The deadline for submission is February 1, 2008.

There is no entry fee and the author need not be a member of the SMA. The book must have been published in 2007 by a recognized publishing house and the author must reside in, be born in, or have strong ties to one of the twelve Midland states listed below.

To enter this year's competition, for books published in 2007, fill out the entry form and mail it with a copy of the nominated book to each of the three judges in the proper category (three judges, three forms, three books). Books may be nominated by the author or publisher. Make sure that you enter the book in the proper category. Failure to do so will result in the book being disallowed.

The categories are:

• Adult Fiction
• Adult Nonfiction
• Biography
• Children's Fiction
• Children's Nonfiction
• Poetry

Only authors currently residing in, born in, or having strong ties to one of the twelve Midland states are eligible. The twelve states are:

Should you have any questions, call or email Carol Jean Carlson, Past President and Competition Manager, at 773-506-7578 (h), 773-275-3999 (b), or writercc@aol.com.