor for romance novels and short stories.
Judge #5 is an aspiring author and avid blogger.

As you can see, the full range of the writing and publishing world is represented with the judges. What does that mean to you? That means that your story and/or poem will be read by not only readers but editors, publishers and peers; each bringing a different viewpoint and approach to judging the submissions. To win this contest will be another verifying step for you as you continue with your writing.

Okay Brian, rules and judges are all great but what do we when? I have a prize package prepared for the winning short story and the winning poem. The package includes:

• A badge to place on your blog and/or website displaying your name and the title of your poem or short story. (It will be very much similar to the plaque I posted below.)
• A $10 gift card from Amazon.com to the winner of each category (short story and poem).
• The winning short story and poem will be submitted to the publishers mentioned above for consideration of publication.
• You and your winning submission will be announced on multiple websites and social networks.