Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America acknowledges complaints about Writers of the Future

[CommunicatorIC]

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America acknowledges complaints about Writers of the Future Contest.

HT: Gflded Kim on Tony Ortega's blog: https://tonyortega.org/2018/12/05/s...good-about-coming-forward/#comment-4227335406

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SFWA Statement on Complaints/Concerns Regarding the Writers of the Future Contest

https://www.sfwa.org/2018/12/sfwa-s...-regarding-the-writers-of-the-future-contest/

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SFWA Statement on Complaints/Concerns Regarding the Writers of the Future Contest

The Board of Directors of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have unanimously decided to formally and publicly acknowledge the multiple complaints and expressions of concern made both publicly and privately in recent months by former Writers of the Future finalists who state that they have had negative experiences during or after the event.

As a result, SFWA has formally contacted the WotF administrators, in hopes of launching a private dialogue between our organizations, and ensuring that these concerns are meaningfully addressed. In this effort, SFWA’s goal is to protect the rights of creators, thus strengthening all of science fiction and fantasy publishing, now and in the future. SFWA advises all writers to research carefully before participating in any literary contest.

For more information on contests, please visit SFWA’s Writer Beware page located here:

http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/contests/.

December 03, 2018

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EDITED TO ADD:

Related earlier story: J.W. Alden, 2016 Winner of Scientology's Writers of the Future Contest, repudiates the contest

http://www.forum.exscn.net/threads/...-future-contest-repudiates-the-contest.48165/

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[CommunicatorIC]

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Engages Complaints About Writers of the Future Contest, Delists Anthology as Qualifying Market

File 770: SFWA Engages Complaints About Writers of the Future Contest, Delists Anthology as Qualifying Market

http://file770.com/sfwa-engages-com...ntest-delists-anthology-as-qualifying-market/

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The status of the Writers of the Future anthology as a SFWA Qualifying Market changed, with little fanfare, in August when the organization voted to strike contest publications as a whole from the list:
Paid Sales.

3. By unanimous vote of the Board of Directors meeting in San Jose, California, on August 16, 2018, contest publications no longer qualify toward SFWA membership*, effective August 16, 2018. Current members in good standing who qualified via contest publications are unaffected by this change.

The Writers of the Future anthology is now included among the “Delisted or Non-Qualifying Markets” on the SFWA website’s Membership Requirements page. (The update reflecting the change was only made very recently. An Internet Archive screencap from December 2 shows the WotF Anthology was still on the list of qualifying markets.)

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