Contest Number Five
March 18, 2010—July 18, 2010
Fiction
FICTION CONTESTS
Here are the two fiction contests for Contest Five—“A” and “B” below.
A. Original: 100 words or fewer, on any subject whatsoever (excluding lewd).
B. New Contest: Stories will revolve around either (a) “The Old Man” or (b) “Home.”
The amount we have for prizes each time is $800.00. Because prizes decrease as we add contests, we have decided to return from the three contests offered last time to two. Looking below, you will find the math. The current distribution may lure more entrants into the fun!
Prizes
- Original
First Prize--$500. Second Prize--$100.
- New
Subjects are “The Old Man” and “Home.” From the pool of these stories, one story will receive a First Prize of $150. One story will receive a Second Prize of $50.
(Prizes add up to $800.00)
Selection of the four winning stories will be made by our Final Judge, Erica Bauermeister.
We are anxious to see results of both A and B! NOTE: All contests require the 100 words limitation. All stories must meet requirements set forth in Official Guidelines. All contests are open for multiple entries by anyone.
Official Guidelines
Please read the following guidelines carefully. It would be a shame to be disqualified on technical grounds.
1. What is the format for entries?
Enter your story inside the text of an email message. Both contests require 100 words or fewer.
Attachments will not be considered. Present your name, mailing address, repeated email address, and your story's word count at the top of your entry. We require good grammar and spelling. Use a plain 12 point font. We suggest Arial, Verdana, Times New Roman, or Courier.
2. What are the locations of entrants?
Entrants may be located anywhere on Earth.
3. Must the entries be original?
Your entry must be original, in English, unpublished and not accepted by any other publisher or producer at the time of submission. 100 words or Fewer Writing Contest retains one-time publication rights to the First and Second winning entries, to be published once on the 100 words or Fewer Writing Contest website.
No revisions of stories evaluated and critiqued on from any 100 Words Or Fewer Writing Contest will be accepted. Revisions from other contests you entered are certainly acceptable.
4. Is there a given topic?
The topic is entirely up to you, except for the B Contest opportunities for Contest Five, “The Old Man” and “Home.” Anything lewd or libelous will be discarded immediately. The payment will not be returned.
5. Is the word count limitation firm?
Yes! Entries exceeding the word limit will not be considered. Type the exact word count (counting every single word, except the title and contact information) at the top of your entry.
6. What are the fees?
Please use Paypal for secure payment of entry fee ($15.00); entry plus checkmark evaluation ($18.00); entry, checkmark evaluation and critique ($38.00); and critique alone ($21.00). (An entrant may decide on a critique after sending in a story.) Under special circumstances, a check sent directly to us will be acceptable.
Fee for the “Let’s Learn from Masters” class is $130.00.
7. What is the deadline?
The deadline for Contest Five is July 18, 2010.
(Note this is a four-month contest.) Any manuscript received after the deadline will not be considered. Entries may be sent immediately.
8. How will I know if I have won?
The four winners and ten honorary mention designates for Contest Five will be determined by our Final Judge by July 28th, 2010. Prizes will be issued by mail on August 15th, 2010. The four winners and winning stories will be posted on the website by August 17th, 2010, or earlier, along with information regarding the next contest.
9. May I send more than one entry?
Certainly. We welcome each entry. Fees are as stated in 6., above.
10. What is the basis for your decisions regarding each entry?
Judges will look for the following:
immediate pull of the story’s fictional world,
believable characters,
voice, which should contain a personal flavor and possibly humor,
intensity and drive of focus,
power of images,
cadence and flow of sentences,
overall structural integrity,
beauty of language,
suspense,
plot twist, or ending that concludes a coherent story,
power of ending, and
overall emotional impact.
Judges will first segregate stories into higher and lower groups. Stories with higher rankings will be read again and narrowed down for further segregation. This process will be repeated until our final judge determines first, second, and third places. At each point, judges’ decisions are final.