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Deadline: 14 October 2011

This October, O, The Oprah Magazine (Twitter: @OMagazineSA) will contribute to the revival of the short-story genre by offering one aspirant writer the chance to see their work published in the February 2012 issue of O magazine and, in the selection process, have their writing read by esteemed local and international authors.

In what can only be described as a coup for the magazine, literary greats Dr. Maya Angelou (Pulitzer Prize nominee and author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings) and Alexander McCall Smith (author of the prolific The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series) have come on board to choose the winner of O’s inaugural short-story competition. Dr. Angelou, whom Oprah calls her mentor-mother-sister-friend, is one of the greatest voices in contemporary literature. She has been awarded more than 30 honorary degrees. McCall Smith, a Scotland-based former professor of medical law, has written more than 50 books, including children’s books, short-story collections and five series. The most recent novel in his popular No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party, was published earlier this year.

South African author and scriptwriter Lauren Beukes, 2011 winner of the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke award for best science-fiction novel for Zoo City (Twitter: @laurenbeukes), and writer and columnist Ndumiso Ngcobo (Twitter: @NdumisoNgcobo) will represent the South African perspective. The multi-talented Ngcobo is a Sunday Times columnist, screenwriter, satirist and presenter on KZN’s East Coast Radio. The former high-school maths and science teacher is also the author of two essay collections, Some of My Best Friends Are White and Is It Coz I’m Black?

“Short stories are a great way for writers to hone their storytelling. It's wonderful to be involved with a competition that recognises new writers and how damnably tricky it is to write a compelling tale with a limited word count,” says Lauren Beukes. The Cape Town-based columnist is also the author of Moxyland.

The short-story genre is currently enjoying a resurrection, with events such as Short Story Day South, held in June this year, set to become an annual fixture on the local literary calendar.

“I believe each one of us has a story to tell, and I cannot wait to see what talent we are going to unearth. I sincerely hope we will draw out all ‘closet writers’ who feel they have a story within them. And the opportunity to have your work read by such an esteemed judging panel doesn’t come along every day, so this is one of those seize-the-day moments,” says Samantha Page, the editor of O.

Competition details are available in the October issue of O, which goes on sale on Monday, 19 September 2011. For more details, also visit www.oprahmag.co.za

More About the Competition

O’s first-ever short-story contest is designed to provide a platform for budding writers. Even though there will only be one ultimate winner, we’re encouraging aspirant authors to believe in themselves and try their hand at writing an inspired short story. If you think you can write, go on and enter. The prize? A published piece that will forever have your byline.

O will accept contributions from Wednesday, 14 September 2011, until 5 P.M. on Friday, 14 October 2011. The O magazine team will send a short list of stories to our esteemed judges, who will select the final winner. The winning short story will feature in the February 2012 issue, on sale from 16 January 2012.

Contact Information:

Website: http://www.oprahmag.co.za

Deadline: 30 September 2012

The Nova Short Story Competition is our annual competition for budding writers of science fiction and fantasy short stories. Usually contested in two categories, General and South African, the competition is open for entry from April until 30 September annually. Winning entries and finalists are published in Probe.

The Nova Short Story Competition for 2012 is now open for entries, and will close on 30 September 2012. Please start thinking about your stories, thinking about writing the stories, and writing the stories. September is a lot closer than you think.

The South African section of the competition is sponsored by Arthur Goldstuck of WorldWideWorx

Please note that we reserve the right to determine if a story meets our criteria for a South African story. If we judge that a story is not South African, we will judge it as a General section story.

2012 RULES

There are two sections which may be entered with prize money as follows :

• General section : 1st - R 750.00 2nd - R500.00 3rd - R250.00
• South African section : 1st - R1000.00 2nd - R600.00 3rd - R400.00

1. By submitting to the competition, the entrant agrees to abide by all Competition Rules.

2. The judge's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

3. Prizes will be awarded in two categories: a General Section, and a South African Section.

4. Should, in the opinion of the judges, an entry submitted for the South African Section not qualify as a South African story, it will be judged in the General Section.

5. Short stories in both sections must be in the genres of Science Fiction or Fantasy. If, in the judges’ opinion, the short story is not written in these genres, the entry will be disqualified and the entry fee will be forfeited.

6. Should there be enough entrants under 18 with a suitable quality of work, an additional award may be made to the best author in this category.

