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HISTORY OF THE DIXIE KANE MEMORIAL CONTEST

 

In 2004, SOLA, the Southern Louisiana Chapter of the RWA, wanted to do something to fulfill its organizational purpose, which is to promote excellence in romantic fiction, help writers become published and establish careers in their writing field, and provide continuing support for writers within the romance publishing industry.  The SOLA Board and membership decided that one of the ways it could help writers become published and establish writing careers was to sponsor annual contests.  Eight SOLA members, both published and non published, volunteered to serve as Contest Administrators and met to brainstorm innovative techniques for conducting a contest.  The SOLA Contest Administrators developed the rules of the contest and the score sheet that would nurture hopeful writers into published authors and named it The Dixie Kane Memorial Contest in honor of the late Linda Kay West, who wrote as Dixie Kane.  A full time attorney and a member of SOLA and RWA for many years, Linda served in numerous board positions.  She shared her knowledge of writing, publishing, and law generously as a speaker at SOLA's meetings and conferences as her way to encourage aspiring writers to hone their craft and submit their work. 

 

THE FIRST ANNUAL DIXIE KANE CONTEST had an extended deadline date of May 16, 2005.  Shortly after the contest ended and all entries had been returned and the winners announced, the New Orleans area was devastated by the worse natural disaster ever to occur in the United States.  On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck Southern Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, wreaking the most extensive damage of any natural disaster in America.  

 

Due to the devastation and evacuation that lasted a good six to eight weeks for most residents, SOLA was not able to plan its 2ND ANNUAL DIXIE KANE MEMORIAL CONTEST to coincide with what would have been a regular spring event.   SOLA, and many of its members, though not all, had recovered from the devastation well enough to begin its second contest aptly named THE KATRINA DELAYED 2ND ANNUAL DIXIE KANE MEMORIAL CONTEST with a deadline date of November 1, 2006.  With the 3RD and 4th Annual Dixie Kane Memorial Contests, SOLA is slowly moving back to a regular spring event. 

 

When the SOLA Contest Administrators first planned the contest in 2004, one of the innovative techniques it had incorporated into its contest was to conduct a survey of the contestants for their reactions to The Dixie Kane Memorial Contest.  After all, who can better help design a contest than the contestants themselves? 

 

When the survey responses were tabulated, positive comments outnumbered negative comments 10 to 1.  Subsequent annual contests also have received positive comments about the contest.  Be sure to click on Survey Results for a sampling of the comments that were given by the contestants over the years.   

 

As a result of the survey responses, the Contest Administrators have changed the Score Sheet to a two page score sheet to allow for more written comments for each of the 10 questions with a notation to use the back of the score sheet if additional space is needed. 

 

Another innovative technique that the Contest Administrators will implement this year is a judge’s survey.  Hopefully, this survey will yield surprising results that will help to make the Dixie Kane Memorial Contest even better in future years. 

 

New this year in the 4th Annual Dixie Kane Memorial Contest is the awarding of a cash prize of $50 for the highest overall rating in all categories along with a certificate for highest overall score.

 

Also new this year, the first place winner in each category earns a guaranteed reading by Kensington Books Editor Kate Duffy in addition to literary agent Pamela G. Ahearn of The Ahearn Agency.

 

This year, a new level of winner will be given for honorable mention in addition to the first through third place winners.