An Unconventional Writing Contest

One of the writers/bloggers/just cool guys I follow is Chris Guillebeau, who writes The Art of Non-Conformity site. Basically, he writes about how he lives his life, works and travels, but in a non-conforming manner. He has decided to live his life to the fullest, in the most authentic way and to travel as much (and for as cheaply) as he can. I find he looks at things from an interesting angle and presents unique ways to get things done. Ok, enough about him and onto his writing contest ...

How It Works

You write a short essay of 500-1200 words describing an unconventional life topic of your choice. A panel of judges will review the entries and select a short list of finalists for Chris' review. Chris will choose the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. The winning essays will be posted on the site for all to see, and there will also be some great prizes. Essays will be judged on content and original ideas.

Theme

This is an unconventional writing contest and the site is called the Art of Nonconformity - do what you want; just make it excellent. Think about these principles (they are guidelines, not rules):

* Essays should be helpful in nature and seek to explore provocative issues. Don't be boring.

* How have you or someone you know successfully challenged authority or overcome adversity?

* How can other people make unconventional choices? How can people
overcome the fear of change?

* Highly practical, interesting lifestyle design content is also welcome.

The Deadline

You have until Saturday, July 11th to submit your entry. Don't wait too long!

How to Submit

Include your essay in the body of the e-mail (not as an attachment!) and include the following info at the top:

1. Your Name
2. The Title of the Essay
3. Your Web Site (if you have one)
4. A Two-Sentence Biography

Send the info to: Chris+Guillebeau-00295206349877514898-Bqdpd7wx@prod.writely.com

Alternatively, if you use Google Docs, you can upload the file to your own account and then share it with aonc.contest@gmail.com. Either way
works just fine.

The Exposure

The site is currently ranked in the top 10,000 blogs by Technorati and slowly inching towards the next 5k benchmark. For the past three months there have been more than one million pageviews each month.

After it's posted, the winning essay will go into the AONC archives for the foreseeable future. The posts will include a link back to the writer's site, and they will also be promoted through Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Grand Prize Winner: Complimentary Business-Class upgrade on any American Airlines flight. Depending on how you use the upgrade, it's worth anywhere from $500-2,000. 

(Alternative prize: If the winner has no current plans to travel, the winner will be given 25,000 Frequent Flyer Miles on American, Air Canada, Delta, or United, which they can use for a round-trip domestic ticket anytime in the next two years. If the winner lives outside of the U.S. or Canada, no problem - we can use the miles to book a
codeshare flight on British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, or almost any major airline.)

The Grand Prize Winner will also receive:

The "I Want it All" combo pack that contains the complete versions of all the Unconventional Guides. This currently sells for $197.

A new journal from Piccadilly Journal.

Second Prize Winner: *The "I Want it All" combo pack that contains the complete versions of all the Unconventional Guides.

Third Prize Winner: A free copy of the complete version of any one Unconventional Guide (winner's choice).

For full details, including the fine print, you can read Chris' post by clicking here.