by Eva Marie Everson @EvaMarieEverson

It’s that time again! Time to start talking about the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference contests.

If you have been to BRMCWC before, you know that the awards banquet is one of the highlights of the conference. We dress up. We dine by candlelight. And we hear phrases like, “And the winner is …”

For me, as the BRMCWC Contest Director, this is an especially exciting evening. For months, published books have arrived at my door, carefully packaged in manila. Unpublished manuscript submissions have arrived in my inbox. The works have then been sent to readers and judges. Sometimes by more than one judge. The results have been sent back to me and I have spent an afternoon printing winners’ names onto certificates and sliding them into blue folders trimmed in gold.

Then, the magic evening is upon us … the evening when I get to call the names of the winners, to see their faces beaming with excitement, to hear the applause of hundreds as they cheer their fellow conferees and contest entrants on.

But first … before all of that, the conferee or the author has taken the time to read about the contests and then to send in their submission. None of these grand moments occur without that first act.

But why be a part of the contest?

Well, for one … did I mention the thrill of hearing your name called from the podium? Of receiving the certificate or award? Of having your photo taken? Of being able to say, “I’m an award-winning author.” (Publishers and readers notice things like that, you know…)

For another, there is a discipline in following the instructions of a contest, the same type of discipline necessary for working with agents and editors.

Entering contests such as the BRMCWC Unpublished Contest, the Selah Awards, and the Director’s Choice Awards is also an opportunity for writers to release their words to someone else. To say, “Yes, I wrote this” and to trust that it will be all right.

Entering is a chance to shine, whether you win or not.

And, did I mention … you get to have your photo taken, sometimes with people you know!

To learn more about entering the BRMCWC contests, go to: Blue Ridge Conference Contest Tab

Eva Marie Everson is the author of both fiction and nonfiction award-winning books including Reflections of God’s Holy Land; A Personal Journey Through Israel (Thomas Nelson), The Potluck Club series (Baker/Revell), and Sex, Lies and the Media. She writes primarily Southern Fiction for Baker/Revell (most recent release is Chasing Sunsets; A Cedar Key Novel (book 1) and recently taught a special four-day workshop at Taylor University in Indiana.

She has written for numerous periodicals and ezines, is a freelance editor, and speaks at writers and women’s conferences both nationally and internationally.  Eva Marie is a seminary graduate, a mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild, the past president of Word Weavers and current vice-president of Word Weavers National Leadership Team, and a member of a number of organizations for writers and speakers. For more information about Eva Marie, go to:  www.evamarieeverson.com