Got Books? Tell Your Tale and Compete for a Prize

Are you an avid reader with a cherished book collection? Share the details, and you could win McConnell Library's fourth annual Winesett Book Collecting Contest.

The competition is open to all RU undergraduate and graduate students. First prize this year is $600 and a $100 gift certificate for bookseller Bookworm & Silverfish. Second prize is $400 and a $100 gift certificate. Funded by the Hazel Grove Winesett Endowment and Lorne Bair Rare Books, the contest is administered by the Radford University Foundation.

"It's always a treat to find out what our students are reading and to hear their stories of building a collection," said Gene Hyde, university archivist and Appalachian Collection librarian. "We know some of the essays will be poignant, some will be humorous, but all will be fascinating."

To enter, write a creative essay of 1,000 to 1,500 words about your book collection, list 20 books in your collection, and describe 10 more books that you would like to acquire. Collections may be in any category—fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose. Submissions will be judged on the creativity and thoughtfulness exercised in developing the collection, the strength of the essay and what the collection means to the owner.

The deadline for submissions is Nov. 2. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in McConnell Library on Nov. 13. 

The winner of the RU competition will also be eligible to enter the National Collegiate Book Collecting Contest, which offers a first prize of $2,500 and holds its award ceremony at the Library of Congress. More details and contest rules are on the RU Book Collecting Contest Web page.