7. SFFSA reserves the right not to award prizes if, in the opinion of the final judge, the standard does not warrant it.

8. All entries must be in English prose, and must be between 2000 and 5000 words.

9. SFFSA reserves the right to publish any story free of charge in the club’s magazine “Probe”, or in the club’s “Best of…” short story collection, but the copyright will remain with the author. (If possible, please keep the electronic version of the entry, as entrants may be asked to send this to SFFSA for publishing.)

10. There is no age restriction.

11. The competition is open to professional and amateur writers.

12. All entries must be the original, unpublished work of the author, and not may not have won a prize in any previous competition.

13. There is no limit to the number of entries submitted by the author.

14. All entries must be accompanied by a completed entry form.

15. No hand-written entries will be accepted. All entries must be printed or typed (hardcopy). Alternatively (for an additional fee), entries in PDF or DOC format (softcopy) may be sent via email, and will be printed by SFFSA.

16. Typed, printed or printable entries must be double-spaced and single-sided. Typed and printed entries must be bound (with staples, paperclips, folder, etc.). Printable entries must be in ready-to-print form (i.e. page numbers, page layout, font, etc will NOT be modified before printing).

17. The author’s name must NOT appear on the manuscript.

18. Entrants will be judged on:

• Presentation
• Characterisation
• Dialogue
• Plot
• Grammar & Spelling
• Writing Quality & Style
• Appeal.

20. Entrants will be notified of the results of the competition approximately 5 months after the closing date, provided that a second self-addressed stamped envelope (or an e-mail address) is enclosed for this purpose.

21. Printed or typed entries must be posted to:

SFFSA Short Story Competition
c/o Gavin Kreuiter
P.O. Box 8022
Edenglen
1613

No registered letters will be accepted.

22. Electronic entries must be emailed to: nova.sffsa@gmail.com

23. If acknowledgment of receipt of entries is required, include a stamped, self-addressed envelope, or provide an email address and request a receipt.

24. SFFSA does not accept liability for entries lost in the post.

25. No manuscripts will be returned so please do not send originals.

26. If the full entry fee has not been received by SFFSA before the closing date of the competition, the entry will be disqualified.

27. Fees.

The total fee comprises an admin fee of R15.00, PLUS an entry fee for EACH story entered, PLUS a printing fee (for electronic entries) of R20 per story, PLUS a critique fee (optional) of R25 per story.

The admin fee of R15.00 is paid only once per author, no matter how many stories are entered. For members, the entry fee is R5.00 per story submitted; for non-members, the entry fee is R10.00 per story submitted. If a short, written critique is requested, an additional fee of R25 is charged for EACH critiqued story.

The fee is only payable in cash, S.A. cheque (made payable to “Science Fiction South Africa”, not SFFSA), or internet transfer (see our web site under “Join Us” for details. Please provide proof of transfer).

THE GENRES OF SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY

Because the term Science Fiction often encompasses more than some strict definitions would allow, some authors prefer to expand the acronym SF to the term Speculative Fiction (coined by Robert A. Heinlein),which is an umbrella term that includes Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural and Alternative Histories, as well as highly specialised genres like dystopian or apocalyptic fiction. Some stories fit neatly into these categories, while others can be classified into two (or even more) genres. As a rule, Nova stories should be either Science Fiction or Fantasy (SF or F). This explicitly excludes stories that are retold myths and horror stories (with no SF or F elements). Sub-genres such as apocalyptic fiction – while rather overdone - do, usually, fall into the SF category, Alternative Histories, stories of the supernatural (ghost stories, or stories exclusively involving daemons, etc), have to be written extremely well to impress the judges.

While the Fantasy genre is sometimes understood to include myths and legends, they do not apply to Nova. For us, Fantasy stories usually involve magic or magical creatures (unicorns, trolls, etc, but not tokoloshes). Talking rabbits and furniture may make good stories, but don’t really qualify as Nova Fantasy.

And if “I woke up and it was all a dream”... then it IS a dream, not Fantasy.

Nova SF expects stories that have a scientific or technological basis, usually with a plausible (even if it does require suspension of disbelief) plot or premise.

While it can be either SF or F, it may be difficult (but not impossible) to write a South African Fantasy story. Expectations of what makes a story South African can be found in the next section.

Finally, these are general guidelines. The best authors of the world have been known to break “rules of good writing”, but they do it well. Extremely well. A winning story can bend the guidelines above, as long as it is well written and well received.

