UPDATE: Contest is Closed. Be sure to check back for future CarNewsCafe.com writing contests though.
Have you always wanted to get your writing featured in an automotive publication? Dreamed of driving the latest and greatest cars? Thought of starting a career as an “Auto Journalist?” Dreamed of having your work reviewed by seasoned auto writers and editors? Then this is the writing contest for you.
We are looking for talented and budding auto journalists that haven’t had their work published before but want to get their name out there. This writing contest is to find and cultivate the best new writing talent around and give them the opportunity to get published right here on CarNewsCafe and get writing advice from the editors of this publication.
Auto Writing Contest FAQs
We assume you have some questions about this contest. We have answers.
What sort of Articles are you Looking For?
Basically, anything that interests and inspires you to write. It can be an editorial piece regarding the automotive industry from the past few months, a car review, a DIY auto maintenance piece, or something on how a particular new car technology works. We are mainly looking for Evergreen articles (i.e. something that our readers could keep coming back to) on any topic that you’ve been dying to get published in a real and legit automotive publication. Check out the examples of what we are looking for:
- *In-depth looks at any vehicle, similar to our Coffee and a Concept
- *6 Questions to Ask an Auto Mechanic
- *Reviews of movies or books on automotive subjects (like Charge)
- *Thoughts on how unions have changed automotive manufacturing
- *Profiles of influential personalities in automotive history
- *Lifestyle pieces on vehicles and people
- and more!
Just so we are clear we are not looking for any car news stories. Even though this is CarNewsCafe.com, by the time we would review and publish the article the news would be outdated.
What are the Guidelines for Submission?
Articles and editorials need to be;
- *Well-written (as well-written as you can make it)
- *A minimum of 500 words
- *A maxium of 1,500 words
- *Submitted in OpenDocument format (.odt), Word (.doc/.docx), or plain text
- *Must be turned in by May 31st, 2014 before the end of the day EST (Eastern Standard Time)
- *$25 is required via PayPal for each article submission. Send payment to – paypal@carnewscafe.com
- *Unlimited entries are allowed, so long as they meet the above criteria.
Why do I Need to Pay a Submission Fee?
Charging a nominal submission fee is a standard practice for writing contests. It helps the editors manage the large volume of submissions and there isn’t any other way we could offer to review so many people’s work – our time is limited. It helps weed out the wheat from the chaff, vetting those not serious about getting into automotive writing.
How do I enter?
Send your completed articles to – contests@carnewscafe.com – so we can read and review. Then send a PayPal gift of $25 to – paypal@carnewscafe.com – and let us know what the title is of the piece you wrote and who you are.
What are the Prizes for Winners?
One Grand Prize winner will receive $300 as well as having their article published here on CarNewsCafe.com, featured on the front page. In addition, we will conduct an interview with the winner on our weekly podcast to talk about the piece that was written, why it won, and what we liked about it. The author will also have a chance to share their thoughts and opinions on the podcast as well as gain recognition in the auto writing business that they did not have before. In addition the Grand Prize Winner will receive 10 sessions of writing coaching which is a $1200 value. (At least that’s what we value our time at.)
Two runner-ups will receive $100 and $50 respectively and their work will also be published here. In addition all three winners will get a private coaching session by one of the CarNewsCafe editors. We will talk about what we liked about your writing and what we feel you can do to improve it. In addition this gives you a chance to ask us any questions you might have. If we really like your writing, we might even invite you to write on CarNewsCafe on a continuing basis.
The winner will be announced on June 15th, 2014.
Why should we take writing advice from you?
Aaron Turpen, Nicolas Zart, and Adam Yamada-Hanff all have experience within the auto industry. This website is not the only place we’ve written and we know what works and doesn’t for new auto writers. In addition all of us are accredited auto journalists with the following organizations;
- *Rocky Mountain Automotive Press (RMAP)
- *Washington Automotive Press Association (WAPA)
- *Motor Press Guild (MPG)
- *International Motor Press Association (IMPA)
Why are you running this Auto Writing Contest?
We get requests to review new auto writers work and questions from people that are looking to break into the business all the time. We are happy to give advice and answer questions but the reality is we don’t have time to read over everyone’s article, edit them, and tell you what needs to be improved. This way you get to hear professional opinions on your work and what you can do to improve your work.
Contest Rules
An entry is considered an 1 article. Submitting several articles in a single entry is not allowed. The submission fee is non-refundable. Participating in this contest is not a guarantee that you will win prize money or that you will win anything. By agreeing to participate in this contest you grant CarNewsCafe and it’s affiliates the right to use your name and image in relation to this contest. Contest will close if we don’t have more than 150 entries. Be entering this contest you grant us the right to add you to our email list to send you future information regarding writing contests and future promotions regarding CarNewsCafe, it’s affiliates, operators, and others.
