Eligibility Criteria for Open Fellowships

Applicants for open fellowships through the writing competition, like all other symposium attendees, are limited to professional editorial-oriented writers on wine, wine and food, and wine and travel. To maintain the intimate peer-group environment of the symposium, winery owners, professional winemakers, winery employees, winery communications, sales and marketing people, and full-time wine trade professionals are not eligible to attend.

All open fellowships will be awarded to writers who have either never received a fellowship to the event, or who have not won a fellowship in the previous three years.

Judging Criteria

A panel of three experienced wine writers/editors evaluates the submitted writing samples blind. Judges grade each applicant's work on the 100-point scale. Their scores for each person are averaged to determine the fellowship winners.

Judges look largely for writing quality, and for accurate wine knowledge. They are not necessarily looking for Masters of Wine treatises, but for writers who can inform, entertain and inspire readers on the subject of wine.

Judges adjust their evaluations somewhat based on the type of pieces submitted. If a writing sample is obviously a magazine piece, judges rate it by the standards of a magazine piece. If it is obviously from a blog, judges hold that piece to the standards of good blogging. If it's a video script then it doesn't have to read like a wine book, etc.

Judges look for something more than the typical wine column of four paragraphs with a list of recommended wines, but if it turns out to be the best four paragraphs and list of recommended wines that they've ever read, then that submission deserves a high score. We want to find the writers with the most talent and/or potential, and help them take their work to a higher level by learning more at the Symposium.

Editor's Choice Fellowships

Five Editor's Choice fellowships will be awarded for the 2014 symposium. The fellowship winners are selected from the wine writing community at large by five prominent editors in the wine, food and travel publishing business who in turn were selected by the Symposium Board of Directors. No applications are accepted for Editor's Choice fellowships.

APPLYING FOR 2014 OPEN FELLOWSHIPS

The fellowships are open to any professional editorial wine writer, wine/food writer or wine/travel writer who writes in the English language and who has not received a fellowship in at least the last three years. Each $1,875 fellowship covers the cost of Symposium registration as well as four nights' lodging at Meadowood. Travel and incidental costs are not covered. Fellowships will be awarded by a panel of independent professional wine writers/editors.

Applications for 2014 open fellowships will be accepted from September 1 through November 1, 2013. All entries must be postmarked no later than November 1.

Entry Basics:

1. Each $1,875 Fellowship covers the cost of Symposium registration as well as four nights' lodging at Meadowood Napa Valley. Travel and incidental costs are not included.

2. Publication sources for entries include books, newspapers, magazines, trade journals, websites and blogs.

3. All references to writer's name or publication are to be deleted on four of the five copies before submission.

4. Regarding a book entry, please send a copy of a single chapter.

5. Please submit a maximum of five pages per article submitted, including book chapter.

6. Postmark/express deadline for entries is November 1, 2013.

7. Five copies of each written work to be distributed to the judges are to be sent to:
The Symposium for Professional Wine Writers at Meadowood Napa Valley
c/o Jim Gordon
3318 Homestead Court
Napa, CA 94558

8. Judges' scores will be compiled and averaged, and the director will award fellowships based on the highest average scores.

9. Awardees will be notified by telephone and/or e-mail by December 5, 2013, and their names will be posted on the fellowship page at the symposium website.

10. Online Symposium registration is expected by all fellowship entrants, including providing credit card information to assure a room reservation and a spot at the symposium. However, no deposits are taken against cards at time of registration for the fellowship entrants. Those who are not awardees will be notified by e-mail. They are encouraged to attend the symposium as regular registrants; however, should they choose not to attend, their registrations must be cancelled by January 2, 2014, to avoid charges.

If you have questions on fellowship applications, kindly contact
Jim Gordon at jimgordon.wine@gmail.com.

FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS:

Click Here to Download the Fellowship Entry Form

Participants should submit the following for Fellowship consideration:

1.Fellowship entry form listing name, address, phone, e-mail, website, media outlet/employer, and a biography of no more than 250 words. Note that the PDF entry form is writeable for those who prefer to type.

NOTE: Fellowship applicants, like all other Symposium attendees, are limited to professional editorial-oriented writers on wine, wine and food, and wine and travel. To maintain the intimate peer-group environment of the symposium, winery owners, professional winemakers, winery employees, winery communications, sales and marketing people, and full-time wine trade professionals are not eligible to attend.

2.Five legible copies of each of two (2) writing samples published within the last year.