Trio of Innovation Contests to Award Up to $3,000

Online, July 22, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The Quid Novi ("What's New") Festival, currently in its second year, will sponsor three contests this year, with cash prizes totaling up to $3,000. The contests are (1) Writing, which covers short stories and essays; (2) Book Design, which includes layout, cover design, and content; and (3) Innovation, which encompasses inventions and business ideas.

Winners will be announced at the Quid Novi Festival, to be held on Saturday, October 22, at the Midtown Arts Center, at 3750 South Mason Street, Fort Collins, Colorado 80525. Entrants do not need to be present at the festival to win. The works of winners and runners-up will also be presented at the festival.

Festival organizers are encouraging all interested parties to submit entries. In addition to the possibility of cash and other prizes, entrants who attend the festival will have the opportunity to meet those who can help get their ideas off the ground, including attorneys, investors, designers, and publishers.

Rick Griggs, founder of the Quid Novi Festival, says, "This is a unique opportunity for innovators in northern Colorado, the U.S., and beyond. I would encourage anyone to enter, even if this is their first contest. When creators enter a contest, they start to think differently about their creation, and start to get motivated to publicize their work."

Entries will be judged by professionals in the appropriate fields, including authors, publishers, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and financial and marketing experts.

The purpose of the Quid Novi Festival is to bring together authors, inventors, and entrepreneurs to meet, compare stories, and interact with those who can provide the tools for their creations to take form.

This year's keynote speakers will be nationally known speaker and author Debra Benton of Benton Management Resources, who will be speaking on "Getting Your Work Noticed"; and Guy Mendt, Hewlett-Packard Company Strategy and Innovation Specialist, whose topic is, "The Idea is NOT the Innovation." Other topics will include The Future of Social Media, Digital Publishing, Copyright Basics, and the America Invents Act.

A festival "preview event," Quid Novi Jams, will take place on Thursday, August 18, 2011, at Sunrise Ranch, at 100 Sunrise Ranch Road, Loveland, Colorado 80538. Tickets are available for $25, and include music, food, wine, and, of course, innovation!

Details for the contests, the festival, and the preview event are available at the Quid Novi Festival website, at http://www.quidnovifestival.com/. Interested parties can also contact festival founder Rick Griggs, at 970.690.7327, or contest organizer Karen Marcus, at 970.988.9531.

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