The Best Southwest Book Writing Competition will be sponsored by the Friends of the Library in each community. The competition is open to all high school age students within the cities of Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, and Lancaster. Students may chose the format for their writing addressing the topic "What might life have been like in (your city: Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, Lancaster) around the 1850's?" You may select to write this as non-fiction, fiction, or poetry. Each of your cities has a history book available at your library or you can find information on line about your city and about life around the 1850's in Texas. Fiction/Non-fiction should be 800 words or less with poetry being limited to 30 lines; Each public and private high school in Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, and Lancaster may enter up to 40 selections; The contest is also open to home schooled students of high school age living within those same cities; Each school should prejudge entries and submit only their best 40; Home schooled entries will also be prejudged by a panel before their entries are submitted to each cities' pool. Prize money of $100, $50, and $25 will be awarded. The prize money will be awarded by the Friends of the Library in each city; and Top prize winners will be announced on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at the Lancaster Rec Center during the 6th Annual Best Southwest Bookfest. Here is how to submit an entry: A cover sheet with name, phone number, school, title of work, and word/line count The cover sheet will be page 1 of your entry and these words do not count. Your name should not appear anywhere on the actual manuscript to be judged Prose entries of 800 words or less should be double spaced All student's work should be original Entries can be sent by emailed to marysykes@flash.net. If a student does not have email access, the entry may be mailed to Mary Sykes, Short Story Contest, 1600 Veterans Memorial Parkway, Lancaster, Texas 75134 and should contain a disc with the entry on it DEADLINE IS February 27, 2009