Letters notifying entrants in Special Events Magazine annual Gala Awards competition will be in the mail next week, editor Lisa Hurley said.

“The entries this year were outstanding,” Hurley said. “And competition was tough. We saw an 11 percent increase in the number of entries this year over last.”

A list of Gala nominees will appear in the December issue of Special Events Magazine. The Gala Award winners will be named on Jan. 11 during The Special Event 2003 in Orlando, Fla.