The following Terms and Conditions apply to the use of this website and all transactions conducted through the site.

Copyright Florida Writers Association, Inc. (FWA). All information appearing on this website is the property of Florida Writers Association, Inc., and may not be used for commercial purposes whatsoever without prior written permission from the Florida Writers Association. As a user, you are authorized only to view, copy, print, and distribute information on this website as long as it is used for informational purposes only and citation is provided when and as appropriate.

This site may contain other proprietary notices and copyright information, the terms of which must be observed and followed. Information on this site may contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Information, including product pricing and availability, may be changed or updated without notice. Florida Writers Association and its subsidiaries, affiliates, and partners, now and in the future, reserve the right to refuse service, terminate accounts, and/or cancel orders at its discretion.

You may purchase merchandise from this website by using any of the payment options listed. Florida Writers Association reserves the right to change its payment procedures and cost of any item(s) at any time without prior notice to you.

Member benefits, including but not limited to advertising discounts for The Florida Writer magazine, are not transferrable. Discounts offered to affiliates, now or in the future, are not transferrable.

Refund Policy

Membership Fees. No refunds on Florida Writers Association membership fees shall be given for any reason.

Events. Any refund request for an FWA event must be submitted in writing, either via email, fax, or US Mail, and addressed to either the FWA president or the overall event coordinator. Contact information is provided on the Contact page of this website. For refund requests received by FWA at least 30 days prior to the event, a $75 cancellation fee shall be charged by FWA and the remainder shall be refunded. No refund shall be granted for any request received by FWA within 30 days prior to the event, with two exceptions: (a) hospitalization of the requestor or (b) death of an immediate family member of the requestor. FWA must receive proof of such hospitalization or death/funeral services (as the case may be), within 60 days following the FWA event in order to issue a refund. Any such refunds shall be subject to a $75 cancellation fee by FWA. Acts of God which are severe enough to substantially impact a member’s life qualify for a refund with no cancellation fee, or a credit for the base amount of registration to be applied to a future event.

Additional refund information may be posted on the FWA website regarding specific events. Any event-specific provisions shall supersede the provisions contained herein.

Royal Palm Literary Award Competition (RPLA)

By submitting an entry to RPLA, you agree that you have read and understand all rules and disclaimers as outlined, including the following:
  • You release the Royal Palm Literary Award (RPLA) competition and Florida Writers Association totally from any and all liability arising from, or in connection with, this contest in any fashion whatsoever.
  • Neither the Royal Palm Literary Award competition nor Florida Writers Association shall be responsible for lost or late submissions or for any other mishap to your entry.
  • RPLA reserves the right to disqualify any entry at its discretion.
  • Entry fees are not refundable for any reason, even if the entry is disqualified.
  • Because registration for the annual Florida Writers Conference is not required, no conference refunds will be issued for any reason outside the stated conference refund policy.
  • All FWA official communication is by email; it is your responsibility to ensure your email does not require any special accommodation be made by the RPLA staff.
  • RPLA reserves the right to make changes to the RPLA process and anything described in the RPLA materials, as deemed necessary by the RPLA committee.
  • RPLA follows the “Rules of Play” doctrine, whereby the decisions of RPLA are final and may not be contested. The sole exception is in the case of an arithmetical error, in which case the appeal must be made within 48 hours of your receiving your rubrics.
  • RPLA acknowledges and reviews entries upon receipt to ensure that the entry has met formatting and other requirements before it is sent to the judges. In the event that a judge or member of the RPLA committee discovers a violation at any time, the entry may be disqualified or returned to the author for rectification, as appropriate.

Last updated: March 7, 2019