Got a Memoir Inside You Just Trying to Get Out?

Anybody up for a contest?

The Writer magazine is hosting an Essay and Memoir Contest. Entries should be original, unpublished viewpoints on a particular topic or experience you've had. Deadline is November 30, 2011. Entries must be submitted online, and be between 1000-1200 words. You may enter more than once. The fee is $10 per entry. Complete details may be found here.      

"What's in if for me?" you might ask. Prizes will be awarded to the first three places:

First Place: $1,000 (USD); publication, along with the finalist judge's comments, in The Writer magazine; a 10-week online writing workshop offered online by Gotham Writers’ Workshop ($420 value); and a one-year subscription to The Writer magazine.

Second Place: $300 (USD); enrollment in a four-week How to Get Published seminar taught online by a literary agent and Gotham Writers’ Workshop ($150 value); publication on The Writer Web site (WriterMag.com); and a one-year subscription to The Writer magazine.

Third Place: $200 (USD); enrollment in a four-week How to Get Published seminar taught online by a literary agent and Gotham Writers’ Workshop ($150 value); publication on The Writer Web site (WriterMag.com); and a one-year subscription to The Writer magazine.

If you are at that place in your writing where you would rather write for pay than pay to write, this contest is not for you. But if you're the type who likes to see how you measure up on the big yardstick of competition, you may want to investigate further. Here's the FAQ page.

I've got an idea percolating already. But since I'm a pantser, I may be submitting something entirely different on November 29.