Int*l Horse Competition
Published by LeadMare • Aug 6th, 2007 • Category: Competitions and GiveawaysUPDATE: Sorry, the competition has ended. Visit the Stables to meet the newest Int*l Horse created by and for horse girls!
The Girls Horse Club Stables are populated with fictional horses from around the world. In a recent blog poll, our members told us they want Lone Star, Destiny, Shahar and Sun Dancer to expand their herd. So imagine the perfect horse to add to our stables, then write his or her story. Even if you’re not into writing, we’ll need you to help select the winner!
Please read and understand the competition info, tips and guidelines before you comment or enter. Thanks for participating, and good luck!
COMPETITION INFO
- The competition is open to anyone. Only one entry per person, so give it your best shot!
- There’s no limit on story length. It should have depth, but doesn’t have to be as long as other stories in the Stables.
- If writing a chapter story, submit each chapter separately. Please put “The End” on the last chapter so we know when the story is complete. Incomplete stories will not be eligible. Also, if you’re writing and submitting one chapter at a time, keep track of where you are (see tip #4 below). We won’t be reviewing or posting entries until after the competition deadline.
- In general, we can’t accept changes once your submission is received. Make sure you’re happy with the entry before you send it.
- No restrictions on breed or mixed breed, although the main animal character must be a horse or pony (obviously).
- Our members will vote for the winning story. The regular Judge for Yourself competition will be replaced by voting for the Int*l Horse competition starting September 1st.
- If we receive 8 or fewer eligible entries, all will compete for your vote. If we receive 9 or more, we’ll ask for your feedback to narrow it down to 8 finalists.
- ENTRY DEADLINE: Friday August 24th at midnight Pacific Standard Time.
TIPS & GUIDELINES
- Read. The other stories in the Stables are a good source for inspiration and writing standards.
- Think globally. Int*l Horses represent different breeds from around the world. We also like human characters representative of the diverse, interesting people around the world.
- Do your research. There are plenty of web sites to help you learn about horse breeds, the location for your story, people and their cultures, etc. Wikipedia is a good place to start. But if you’re going for authenticity, look for more than one source.
- Save your work. Use a word processing program to write your story before you submit so you have a copy on your local computer. You’re responsible for keeping track of your story. You might want to wait until it’s complete before submitting.
OPTIONAL
- Pedigree or Family Tree. Try creating a pedigree or family tree, and incorporating your character’s history into the story.
- Picture Submissions. Got original artwork or photos you’d like to include with your story? Contact us for more info about how to submit.
AWARDS & PRIZES
- First, Second and Third place winners receive a rosette on their story and are featured in the Loft Book Club throughout October 2007.
- The winning author’s creation will be added to the Stables by Girls Horse Club staff, becoming a permanent addition to our herd of virtual horses.
- As an optional perk, the first place winner may choose a prize from our gift pile. Since the pile is always growing, we’ll send you a list of options after the competition ends. Your entry must include a valid email address to be eligible for a prize. Please note if the winning author is under 18, one of your parents must give permission to send your mailing address. Please don’t send any mailing addresses unless we contact you first. Sorry, no prizes will be awarded to the second or third place winners.
Details are subject to change or clarification based on feedback. If you’ve read the above and something is not clear, read the comments or use the contact form, otherwise when you’re ready to enter…
UPDATE: Sorry, the competition has ended. Visit the Stables to meet the newest Int*l Horse created by and for horse girls!
Leadmare, so I guess you have to design your horse in “perfect horse”?
Marisa: You can do that if you’d like, but it’s not required. Keep in mind we already have all the Perfect Horse breeds in the Stables, so something different would be nice.
The only thing you have to do is describe your horse in words. We’ll create the images to go along with the winning story.
So, LeadMare, do I submit my horses info with the first chapter?
horsejo, good question. You can include your character details (show name, barn name, birthdate, gender, breed, color, markings, sire, dam) with the first chapter, or just incorporate those details into your story. Either way is fine.
LeadMare, do all of them go to where you vote? Just wondering! :D
horsejo, see #5 under Competition Info above.
Dear Leadmare,
can anyone enter the competition or do you have to be a junior blogger? Thanks.
BarrelRacer: Anyone can enter!