Download: entry form

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: nova.sffsa@gmail.com

Website: http://www.sfsa.org.za

Deadline: 30 June 2012

This year, as part of Short Story Day, we will be running two competitions for African writers who can’t legally drive or vote. If you live in Africa, can hold a pen or type, and are under eighteen, this means YOU! Prizes are sponsored by Books Live, S.A. Partridge and Lauri Kubuitsile.

YA SHORT STORY COMPETITION FOR AGES 12-17

WHAT? Write a short story (500 words max!) about being Young in the City. The city can be anywhere in Africa, or make one up! Fiction is your tool!

The Judge: S.A. Partridge, South Africa’s award wining YA writer.

The Prizes: S.A. Partridge will be giving away a signed copy of each of her novels. Other prizes include R500 voucher from Exclusive Books, sponsored by Books Live. Winning entries will be published amongst some of Africa’s most talent writers.

UNDER 12’S SHORT STORY COMPETITION FOR AGES 11 AND BELOW

WHAT? Write a story (no longer than 1 A4 page!) with an inanimate object as the main character: a rock, a toothbrush, your granny’s handbag. Give your character a voice, and tell us their story. “Yuck, she’s been eating garlic again!”

The Judge: Lauri Kubuitsile, Botswana’s award winning YA and children’s writer.

The Prizes: A R250 voucher from Exclusive Books, sponsored by Books Live, and one of Lauri’s books. Winning entries may be published.

COMPETITION GUIDELINES:

1. Entrants must be living in South Africa and meet age requirements state above.

2. Email your entry to kids@shortstorydayafrica.org with the subject line YA Competition / UNDER 12’S OR post it to SSDA Head Quarters, YA Competition, 12 Bristol Road, South Africa, 7925. Include your name, age, telephone number, an email address (if you have) and postal
address in your entry.

3. Deadline: 30 June 2012. Postal entries postmarked by 30 June 2012 are eligible.

4. Stories must be your own original work, and meet the length requirements.

5. By submitting a story the young authors grant non-exclusive print and digital rights to Short Story Day Africa and Books Live.

6. Winners will be notified by 31 July 2012, though should we be flooded by stories, we reserve the right to delay the announcements.

7. We will not share information or use it for any other purpose than to inform you should you win.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: kids@shortstorydayafrica.org

Website: http://shortstorydayafrica.org

Deadline: 30 September 2011

There are two sections which may be entered with prize money as follows :

General section : 1st - R 750.00 2nd - R500.00 3rd - R250.00

South African section : 1st - R1000.00 2nd - R600.00 3rd - R400.00

The SA section prize is sponsored by World Wide Worx (http://www.worldwideworx.com)

1. By submitting to the competition, the entrant agrees to abide by all Competition Rules.

2. The judge's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

3. Prizes will be awarded in two categories: a General Section, and a South African Section.

4. Should, in the opinion of the judges, an entry submitted for the South African Section not qualify as a South African story, it will be judged in the General Section.

5. Short stories in both sections must be in the genres of Science Fiction or Fantasy. If, in the judges’ opinion, the short story is not written in these genres, the entry will be disqualified and the entry fee will be forfeited.

6. Should there be enough entrants under 18 with a suitable quality of work, an additional award may be made to the best author in this category.

7. SFSA reserves the right not to award prizes if, in the opinion of the final judge, the standard does not warrant it.

8. All entries must be in English prose, and must be between 2000 and 5000 words.

9. SFSA reserves the right to publish any story free of charge in the club’s magazine “Probe”, or in the club’s “Best of…” short story collection, but the copyright will remain with the author. (If possible, please keep the electronic version of the entry, as entrants may be asked to send this to SFSA for publishing.)

10. There is no age restriction.

11. The competition is open to professional and amateur writers.

12. All entries must be the original, unpublished work of the author, and not may not have won a prize in any previous competition.

13. There is no limit to the number of entries submitted by the author.

14. All entries must be accompanied by a completed entry form.

15. All entries must be typed or printed, double-spaced, printed on one side of the paper only and bound (with staples, paperclips, folder, etc.). No hand-written entries will be accepted.

16. The author’s name must not appear on the manuscript.

17. Entrants will be judged on:

• Presentation
• Characterisation
• Dialogue
• Plot
• Grammar & Spelling
• Writing Quality & Style
• Appeal.

