Write Stuff Challenge:
 Quality of Life, Who Needs It Anyway? 

Fame and fortune can be yours along with a sumptuous dinner for two at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale Troon North! Try your hand at writing and enter A Peek at Peak’s Write Stuff Challenge: Environmental Quality of Life, Who Needs It Anyway? Sure, this contest has a long name, but don’t let that deter you from entering and expressing your feelings.

Is protecting the environment really important to our community? Do natural resources – washes, creeks, lakes, wildlife habitats, air, scenic and open vistas, scenic roadsides, mountains - really play an important role in our community’s social, cultural, economic, and personal well-being? Does it really matter if the growth of our community jeopardizes and destroys these natural resources? Are efforts to acquire land for preservation and to implement regulatory, non-regulatory, and administrative measures to protect our environmental resources really worth it?

Write an original fiction or nonfiction, serious or humorous story, article, or poem that responds to the statement “Environmental quality of life, who needs it anyway?” in terms of the natural environment in The Peak’s distribution area (North Scottsdale, Carefree/Cave Creek, Rio/Tonto Verde, northeastern Phoenix) and valuable prizes can be yours.

Prizes

The prize for 1^st place is dinner for two at the Acacia Restaurant at the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale Troon North. Nestled in the foothills of Pinnacle Peak, this contemporary steak house features the finest prime rib, fresh seafood, and seasonal specialties within an intimate setting. Conde Nast Traveler magazine described Acacia as “clearly on par with the best steak houses in the country.”

The prizes for 2^nd and 3^rd places are $75, and $25, respectively.

In addition, the three finalists win:

• Publication of their articles in A Peek at the Peak
• Publication of their articles on GPA’s Web site

Contest Rules

Before you start writing, review the contest rules below. Also, be sure to visit www.gppaaz.org for contest news. 

• The submission must be original material written by the person submitting it.
• The submission can be fiction or nonfiction, serious or humorous.
• Articles and stories must be from 500 to 1,500 words in length.
• Poems must be from 100 to 400 words in length.
• The submission must be received by the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association (GPPA) by midnight, February 25, 2006.
• The winner will be contacted on March 15, 2006.  The winner's name will also be posted on this Web site on the same date.
• The winning submission will be published in the April issue of The Peak and on GPPA's Web site.
• The submission should have a title.
• Submissions will be judged based on creativity, originality, and writing skill. The style and tone of the submission should be consistent with articles, stories, and poems that are published in A Peek at the Peak magazine.
• The author must be age 13 or older.
• Contestants cannot be members of the GPPA Board of Directors, Friends of the Scenic Drive Board of Directors, or members of their respective families.  The decision of the judges is final.
• GPPA and A Peek at the Peak magazine reserve the right to edit and publish the submitted article in the magazine and GPPA's Web site, www.gppaaz.org.

    Submission Guidelines

• The name, address, e-mail address, and phone number of the contestant should be written on the first page of the article.
• Submissions can be sent via e-mail, mail, or fax.
• E-mailed submissions can be sent as attachments and be MS Word or WordPerfect files.  The text of submissions can also be pasted into the e-mail message.
• Mailed and faxed submissions should be neatly printed by hand or computer.
• The inclusion of up to two photographs, illustrations, or graphics with the submission is optional. If these items are included, the author should also include a brief caption for each item. We prefer that these items be sent in TIF and EPS, or Jpg file formats. Jpg files, with very high resolution, can be submitted on CDs or a 3.5-inch computer disc formatted for IBM.
• You can submit material by E-mail to writestuff@gppaaz.org or Fax to (480) 585-1720. Materials can also be mailed to The Peak, 8711 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, #123, Scottsdale, AZ 85255.

    For Additional Information

E-mail: thepeak@gppaaz.org

Fax: (480) 585-1720