Is there a Golden story inside your heart trying to find its way out?
Is it a truly compelling tale that will pull people in? Then enter our contest [2000], which was created to celebrate the human-'Golden' bond, so recognizing the role that Golden Retrievers play in improving our health, independence, and quality of life. Nationally Certified School Psychologist who engages in Animal-Assisted Therapy, has designed an incredible prize-packed FREE ENTRY contest that is open to both high schoolers and adults. What a perfect time for those home-for-the summer students and vacationing adults to hone up their creative thinking and writing skills.

The current service dog industry utilizes Golden Retrievers and Golden Retriever mixes more than any other breed as they are extremely well-matched to this kind of vocation, given their high intelligence, intense social bonding, and established strength. This contest will be celebrating The Bond, recognizing the role that Golden Retrievers play in improving one's health, independence, and quality of life. So, the search is on for all of those truly compelling Golden stories -- the ones that reside only in the heart.

Serious about those stories received, a Judging Panel has been formed that includes many noted authors and experts in the field. Golden authors Arthur Vanderbilt, Catherine O’Driscoll and Doris Kays Kraushaar will be joined by Dr. Pat Gonser, Executive Director of Pets: Companions in Therapy & Service, Frank Branchini, Executive Director of the Humane Society of Baltimore County, and Rochelle Lesser, Nationally Certified School Psychologist and Private Clinician.


So Many Wonderful Prizes!
There is over $2,200 worth of prizes for our contest. A Golden Award of Merit will be presented to all 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place & Honorable Mention Contest winners! Alan Newman donated a 40-pound bag of premium dog food delivered monthly for a year [an approximate $500 retail value] and two personally selected bundles of healthy dog treats and dog toys [an approximate value of $100 for each package]. And, Idamarie Marino, of The Golden Touch of Paws, has donated a lovely 14K Gold Gaiting Golden (Pin or Pendant), for one of our top winners [an approximate retail value of $300].

Anna Moore, a wonderful Golden friend, has donated a personalized, matted Limited Edition Watercolor Print, entitled "Puppy in the Window." The winner will need to mail Anna a photo of their Golden companion. Anna will then remark the print. This involves her creating a pen & ink rendering from this Golden photo, which is drawn in the top left hand 4" square corner of the print [an approximate retail value of $130].

Ruth Chase, owner of The Coventry School for Dogs & Their People which is located in Columbia, Maryland, has donated $100 for one of our Youth winners. Rochelle Lesser, Golden Mom at the Land of PureGold has donated this Folkmanis® Golden Retriever puppet [an approximate retail value of $65]. And, we will award a $75 cheque to a facility that provided humane training of assistance dogs. Lynn Rosen-Stone donated a $50 cheque in memory of her Rescued boy, Romeo, to be awarded to a Golden Retriever Rescue organization.

Arnie Scher has donated ten FarLar International X-ercise Toys. These well-constructed toys from California are made using diamond braided nylon cotton mix cord. And, they have been designed for interactive play between you and your furry companion.

Arthur Vanderbilt has donated six personalized hard cover editions of his book, GOLDEN DAYS: Memories of a Golden Retriever. This is a beautiful tale of the affection between people and their very special dogs. There is no love quite like the love of a Golden Retriever, and this story of a doting darling named Amy is truly Golden. It is a love story that illustrates how a Golden can teach us about ourselves and the world we share. As the author writes, "She had taken us places we never would have gone and shown us things we never would have seen without her."

Catherine O'Driscoll has donated six copies of her book, The Golden Retriever Companion: A Chronicle of Joy. This lovely book was published by Abbeywood Publishing in 1994. Catherine writes that this book was born when her Golden Oliver died, so dedicating it to this dog "who scattered rays of Golden happiness to anyone who would play."

Doris Kraushaar has donated six copies of her book, Gas Station Charlie: A True Story about a Real Dog. This book, which was recently published in December 1999, is told by Charlie himself with wonderful action color photographs, the story and pictures create a lasting impression of hometown warmth and are enjoyed by both young and old.