19. Entrants will be notified of the results of the competition approximately 5 months after the closing date, provided that a second self-addressed stamped envelope (or an e-mail address) is enclosed for this purpose.

20. Post entries to :

SFSA Short Story Competition
c/o Gavin Kreuiter
P.O. Box 8022
Edenglen
1613

21. No registered letters will be accepted.

22. If acknowledgment of receipt of entries is required, include a stamped, self-addressed envelope, or provide an email address and request a receipt.

23. SFSA does not accept liability for entries lost in the post.

24. No manuscripts will be returned so please do not send originals.

25. If the full entry fee has not been received by SFSA before the closing date of the competition, the entry will be disqualified.

26. Fees.

The total fee comprises an admin fee of R15.00, PLUS an entry fee for EACH story entered, PLUS a critique fee (optional ) of R25 per story. The admin fee of R15.00 is paid only once per author, no matter how many stories are entered. For members, the entry fee is R5.00 per story submitted; for non-members, the entry fee is R10.00 per story submitted. If a short, written critique is requested, an additional fee of R25 is charged for EACH critiqued story.

The fee is only payable in cash, S.A. cheque (made payable to “Science Fiction South Africa”, not SFSA), or internet transfer (see our web site under “Join Us” for details. Please provide proof of transfer).

Examples:

1 story, non-member, no critique = R15 + 1 x R10 = R25
1 story, member, critique = R15 + 1 x R 5 + 1 x R25 = R45
2 stories, non-member, 2 critiques = R15 + 2 x R10 + 2 x R25 = R85
3 stories, member, no critique = R15 + 3 x R 5 = R30

Contact Information:

For inquiries: sfsa.ssc@gmail.com

For submissions: SFSA Short Story Competition, c/o Gavin Kreuiter, P.O. Box 8022, Edenglen, 1613

Website: http://www.sfsa.org.za

Deadline: 24 July 2012

Calling all young storytellers, share your tales with us and have a chance to win £2,500 and see your words published.

Inspiring, encouraging and acknowledging the creativity of young people is a common goal for IGGY and Litro Magazine. Therefore we have come together to once again run the Litro & IGGY International Young Person’s Short Story Award open to all young people from around the world aged 11-19.

This year we're looking for short stories with an international theme.

In addition to a cash prize of £2,500 the winner will be published in the free short story and poetry magazine Litro and will see excerpts of their work displayed on a poster in a London Underground station.

• Entries open: 7 March 2012
• Closing date: 24 July 2012
• Longlist announced: 5 September 2012
• Shortlist announced: 14 September 2012
• Winner announced: October 2012

• be no more than 3,000 words in length
• have an international theme
• be submitted by 24 July 2012
• submitted using the online form here

• Entrants can write in any genre.
• The length of each story must not exceed 3000 words.
• The winner of the Litro and IGGY International Short story competition will receive £2,500.
• The closing date for all entries is 11.59pm (GMT) 24th July 2012.
• There is no entry fee.
• Submissions should be made online on the IGGY website (I’ll add the url when the submission form is set up).
• The copyright of any story submitted to the Litro and IGGY International Short Story Competition will remain with Litro and IGGY. The submission of a story is done with the understanding that Litro Magazine and IGGY has the right to copy and distribute the story in the Litro magazine, Litro online, IGGY and University of Warwick websites as well other platforms.
• Entrants must be aged between 11- 19 on the date of the entry.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: iggy@warwick.ac.uk

For submissions: submit via the online form here

Website: http://www.litro.co.uk/

Deadline: 31 July 2012

The window is open for entries! Ugreen Foundation is glad to announce the second edition of the Creative Wings Short Story contest, titled the Creative Wings Short Story Prize 2012.

The ‘Creative Wings Short Story Prize’ was endowed in 2011, by the Executive Director of Ugreen Foundation, Obinna Udenwe, as his contribution towards encouraging young African writers, in line with one of the visions of Ugreen Foundation which is to encourage citizens participation in knowledge building.

In 2012, the Prize will accept entries from all African writers residing anywhere in the world and will annually give books as Prizes. Writers between the ages of 0 – 40 years old and of African origin and writers whose one parent is from Africa are encouraged to apply.

