April 1, 2020 marks the launch of the new Minnesota Author Project: Communities Create contest. Brought to you by the Minnesota Library Foundation and libraries throughout the state, this contest seeks to celebrate Minnesota organizations and communities that are producing written creative works. If your group has a short story collection coming out of a classroom, a local history book by a team of librarians, a poetry anthology from a writers group, a cookbook crafted by a local foodie society, or anything in between, this contest is for you.  

The contest will accept submissions from April 1st through May 31st through the Minnesota Author Project: Communities Create submission page. In order to be eligible for the contest a book must have been created by a Minnesota based organization, available in either PDF or ePub format, and be of a recommended minimum length of 10,000 words or 20 pages. There are no genre or creation date restrictions, and organizations of all types are encouraged to submit, including nonprofits, libraries, schools, cultural groups, historical societies, artistry guilds, and beyond.   

The winning organization will receive a $1,000 cash prize, honors at the 2020 Minnesota Library Conference, an honorary plaque, printing of the winning book, the opportunity to have the winning book available statewide in the Indie Minnesota collection on BiblioBoard Library, and media promotion throughout the state. 

Are you ready to share your group’s book? Starting April 1st submit here! Have a book, but need help formatting or creating a book file? Checkout the free book creation tools available to all Minnesota library patrons through the MNWrites MNReads program.