2011 Innovative Fiction Contest Guidelines
The contest deadline (for receipt of submission) is February 28, 2011. This contest is for an unpublished story of fewer than 10000 (ten thousand) words. The winner will receive $1000 and publication. The finalists (typically anywhere from 3-10) will be published along with the winner in our summer fiction issue.
The judge for 2011 is Lydia Millet! She is the author of seven books, most recently a story collection called Love in Infant Monkeys (2009), which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and a novel, How the Dead Dream, named an L.A. Times Best Book of 2008. Her next two books, Ghost Lights and Magnificence, are coming out from W.W. Norton in late 2011 and 2012. Millet lives in the Arizona desert with her family.
Entry fee is $15. This year we're making an honest woman of this contest. Because our judge is an honest woman.
FAQ stuff:
- We prefer our entries electronic (if possible), with the manuscript itself anonymous. A removable cover page would be ideal if you send hardcopy. If you send electronically no cover page is necessary; just don't put your name on the manuscript).
- Anyone with more than a casual relationship with either of these is ineligible (though we're happy to read your work via regular submissions). Sorry lovers, former lovers, friends, students, mentors, and so on.
- Images are fine as long as you have or can get rights to print/reprint (or if they are in the public domain) if selected.
- We don't have any particular aesthetic biases for this contest other than the name: Innovative, yo. Which more or less means: wow us. Surprise us. Mainly we just want it good. That's a pretty open definition, we admit.
- If you're sending something multimedia sometimes it's easier to send snail mail if the file is too big (our submissions manager only accepts up to about 9 meg) or unwieldy.
- Multiple submissions are fine. Simultaneous submissions are fine as long as you notify us as soon if a story is no longer available. In which case, congratulations on getting it published! Then you can withdraw your submission manually from the submissions manager if you sent it electronically, or email us below.
- Collaborative submissions are fine (obviously if you win, you'd split the prize).
- We expect to notify finalists and winners no later than the end of April 2011, with luck. Thanks for entering! And good luck. Questions can go to nmp--atsymbol--thediagram--dot--com.
Then, here's how to submit:
Option 1, Electronic, you know, like this is the future (much preferred but maybe a little awkward):
REQUIRED Step 1 of 2: Pay contest fee through Paypal by filling out the form with your last name and the story title, then clicking on the Buy Now button just below this paragraph. You can use a credit card if you like (or a checking account etc.), or a Paypal account. No need to create an account: just click the credit card button on the next page in that case. Once you complete step one it will click through to a page with step 2.
Note that the payment goes to New Michigan Press, which is the publisher of DIAGRAM.
__
Option 2, Snail mail, old school:
Step 1 and 2: Send entry and payment to DIAGRAM Innovative Fiction Contest, c/o Ander Monson, Dept. of English, P.O. Box 210067, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0067. Make checks out to DIAGRAM for $15 or send cash. If you send Express Mail or Overnight, please check the box so it doesn't require a signature.
Or pay online with the paypal button above and make a note of that in your cover letter. Include a SASE if you'd like a response. Otherwise we will only contact you if you're a finalist or winner, and will post the results on the contests page here when the decision is made.
*
Keep in mind that we need to receive your submission by February 28, 2010.
Good luck, and thanks for entering the contest.
Questions can go to <nmp--at--thediagram.com>.