In the words of Obinna Udenwe as regards the 2012 edition of the contest, he said: ‘My dream is to continuously encourage the growth of literature and arts in Africa. I have continued as a writer and an activist to engage in intellectual pursuit and to work with young people like myself. I have discovered that in this world of ever increasing phobia for uncertainties, increase in vices and delinquencies, unprecedented rise to its peak the level of crimes, terrorism, inhumanity and gross devaluation of traditions and societal negligence, we must continue, as lovers of arts and literature to use our talents, gifts and resources as means of entrenching an overhaul change in our society. There is no better way of doing this than through arts and literature. Our Creativity Class program that annually trains twenty young people on writing and oratory has proved to me that we have talents in Africa and that a lot needs to be done to encourage them – but only few people are ready to contribute… One of the winners of the first edition of this Prize, Mr. Vincent Bura-Bari Nwilo attended our Creativity Class training as a facilitator. It was wonderful meeting someone that this Prize has given publicity, encouragement and voice. His presence in the training encouraged the twenty students, it formed alliances and friendships and this is my quest – love, synergy and commitment. In Ugreen Foundation, we believe that this second edition of the Creative Wings Short Story Prize will bring in wonderful stories that delves into the nooks and crannies of African society and the world at large, helping us learn more about our environment and the people in it.’

2012 PRIZE

1. Ugreen Foundation will give out twenty (20) books for the 2012 edition of the contest. First Prize winner will receive a total of fifteen (15) books and the second Prize winner, will receive five (5) books. The books will be couriered to the winners anywhere they are in the world.

2. If the winner(s) resides in Nigeria, he gets an opportunity to attend in March, 2013, as special guest, the ‘Sen. Chris. Nwankwo Youth Creativity Class,’ a program of Ugreen Foundation that trains and empowers twenty young people economically, and intellectually in the field of writing and oratory.

Ugreen Foundation will cover transportation costs (round trip), accommodation for five nights and meals, including N30, 000 honorarium, (including tours round the state and evenings of cocktails).

If the winner(s) resides outside Nigeria and wants to attend, Ugreen Foundation will provide all of the above mentioned, excluding cost of air-travel into and out of Nigeria. The program holds annually in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital.

ENTRY RULES AND GUIDELINES

1. Entry is free.

2. Entries must not be more than 600 words long.

3. Entrant must not be more than 40 years old.

4. Entrant must be a writer of African origin living anywhere in the world. (Once an entrant is shortlisted, Ugreen Foundation will need evidence identifying the entrant as African and evidence showing date of birth).

5. Only one submission per entrant is permitted.6. Stories must be original work of the entrant and previously published works will not be accepted for the Prize.

7. Only online submissions are acceptable.

8.Entries should be emailed to creativewingscontest2012@gmail.com. Paste story on the body of the e-mail. Use ‘Creative Wings Contest’ in the subject line. Entries with attachments will be disqualified.

9. The email must contain the entrant’s name, the title of story, and the entrant’s physical address, a brief bio of NOT more than 50 words, Date of Birth, and contact phone number.10. Simultaneous submissions are NOT acceptable.11. Writers are not restricted to any theme.

12. Entries must be in English ONLY.

13. Previous winners are eligible but must apply with a different story.

14. Shortlisted entrant must agree to provide us with his/her photograph and agree to allow Ugreen Foundation and all the Prize publicists use the photograph for publicity.

15. Entries are open from June 1st to 12 Midnight July 31st.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: creativewingscontest2012@gmail.com

Website: http://www.ugreenfoundation.org

Deadline: 31 August 2011

We are currently running monthly short story competitions. You can read about our latest competition below or read the winning stories from our previous competitions on our readers page. Details of historic competitions can be found on our archive page and the themes of future competitions are on our upcoming competitions page.

August Short Story Competition

The theme for our August short story competition is “betrayal.” We are looking for publishable, proof-read stories of 1,500 to 2,500 words. Stories can be fictional or based on true events, but they must have a clear plot. We are not currently looking for "blog-style" stories.

Winners, runners up and honorary mentions will have their stories published on our website and on our forthcoming mobile phone application, which is due to launch in September. The winner will also receive a copy of the book The World’s Greatest Short Stories, edited by James Daley.

The competition is free to enter and we welcome international entries as well as those from the UK. It is open to anyone aged 16 or over, with a maximum of three entries per person. You must submit your own work for which you hold the copyright. To enter, please email your story to ruth@fivestopstory.com as a word attachment. Please put your name in the body of the email. By submitting your story you are accepting the terms and conditions detailed below.

The deadline for entries is Wednesday 31st August 2011.

