Creative Arts Program Bulletin

A Vision of Creative Possibilities…All GFWC state affiliates submit entries to the GFWC writing and photography contests. We can do it!

Everyone has a story to share! Everyone has an imagination! GFWC writing contests give all members the opportunity to share their stories and imagination through original works of short story and poetry.

ATTENTION: New requirement for the 2010 GFWC Creative Arts contests! All writing and photography entries to the GFWC contests must complete a Creative Arts Copyright Waiver form attached to the entry. Members over 18 sign the entry, all entries of those under the age of 18 must be signed by a parent or guardian. Signing this waiver does not give up ownership rights of works, it merely gives GFWC a perpetual, royalty-free license to use, reproduce ,or sell the work. Authors and photographers of the contest entries may still sell or use their works.

Short Stories

• Writing a short story can be a way to express an event or memory.
• Begin with an outline of the story. Have a beginning, middle, and end.
• Use dialogue and narration to bring the story alive.
• Read the story and analyze whether the reader will interpret the story as intended.
• Keep the story interesting and alive from start to finish.
• Rewrite the story until the manuscript can come alive to the reader, the same way the story lives within the author.
• An interesting website for creative writing advice is http://www.DailyWritingTips.com/

Poetry:

• Poetry writing can lead the mind toward a new form of expression.
• Lines of poetry need not be made of difficult words or lengthy passages.
• Select a mood that will create the intended emotion or thought  for the reader.
• Poetry usually has a form or framework.
• A good website  to help with creative poetry writing is www.Essortment.com/all/PoetryWrite_rzlr.htm

Have fun encouraging club members to write a short story or poem to enter in GFWC state writing contests. Perhaps a club could even suggest a topic  for the contest. Be creative, but please adhere to the GFWC Writing Contest guidelines. Several states print a GFWC creative writing anthology to share all the entries submitted at the state level.

The youth writing contests are a great way to encourage creative writing at a young age. Clubs can sponsor a writing contest at a local library or through the local schools. Contact the school principal to discuss if a GFWC writing contest can be coordinated into the creative writing curriculum of that school. The local library may be willing to help with a local writing contest as well. Many libraries have summer reading incentives for youth. Perhaps a creative writing contest can be added to the summer activities at the local library. A small awards ceremony is a great way to conclude the event. Students could receive certificates or ribbons for placement and participation. Pictures of these awards ceremonies could be great publicity for the sponsoring GFWC club and the local library.

Clubs sponsoring creative writing contests for members or youth need to be well  informed of the GFWC rules listed in the pink  section of the GFWC Club Manual. All entries for the short story and poetry contests must be original works of the amateur author. Creative writing entries must be free of any possibility of plagiarism. Manuscripts entries in the GFWC writing contests will not be returned. Authors should keep a copy of entries. Entries may only be submitted by the current creative arts chairman of the state. State chairmen should include a cover letter listing the title, name of author, category, and name of club  for each entry.

Writing entries from all fifty states…We Can Do It!

The 2010 GFWC International Convention in Omaha  will be the premier showing of the Great State Update photos. Great State Update photos are the framed, matted photos selected by each state to enhance the walls of GFWC Headquarters. Each of these photos is a gift from a state. The photo should best represent the entire state.

The entries at the state level need not be framed at the time of selection at the state level. Only the final photo that is submitted to GFWC Headquarters needs to be ready for display.

Suggested photo subjects for the Great State Update could be the landscape of the state or perhaps a signature city within the state.

Encourage members to send an entry. While there will not be GFWC awards given, it will be an honor to have a photo displayed at the GFWC Headquarters.  State presidents are to bring the ready to display Great States Photo from the state to the 2010 International Convention in Omaha, Nebraska.   The Great States Update photos will be displayed in a room at headquarters that is next to the office of the GFWC International President.   How exciting it will be to see the photos representing each state hanging all together in one room at GFWC headquarters! 

“The World in Pictures” and “Volunteers in Action” contest entries are due to GFWC Headquarters by May 24, 2010.

• “The World in Pictures” contest includes three categories: Natural History, Scenic, and Feature. One photo per state in each of these categories may be submitted to the GFWC photography contests.
• “Volunteers in Action” photos should show a GFWC project in progress. Show how well the club works together on a project by catching their “actions” in a photo.

“A Year in Pictures” is the contest that provides the beautiful photos for the GFWC calendar each year. These photos are due to Headquarters by May 1, 2010.

Photos entered in contests will not be returned.  A website that has some suggestions for all styles of photography is www.Kodak.com. Go to the “Tips and Projects” tab and then click on “learn” for some educational suggestions for successful photographs. Encourage members to have fun with creative photos.

Creative Arts GFWC reports! Please report all the wonderful writing and photography contests sponsored by GFWC clubs. Write reports telling about all the wonderful writing contests and photography events sponsored by the GFWC club members in your state.  Calling all state chairmen to write Creative Arts reports next year! 

Fifty states entering the writing contests…Fifty states entering the photography contests…Fifty states submitting Creative Arts Reports…..fifity Great States Update photos at the 2010 GFWC International Convention. Help make this vision of possibility a reality!
We Can Do It!

—Kay Basham (Iowa), GFWC Creative Arts Program Chairman