Mary, from Chloe Cards, of Boulder, Colorado, and the home of the Pet Driver's License™, has donated 3 Chloe Kits. Each Chloe Kit is redeemable for 2 Pet Driver's Licenses. Karen Goldberg, of Corbett Records, has donated a copy of her CD, "Treading Water." While Karen would have donated any one of several CD's that she has recorded, I specifically asked for this one due to the special song on it entitled, Sneakin'. This song talks about traveling on the road, with Golden Retriever Moka, of course, and needing to sneak her in to  hotels due to restrictions on pets. And, finally, Daniel, at Clayvision.com, has donated two adorable sets of Raise the Woof™ pewter charms on key chains. Clayvision specializes in miniature charms and gift items for dog lovers. up

Learn More about the Contest

     Contest Rules          Golden Story Topics          Scoring Criteria         The Write Stuff            



Meet our Prize Winners

ADULT DIVISION
First Place:  Chandler Rudd for, "Her Name is Lucy"
Second Place:: Kate King for, "I Am Chloe!"
Third Place:  Erinn Farver for, "A Golden Miracle"
Fourth Place:  Sam Connelly for, "Emilee, The Throw Away Dog"
Alfie's Humane Training Award:  Marta Coursey for, "Simon's Second Chance"
Ollie's Therapy Dog Award:  Danielle Wilson for, "Lessons in Love"
Golden Rescue Dog Award:  Joyce Hubler for, "Goldens That Rescue"
Romeo's Inspiration Award:  Deb Orwig for, "Moose's Story"
Darcy's Goodwill Ambassador Award:  Scotty Richardson for, "Goldens ─ Behind Bars"
Honorable Mention:  Terry Mullins for, "It's A Wonderful Life"
Honorable Mention:  Jennifer Loffredo for, "My Promise To Gracie"
Honorable Mention:  Jude Fulghum for, "Not All Who Wander Are Lost"


YOUNG ADULT DIVISION

First Place: :Jaimee S. for, "Gold Connections"
Second Place:  Vicki Miller for, "More Than Puppy Love"
Third Place:  Nicole H. for, "A Golden For Life"
Fourth Place:  Geoffrey L. for, "Breeze Forever"
 

Contest Entries
Entry 1: Goldens Behind Bars
Entry 2: Our Golden Christmas Present
Entry 3: Her Name is Lucy
Entry 4: Our Walk In The Woods
Entry 5: Not All Who Wander Are Lost
Entry 6: The Golden Miracle
Entry 7: Molly's Legacy
Entry 8: A Golden For Life
Entry 9: Winona
Entry 10: A Special Gift
Entry 11: Lessons In Love
Entry 12: Golden Buddies
Entry 13: My Promise To Gracie
Entry 14: Old Gold
Entry 15: A Golden Miracle
Entry 16: Jewel
Entry 17: It's A Wonderful Life
Entry 18: With Her We're Better People
Entry 19: Gold Connections
Entry 20: A Golden Story
Entry 21: I Am Chloe!
Entry 22: Goldens That Rescue
Entry 23: Simon's Second Chance
Entry 24: Breeze Forever
Entry 25: Blow A Kiss to Stormy
Entry 26: More Than Puppy Love
Entry 27: Emilee, The Throw Away Dog
Entry 28: Moose's Story
Entry 29: Our Golden Treasure

Contest Rules
ELIGIBILITY: The 'Treasured Golden Bonds Storywriting Contest' competition will be divided into "Young Adult" and "Adult" divisions. The Young Adult division is defined as those youngsters who have completed Grade 9, 10, 11 or 12 at the time of entry. The Adult division is defined as those entrants 19 years & above OR those with at least one year's completion of college. In this way, those entrants who have skipped a grade and are thus younger than their grademates, would be placed more equitably.

TO ENTER: Each contestant may submit one composition only. This composition is to : (1) Be written in English; (2) Be no more than 3,000 words in length; (3) Include a title; and, (4) Be written in appropriate mixed case (i.e., not all in upper case letters). Entries MUST be original, truthful to the best knowledge of the person submitting it (i.e., the events detailed in the piece actually took place), unpublished or unproduced (on web or paper media), and not accepted by any other publisher at the time of submission.

GRANT OF RIGHTS: By entering the 'Treasured Golden Bonds Storywriting Contest' you hereby grant to landofpuregold.com a worldwide, royalty free license to reproduce, publish, display, and distribute your Story/Essay in any manner or means, now or hereinafter invented, including creating derivative works from your Story/Essay.

PRIZES: Prizes will be mailed to winners via regular U.S. postal service or priority mail within a week of their posting here at this page. No substitute of the offered prize will be given.