Competition terms and conditions (August competition):

1. Stories must be between 1,500 and 2,500 words

2. All entrants must be aged 16 or over at the time of entry

3. No more than 3 entries per person for this competition

4. There is no entry fee for the competition

5. Entries must be written in English

6. You may only submit your own work, for which you hold the copyright. Failure to do so will result in disqualification

7. Your entry should not contain any slanderous, libellous or defamatory material

8. Entries will remain the copyright of the author but Five Stop Stories Ltd will have the right to publish the stories of the winners, runners up and honorary mentions online, on a mobile application and through other electronic formats (including but not limited to e-books)

9. The prize for the winner and runners up will be publication on this website. The winner will also receive a copy of the book The World’s Greatest Short Stories, edited by James Daley

10. All entries should be submitted as word attachments to emails to the following address: ruth@fivestopstory.com

11. Failure to observe these rules will result in disqualification.

12. The closing date for the competition is 31st August 2011

If you have any questions about these terms please contact us at ruth@fivestopstory.com

Contact Information:

For inquiries: ruth@fivestopstory.com

For submissions: ruth@fivestopstory.com

Website: http://www.fivestopstory.com

Deadline: 20 June 2012

Short Story Day Africa aims to highlight the outstanding short fiction African writers have to offer the world. The project encourages everyone of all ages and all genders to do something in honour of the short story.

COMPETITION GUIDELINES

1. Any African citizen, or person who is part of the African diaspora, as well as persons residing permenantly (granted permenant residence) in an African country, may enter. Entries will be read blind (names removed).

2. Email your entry to info@shortstorydayafrica.org with the subject line Caine Prize Competition. Include your name, telephone number, an email address where we can contact you and postal address in your entry. Also include the name of one of Jamal Mahjoub’s novels.

3. The deadline for entries is Wedensday 20 June 2012.

4. Stories must be your own original work, and no longer than 500 words in length.

5. By submitting a story the author attests that it is their own original work and grant non-exclusive print and digital rights to Short Story Day Africa, The Caine Prize for African writing, and Books Live for publicity purposes.

6. Winners will be notified by 31 July 2012, though should we be flooded by stories, we reserve the right to delay the announcements.

7. We will not share information. We will, however, add you to Short Story Day Africa mailing list for the express purpose of informing you of next years event.

8. Stories are limited to the English language.

9. The judges decision is final.

10. To qualify for entry, you must follow @shortstoryAFR, @Caine Prize, @BooksLiveSA and @HenriettaRI on Twitter.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: info@shortstorydayafrica.org

Website: http://shortstorydayafrica.org

Deadline: 18 June 2012

(Note: The competition is free to enter and open to anyone in the world over the age of 16.)

The 2012 William Soutar Writing Prize has been launched and this year the competition is open to short story writers. This is the tenth year of the prize which awards poets and short story writers in alternate years and is run by Perth & Kinross Council's Libraries and Information Services in memory of Perth's most famous poet.

The first prize is a week's writing course at one of the prestigious Arvon writers' centres, worth around £600 and there is a second prize of £100. There will also be a special local award of £50 for the best short story by a resident of Perth and Kinross. Entries this year will be judged by writer and broadcaster Billy Kay.

GUIDELINES

This is an annual competition now in its tenth year, alternating between poetry and short stories. For 2012, short stories may be entered. Entry is free and open to anyone in the world over the age of 16, but you are limited to two short stories.

JUDGE: Billy Kay

PRIZES

• First Prize A writing course at Moniack Mhor, the Arvon Centre in Scotland (for which the normal fee would be approximately £600), or another of the UK Arvon Centres. The winner will be announced on Writers’ Day, Saturday 25 August 2012
• Second Prize £100 Book Tokens
• Local Prize £50 of Book Tokens will also be awarded for the best work from a resident of Perth and Kinross

• The deadline for all entries is Monday 18 June 2012
• All entrants must be 16 years of age or over
• Stories must not exceed 2000 words
• A maximum of two stories may be submitted
• All entries must be typed or word processed, on one side of the paper only
• Two copies of each sort story submitted must be provided
• Entries may be in English or Scots
• The competition is open to anyone throughout and outside the United Kingdom
• All entries are judged anonymously and the name of the writer must not appear on the manuscript
• Stories must not have been previously published
• Competition entries cannot be returned - please do not include a pre-paid envelope
• The Judge’s decision is final and no correspondence can be entered into
• Alterations cannot be made to stories once they have been submitted
• Entries must be accompanied by an entry form
• There is no entry fee for this competition
• Local entries (writers living in Perth & Kinross at time of entry) can also be additionally entered for the local Soutar prize. They should tick the LOCAL box on the entry form
• It is the entrant’s responsibility to ensure that the above rules are adhered to

Failure to comply with the above rules will result in disqualification from the competition. The winner(s) will be notified a few days before the formal announcement on 25 August 2012. Unsuccessful entrants will not be individually notified. If a local entrant wins one of the main prizes, they will not also be eligible for the local prize.

