April 1, 2021 marks the launch of the second annual 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, especially with the support of their local library. 

“Libraries establish and foster vital connections between local authors, readers, and their communities,” said Marlene Moulton Janssen, president of the Minnesota Library Foundation. “The Minnesota Library Foundation enthusiastically supports the MNWrites MNReads contests to publicize these connections. Introducing self-publishing platforms and electronic access such as BiblioBoard Library are examples of the many ways that libraries assist readers in finding independent authors and then provide access to the results of community writing collaborations.”

If your group has a short story collection coming out of a classroom, 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 work must be:

• Created by a Minnesota based organization
• Available in either PDF or ePub format, and
• A recommended minimum length of 10,000 words or 20 pages

When entering the contest submitters will be asked to share what the library means to their organization or the creation of the work they are submitting. In addition to evaluating a submission’s quality, judges will also consider these answers in their selection process. Otherwise, there are no genre or creation date restrictions, and organizations of all types are encouraged to submit, including nonprofits, schools, cultural groups, historical societies, artistry guilds, and beyond.

The winning organization will receive:

• $1,000 cash prize
• Honors at the 2021 Minnesota Library Conference
• An honorary plaque
• Printing of the winning work
• The opportunity to have the winning work available statewide in the Indie Minnesota collection on BiblioBoard Library
• Media promotion throughout the state

Are you ready to share your group’s work? Starting April 1st submit here! Need help formatting your work or creating a book file? Check out the free publishing tools available to all Minnesota library patrons through the MNWrites MNReads program.