About the 2024 Sea Glass Festival 

Find out about our annual community event.

Sea Glass Festival

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Online entries (due April 30) have now closed. 
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Potential winners will be notified on or about June 1-7. 

Thank you for participating and sharing your writing with us!

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Guidelines

• This contest is open to residents of Nassau & Suffolk counties.
• There is no entry fee to participate.
• The contest opens on March 1, 2024 and ends on April 30, 2024. 
• All works must be original and written solely by the author.
• All entries must be submitted electronically through the designated portal. No email entries, paper entries, or late entries are accepted. 
• The entry must be a word document. Accepted file formats are .doc, .docx. Entries should be Times New Roman in 12pt. 
• Entry forms will ask you to specify your word count. 
• Each entry must include the digital signature of a parent or guardian, consenting to allow their child/ward to enter the contest, confirming the story is original and written solely by the author, and granting certain rights (see below) to the entry materials.
• Work created using AI tools, or that incorporates content generated by AI tools, is not considered original work and is ineligible.
• These contest rules are subject to modification by The Whaling Museum/TBR News Media at its discretion. 

Eligibility

• Entrants must be residents of Nassau or Suffolk counties in grades 3-12.
• Students enrolled in a high school correspondence/GED program and are under the age of 20 are eligible.
• Submissions must be written in English.
• Previously published work is ineligible. 
• Only one entry per person will be accepted; all subsequent entries will be disqualified. 
• Only single-author stories qualify (no co-authored stories). 
• No poetry, essays, or graphic novel styles at this time.
• Employees of The Whaling Museum or TBR News Media, and members of their immediate families, are not eligible. 

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Judging

• All entries will be coordinated by a partnership between The Whaling Museum & TBR News Media. Judging will occur on or about May 1-31, 2024.
• Judges will prioritize originality and creative expression. Writers should present an engaging, unique, and imaginative story with a tie to the writing prompt. Check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation (follow conventions unless they creatively work in the story). ​
• Only winners will be notified. 

Winners & Prizes

• Potential winners will be notified on or about June 1-7. 
• Select winning entries will be eligible for publication in TBR News Media (print media and/or online), as well as on The Whaling Museum's website. 
• Select winners will be offered complimentary tickets to The Whaling Museum's Sea Glass Festival held on or around July 21, 2024. At the event, select winners will be recognized by the Museum with a certificate.
• There are no cash prizes.

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Rights Associated with Contest

• By submitting an entry form, entrants’ parent/legal guardian agree to:
  • Grant The Whaling Museum & TBR News Media the right to reproduce your work during and after the contest. This includes the right to edit, publish (in print and online), promote, and otherwise use their entry materials without permission, notice or compensation. No royalties will be paid at this or any time. You can reuse all your work after the contest.  
  • Warrant that their child’s/ward’s entry is their original work and does not infringe upon or violate rights of any third party.
  • Release and hold The Whaling Museum & TBR News Media, and its employees, officers, directors, shareholders, agents, representatives, subsidiaries, parent companies, or other affiliated companies harmless from any and all damages, losses, claims and liabilities arising out of participation in the Contest or resulting from acceptance or claiming of any prize hereunder.
  • Abide by the Contest Rules. 
• Submission of the Entry Form constitutes permission from the participant’s parent/legal guardian for The Whaling Museum & TBR News Media to use the participants’ name, likeness, biographical information, information and materials contained in the Entry Form, photographs, and any statements or remarks made about the Contest in advertising and promotion without further compensation or permission, except where prohibited by law.
• The Whaling Museum & TBR News Media reserve the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate, suspend or otherwise cancel the Contest at any time. 
• The Whaling Museum & TBR News Media are not responsible for any expenses incurred in connection with participation in the Contest.

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