The winning names will be posted on our website. The writers of the winning short stories grant Perth & Kinross Libraries and Information Services the right to use the stories in publicity material for one year from 25 August 2012. The copyright of each story remains with the author.

Download: entry form

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For submissions: return your completed form and two copies of each submission to Jill Mackintosh, AK Bell Library, York Place, Perth PH2 8EP, UK

Website: http://www.pkc.gov.uk/

Deadline: 21 June 2011

R1000 and a professional critique are up for grabs. All you have to do is flash your shorts.

Flash fiction is a style of fictional literature or fiction of extreme brevity. There is no widely accepted definition of the length of the category. Some self-described markets for flash fiction impose caps as low as three hundred words, while others consider stories as long as a thousand words to be flash fiction. (Wikipedia)

We challenge you to write a story in one post on our Facebook wall. Being constrained to 420 characters, including spaces, will spark your creativity and force you to focus on word choice, sentence structure and even punctuation. It can be done.

Liesl Jobson, SA’s Queen of Flash, will judge the competition and give the professional critique.

Genre: Any

Word count: 420 characters or less

Prize: R1000 cash sponsored by Books LIVE and a professional critique by Liesl Jobson (on a story of no more than 1000-words).

Flash Fiction Competition Rules

1. Entrants must Like Short Story Day South and Books LIVE on Facebook.
2. 420 characters (not words) including spaces or less. Stories must be confined to a single post and not continued in the comments boxes below.
3. Submissions are open now until 21 June 2011
4. All entries must be posted on Short Story Day South’s Facebook wall and sent to shortstorydaysouth@gmail.com
5. Submissions must be in English
6. You must retain the rights to your story to submit it.
7. By submitting a story the author attests that it is their own original work and grants non-exclusive print and digital rights to Short Story Day South and Books LIVE

Contact Information:

For inquiries: shortstorydaysouth@gmail.com

For submissions: shortstorydaysouth@gmail.com

Website: http://www.shortstorydaysouth.co.za

Deadline: 31 October 2012

A biennial award of £1,000, financed by a bequest made by Miss Nellie Tom-Gallon in memory of her brother. The award must be made to a writer of fiction who has had at least one short story accepted for publication, and who has serious writing ambitions.

The submitted story should be traditional, rather than experimental, in character, and the financial circumstances of the writer should be taken into account.

The next deadline for entries is 31st October 2012 (for award in June 2013).

CRITERIA FOR ENTRY

(i) The author must be a citizen of the United Kingdom, Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland.

(ii) The author must have had at least one short story published or accepted for publication.

(iii) The story submitted must be in English and must not be a translation.

(iv) The story submitted may be published or unpublished.

HOW TO ENTER

Please complete the form and submit it with:

• One (and only one) short story (maximum length 5,000 words), published or unpublished and typed in double line spacing, with your name stated on the first page;
• A list of your previously published work including the publisher and date of publication;
• If you would like an acknowledgement, the return of your story, and/or to be notified of the winner please provide stamped addressed envelopes.

Download: entry form

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries: info@societyofauthors.org

For submissions: send to Paula Johnson, Awards Secretary, Society of Authors, 84 Drayton Gardens, London SW10 9SB

Website: http://www.societyofauthors.org

Deadline: 6 July 2012

Aren’t we all tired of being boxed and punched into, “the African writer must write poverty p0rn to be successful” casket? It is time…no actually; it is way past time for us to write about those little geeks and five legged mathematicians in our head. It is time to write stories that rely more on our imagination than on the circumstances around us and the problems that we are forced to face. Get your word processor and write a story that will identify you as a writer and not an African writer.

Lesleigh Inc will be running a series of short story contests starting this June.

The June contest runs in conjunction with UP Magazine and will be on the Sci-fi/ fantasy theme. All creative writers are invited to participate.