 

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Golden Story Topics

• Positive effects  our Goldens can have on family health or human development
• Delivery of animal-assisted therapy or activities
• Experiences in training a service dog
• Involvement in an animal (humane) education program that utilizes a Golden
• A Golden's growth from rescue to that of becoming a valued therapy dog, service dog, seizure alert dog, search & rescue dog, or drug/arson/bomb detection dog
• A partnership of independence, training or working with a Golden in a guide, mobility, hearing, or seizure alert role.
• Training of, or work with, a search and rescue, drug, arson, or bomb detection Golden
• A Golden's heroics
• A person's virtue in coming to the aid of or rescuing a Golden in danger or distress
• A Golden's influence that has had a major effect on or changed a person's life

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Scoring Criteria

• Ideas and Content: Does the writer demonstrate an intelligent vision of  the topic? Does the writer present convincing information to support the central premise of the story/essay? Are the supporting ideas & examples appropriate for the topic? Is there some evidence of research to accompany the personal aspects of the story/essay?
• Originality and Community Contribution: Does the writer convey a commitment to canine welfare or present an example that is set for others to emulate, etc.? Has the writer evidenced originality in his/her approach and treatment of the topic? Is artistic expression (use of visual accompaniment such as photographs, illustrations, etc.) utilized to enhance the entry?
• Organization: Does the writer use a logical sequence in presenting ideas & information? Is the piece broken into appropriate paragraphs? Are transitions (from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph) smooth?
• Use of Language: Is the wording clear and straightforward? Does the wording clearly and effectively communicate information? Is there an economical use of words, strong, active verbs, fresh words and phrases?
• Conventions: Does the story/essay show mechanical polish? Are punctuation, spelling and usage correct? Does the writer use punctuation to enhance the writing?
• Style: Is the story or essay compelling? Has the writer held the reader’s attention, connecting with him due to his/her storytelling or writing ability?
   

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Do You Have The Write Stuff?

ENTERING. Get going and apply! If you don't try, you have absolutely NO chance of winning. But if you do enter, your chances greatly multiply. Just talking about it or thinking about it won't do an ounce of good unless you write it down. Lots of contest winners talk about how they almost didn't enter. Please don't let that happen to you.

FOLLOWING THE RULES. Be sure to follow the stated rules. There is no point in writing a prize piece if it gets disqualified. And, it will be if the criteria aren't exactly met. So, check, double check and triple check your entry. You have really got to take the time to present your entry well. Hey guys, that's one of the reasons spell and grammar checkers were invented.

QUALITY OF IDEAS. Is the quality of ideas in your creative work interesting, original, and/or does it explore a different angle? 

DOING RESEARCH. If you are writing about a story involving a service dog relationship, then research the topic in the literature. And, provide scholarly information to complement your personal story.

TIME MANAGEMENT. Try to avoid the last minute rush. There are a couple of good reasons for this. The first is that your submitted work may then not be as polished and powerful as it might have been. That one last rewrite could make for a winning entry, so make sure you have the time and proper planning to do so. The other problem with a last-minute entry is that your prized piece will be partner to all of the other entries that tend to flood in with only seconds to spare!

ONE DAY AT A TIME. Long journeys are made up of small steps. Dedicating one hour of quality time every day to your writing can really result in a wonderful piece of work. Write little, but write OFTEN! Find the most productive time for you, yourself, to work in. And, then keep at it.

WORKING AND RE-WORKING. Keep polishing. With that one extra draft, your story could go from so-so to superb (or much better anyway). Revise, Revise, Revise. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither are most compositions. Write, then question it, then write it again, then question it again, then write it again. If you want to write a really great piece, you need to keep coming back to it. The number of drafts a writer goes through varies, but a minimum of six rewrites (only a word or line may change) after initial completion is recommended.

CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK. Handling criticism is a hard thing for many writers to deal with. The trick is to find a balance between what you believe about your work and what others have to say. Obviously less importance should be given to your relative's advice compared with that of an established writer. 

WRITING ENVIRONMENT. Creating the right working space for writing is extremely important. A space with natural light and plenty of room can help your writing output. In this space, you could have favorite quotes and poems, books, canine art and collectibles, etc. But, make sure it is a space that you like being in, feel creative in and can work in.

READER ENGAGEMENT. In your stories or essays, become proficient at using an enigma. Enigmas (problems/questions) are a powerful device for keeping  reader interest as we all want to know the answers to questions that are posed. Think of some GReat stories you've read and determine what it was that kept you hooked. The stronger the enigma, the greater your reading pleasure probably was.  

 

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