Organization:  State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China
                        Shanghai Library

The ‘Window to China’ and ‘Window of Shanghai’ is now holding its second writing contest.

The first ‘Shanghai Get-together Writing Contest’ was held in 2010. Works written by the readers from 14 countries/regions, with different languages and cultural perspectives, got together in Shanghai, and thus bringing high achievements in cultural communication.

This year, the contest is being arranged again as a stage to promote cultural exchange between China and other countries/cities. We invite people to write about China, its language, people and culture, from an outsider’s eyes. An invitation will be issued to top winners to deliver a short speech on their works.

Eligibility/Topics
a) The contest is open to all those who are interested in China and Chinese culture.
b) Entrants are expected to write book reviews or comments on China and/or its language, people and culture; tell about personal
    experience or stories studying/working/living/travelling in China and/or Shanghai in particular; express thoughts or
    understanding  of Chinese culture and/or its relationship with other cultures. All works that related to China and Chinese culture are welcomed.
c) Genre of writing is not limited.
d) Maximum Length: 3,000 words (Chinese); 5,000 words (English).

Selection of Winners/Awards
a) 20 top entries will be selected by a panel of professional judges in October 2012 and the final result notified in November 2012.
b) The number of awards is as follows,
    First Place: 1
    Second Place: 2
    Honorable Mentions: 17
c) The top 3 winners will be invited to the Award Ceremony held in December 2012 in Shanghai Library. All the travel and
    accommodation expenses during their stay will be covered by the organizers.
d) Each one of the rest 17 finalists will receive an attractive gift.

Submission Guidelines / Points to note
a) No entry fee is required.
b) Entries must be received by September 30th, 2012.
c) Each entrant may submit work in MS Word format, together with an Entry Form, and sent via E-mail (jjin@libnet.sh.cn) or CD-
    ROM.
d) All entries must be original works. Violation of copy rights or intellectual property rights will result in disqualification.
e) Organizers shall not be held responsible for the loss or damage of entries incurred during delivery.
f) Works submitted to the contest will not be returned.
g) The organizers reserve the final right of interpretation concerning the event.

Contacts
Ms. JIN Jing (jjin@libnet.sh.cn)
Postal address: Rom 1310, Shanghai Library 1555 Huai Hai (M.) Rd., 200031, Shanghai, China
Tel: +86. 21. 6445 4500
Fax: +86. 21. 6445 5006