<div>Alas, I'm too old to enter...but you young'un's should</div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<p>In September 2008, VQR will hold a competition to encourage and cultivate young reviewers and critics under the age of thirty. (Tip of the hat to the <em>London Review of Books</em> from whom we've borrowed the idea.) </p>
<p>The prize for the winning entry is $1,000, publication in our Winter 2009 issue, and a publishing contract for three additional reviews worth $3,000. Runners-up may also be offered publication in VQR (in print or online). </p>
<p>Initial screening of entries will be by the staff of VQR. The final judges will be:
<ul>
<li>Rebecca Skloot, assistant professor in the creative writing MFA program at the University of Memphis and a member of the National Book Critics Circle's board of directors;
<li>Oscar Villalon, book editor of the <em>San Francisco Chronicle</em> and a member of the National Book Critics Circle's board of directors; and
<li>Ted Genoways, editor of VQR.<br> </li></li></li></ul>
<p></p>
<p><strong>General Guidelines </strong></p>
<ol class="minimal">
<li>Entrants must be under the age of thirty as of the closing date of the contest, September 30, 2008.
<li>Entries (one per person) should be at least 2,000 and no more than 3,500 words and should be an in-depth review of a book of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction published in the US after January 1, 2008.
<li>There is no entry fee for the contest.
<li>Entries will be accepted at this web page beginning September 1 through September 30, 2008. Entries will <u>not</u> be accepted by mail or email. All notifications regarding the contest will be via email. The names and contact info for entrants will be used only for the purposes of the contest and will not be shared with any outside organizations.
<li>Entries must be unpublished, original work. Work previously published online is not eligible.
<li>All entries will be read blind.
<li>Entrants agree that they will not review a book that presents a real or perceived conflict-of-interest, i.e., books by family, friends, colleagues, students, or teachers.
<li>Employees of the University of Virginia and VQR are not eligible.
<li>Contest results will be announced on December 1, 2008. VQR reserves the right to not</li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></li></ol></p></div>