Submission deadline is Aug. 4 for MSU convocation writers' contest

Writers of short fiction, essays and poetry from throughout Montana are eligible for a $100 prize and to meet Shiza Shahid, CEO and co-founder of the non-profit Malala Fund, by entering the 2014 Montana State University Freshman Convocation Writer's Voice contest.
 
Entries, due at 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 4,  should be inspired by the book “I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.” Winners of the juried competition will meet Shahid at a reception to be held at 3 p.m. Aug. 25 at MSU's Renne Library. First-place winners will receive $100 gift cards. Second-place finishers will receive gift certificates from Country Bookshelf. The submitted work of all award-winning writers will be considered for publication.
 
The competition is open to all Montana K-12 students, MSU students from all campuses and Montana community members at large.
 
Submissions must be identified as short fiction, essay or poetry and may not be more than 1,500 words. Entries will be judged by a panel that includes MSU students, faculty and community members.
 
Entries should be emailed as an Adobe PDF file to convocation@montana.edu. All entries must be accompanied by a cover sheet that lists the contestant's name, telephone number, email address, whether the contestant is a student (including name of school) or community member, the title of the work, and whether the entry is short fiction, essay or poetry. Contestants may submit one entry per person.
 
This event is co-sponsored by the Bozeman Public Library Foundation. “I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban,” is the 2014 One Book One Bozeman selection. It is also co-sponsored by the Country Bookshelf and the MSU Writing Center.
 
More specific entry requirements may be found at: http://guides.lib.montana.edu/WritersVoice or contact Jan Zauha, MSU librarian, at 994-6554 or jzauha@montana.edu
 
Shahid is the speaker at the 2014 MSU Freshman Convocation, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 25, in the MSU Fieldhouse. The event is free and open to the public; however, tickets must be reserved in advance for everyone planning to attend except for the members of the 2014 MSU freshman class. Tickets will be available July 30 at all Bobcat ticket outlets including: the Bobcat Ticket Office, Rosauers, the AskUs Desk at the SUB, by calling 994-CATS or (800)325-7328 and online at www.ticketswest.com.