2027 Contest Coming Soon The Opal is a contest for aspiring and emerging romance writers to win the opportunity for short mentorships with established RWAus authors. Entries Open: Tuesday, January 19th 2027 at 9am AEST Entries Close: Tuesday, February 16th 2027 at 5pm AEST Price: $70 for non members / $50 for members. Members: enter code OpalAward2026 at checkout to receive member pricing. Eligibility: Aspiring and Emerging romance writers. Entry: There will be two tiers to the Opal; one for aspiring romance writers and one for emerging writers. All entrants will need to submit the first 10,000 words of an unpublished/uncontracted romance or romantic elements manuscript along with a 1,000 word synopsis that depicts the main plot points of your romance story or story with romantic elements, complete with the ending/resolution. Emerging writers will also need to submit a 500 word pitch depicting how they would benefit from a mentorship. The top 6 entries from each tier will proceed to a second round, judged by a panel of RWAus established authors who will determine final placings and be available for mentoring. Winners will be announced at the RWAus Gala Dinner at the annual conference in August 2027. Each entry will be scored against a number of criteria including (but not limited to): - spelling, grammar and punctuation - how understandable and comprehensive the synopsis is - how quickly readers become immersed in the story - writing technique (pacing, dialogue, characterisation and description) - reader enjoyability Terms and Conditions Updated Contest Formatting Sample
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