DCCAH Announces 2012 Larry Neal Writers' Competition

Literary competition to honor 150th Anniversary of the D.C. Emancipation Act Washington, D.C. - The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities is proud to announce the 29th Annual Larry Neal Writers' Competition, which commemorates the artistic legacy and vision of cultural understanding of Larry Neal, a renowned author, academic and former Executive Director of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.          The competition honors the artistic excellence of emerging and established D.C. writers with monetary awards for submissions in poetry, essays, dramatic writing and short story. Awards will be presented at the 29th Annual Larry Neal Writers' Awards Ceremony on May 4, 2012, in partnership with the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, at the Folger Shakespeare Library. As part of the citywide celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the D.C. Emancipation Act, the DCCAH will also award teen and youth writers in a special honorary writing category, DC Emancipation Day: Celebrating Today's Freedoms. The District celebrates Emancipation Day on April 16th, which commemorates the day President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act, freeing roughly 3,100 enslaved persons in the District, nine months before he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. "Writers of all ages and experiences have an opportunity to be recognized for their artistic excellence.The Commission is dedicated to providing this intergenerational program in support of our rich and diverse community," states Lionell Thomas, Executive Director of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Submission Guidelines Writers must submit entries online through the DCCAH website (dcarts.dc.gov). No hand-delivered copies will be accepted. The deadline for all applications is February 27th by 11:59 pm. For more information regarding submitting for the competition, please contact Carlyn Madden ( carlyn.madden@dc.gov or 202-724-5613) or visit www.dcarts.dc.gov. Please note: All applications must strictly adhere to the posted guidelines and criteria.  Failure to follow submission guidelines and application instructions may result in automatic disqualification.      ### The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities provides grants, professional opportunities, education enrichment, and other programs and services to individuals and nonprofit organizations in all communities within the District of Columbia. The Arts Commission is supported primarily by District government funds and in part  by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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