LeadMare, I was wondering, does it matter the age of the horse? Does the story have to take place over its whole life or just a significant event?:-/ Thanks! :)
Julia, the story can take place around any event in the horse’s life. The existing stories touch on early events that helped shape the horse’s character or personality.
Your story can take place at any time, just try to create a really interesting character in addition to having a good plot.
Hope this helps.
Leadmare, when you say make sure you mention the sire and dam. I was wondering what a dam is. And I was wondering if we can write how the horse looks in the comments. Thanks!
Hi Marisa: Sire is a term that refers to a horse’s father, dam is the mother. You can include details about how you envision the horse either in comments or as a note in the story.
But don’t get too worried about the horse’s pedigree (family history) — if the horse character and story is good, that’s what will matter to voters.
Hope this answers your questions!
Leadmare, I thought that I had read in the newsletter or someplace else that non-American horses would be appreciated. Did I see that somewhere, or was it just me?
Yes Ali. Right now the majority of the horses are based in the US. Mainly that’s because the authors are American and it’s much easier to write about the familiar, but if all writers took that path we wouldn’t have historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, etc.
My personal preference is to see horses from other parts of the world, but ultimately you all will vote for the winner so hopefully others are equally interested in creating a truly international stable. :)
For everyone’s clarification, we’re not posting the stories before voting begins. If we receive more than 8 entries and need your feedback to narrow it down, we’ll post them during the week after the entry deadline and before voting.
Since you will need to keep track of your story, you might want to hold off sending chapters until you’re finished. That will also give you a chance to polish each chapter so it flows together as a story.
Thanks!
Tip: If you get stuck coming up with a name you can always use the Perfect Horse name thingy to come up with ideas.
Sorry for so many qiestions, LeadMare. But I was just making sure that there was no limit on story length. Mine might end up over ten chapters, but some of them are short. Thanks for the help.
No limit on story length Julia — it can be shorter or longer than the existing stories.
Leamare: My storys star characters are Storm Breaker and Jessie (The girl). Is it OK that the star isnt just the horse???? :-/
can I use my Believe in Miracle story?
Tori: Having a horse and human star is perfectly fine.
Alyssa: Submitting an existing story is fine, as long as it’s complete. Is that what you want to do?
Hope this answers everyone’s questions. Have fun writing!
Leadmare, I need to fix something that I sent in.
Jeanna B: In general, once it’s submitted there’s no going back.
Everyone: If there’s a problem with something you’ve submitted, use the contact form to let us know more specifics and we’ll do our best to help.
LeadMare, I’ve discovered there’s a paragraph in italics before each Int*l Horse story, do I have to write something like that, and what is it something like an introduction?
My next question is, do you have to create a pedigree for your horse?
Thanks a lot LeadMare and good luck once again to everyone else!
Hi Madelaina: In some of the existing stories, the initial paragraph is written from the perspective of the horse character. That’s not a requirement for the competition.
The pedigree is optional. See “Optional” above for more info.
Good luck!
LeadMare, is it all right if I have Italy as the setting, but the horse isn’t of Italian origin?
IluvnmissmybabyBensonsomuch!, there are no restrictions on setting or breed — go for it!
I want to create a pedigree for my mare. Should I just make a chart or write it out? Thanks.
Hey Leadmare,just a question for you,what will happen to my story if it doesn’t get accepted into the competition?Thankx!
Julia and anyone who wants to include a pedigree: Just write it out as part of your first chapter or as a separate submission. Include the sire (father) and dam (mother) then grandparents and great-grandparents on each side. See the existing pedigrees for example. If the winning entry has a pedigree, we’ll create all the necessary web pages on our end. However, a pedigree is NOT required for eligibility.
Cassie: Not sure what you mean. If an entry is incomplete or ineligible, it will be deleted. If an entry is complete but doesn’t make it to the finals (see #7 under Competition Info above), it will go into the loft book club archives. Hope this answers your question.
I’m closing comments on this blog now and will clean out comments that don’t pertain to clarifying the competition rules.
If you have a question that is not already answered in the original blog or comments, use the contact form. But there’s a lot of info here so chances are you’re covered.
Just remember — all you need to do is 1) create an interesting horse character, 2) write a story about him/her, and 3) submit it.
Lone Star, Shahar, Sun Dancer and Destiny can’t wait to meet their new stablemate. Good luck — may the best horse win!