THE INNIS AND THE OUTIS A.K.A THE RULES

• The story must be original enough to make us bow in awe at the mind of the writer.
• Word count: Exactly 3687 words. Nothing more, nothing less.
• Font type: Book Antiqua
• Font size: 12
• Spacing: 1.5
• Justified

• The word count mentioned above.
• Please edit your work before submitting it.

• Subject: Innis and Outtis Short Story Contest
• A cover letter on the main body of the email that has a 100 word writer bio and a 250 word synopsis of the story.
• Your story in a Microsoft Word 97-2003 attachment.
• Deadline for submission: 6th July 2012-06-04

• Free ticket to a Lesleigh Inc Creative Writing Workshop in July
• An opportunity to become a resident contributor of fiction to our literary magazine Bullet Pen.
• Serialisation of winning story on UP Magazine.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: bulletpen@lesleighinc.com

Website: http://www.lesleighinc.com/

Deadline: 30 JUNE 2012

(Note: The contest is aimed at youths between 18 and 30 who are citizens of one of the 42 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean space. The 42 Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Countries are: Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritania, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom.)

SEA OF WORDS

The contest "A Sea of Words", in its 2012 call, is being held again with theaim of contributing to the encouragement of dialogue between peoples, and exchange of knowledge and experiences between different local and international traditions. However, in the framework of the European Year for Solidarity between Generations, this year’s theme will be aimed at promoting the vision and expectations of young people about their future and the contact between different generations of Euro-Mediterranean societies.

The contest is aimed at the production of short stories whose content is related to the creation and/or consolidation of dynamics aiming to reinforce volunteering activities, one of the active citizenship elements to promote intergenerational solidarity, the evolution of values and societies, and the expression of different sensitivities and realities of young people in the region.

Literary production is a fundamental means for the expression and description of facts, ideas and emotions that can be directly transmitted to and by young people all over the Euro-Mediterranean region. From this point of view, the object is to obtain literary stories – based on reality and purely fictional – that describe different experiences of children, parents and grandparents facing the future.

CALL AND CONDITIONS

The Anna Lindh Foundation and the European Institute of the Mediterranean are calling the fourth year of the international short story contest “A Sea of Words” aimed at young people from the 42 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean space. The contest is aimed at the production of short stories focusing on the issues of children, parents and grandparents facing the future, with the objective of showing the different sensitivities and realities in the Euro-Mediterranean region, from the point of view of the youths who live there.

Participation Requisites

The contest is aimed at youths between 18 and 30 who are citizens of one of the 42 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean space.

Story Format

The short stories cannot exceed a length of 2,500 words and can be written in any of the official languages of the participant countries. They must be original and unpublished works. The short stories must address issues related to intercultural dialogue, mainly of a political, socio-cultural, economic and environmental nature.

Deadline and Place of Submission of the Stories

All the short stories must be sent to the following e-mail address: concurso@iemed.org

The authors must attach their personal details (names and surnames, place of birth, nationality, postal address and e-mail) to the submitted short stories.

The short stories can be sent by e-mail until:

12 midnight on 30th June 2012.

Participation in the contest implies the surrendering to the IEMed and the Anna Lindh Foundation of the copyright of the contestant’s short story. The Anna Lindh Foundation and the IEMed reserve the right to publish and use the short stories received for their future activities.

SELECTION PROCESS

National Selections

The national networks of the Anna Lindh Foundation will make a prior selection of the five best short stories of each country and will provide their translation into English. These short stories will be sent to the international jury.

International Selection

The Anna Lindh Foundation and the IEMed will constitute an international jury, whose composition will be made public at the appropriate time on the contest website. The international jury will be constituted by five distinguished figures from the literary and academic worlds and journalism from the countries in the Euro-Mediterranean area.

The international jury will have a maximum period of 30 days, from 1st August, to select the best short stories from those pre-selected by the national networks of the Anna Lindh Foundation. The jury will reward 20 short stories depending on their overall quality.

AWARDS

The authors of the 20 best short stories will be awarded with the publication of their short stories and participation in the following activities:

Awards Presentation in Barcelona

The authors of the best short stories will be invited to the awards presentation ceremony in Barcelona on 5th and 6th November 2012.

Cultural Programme in Barcelona and Gerona

During the days following the awards presentation, the winners of the contest will be invited to participate in a programme of cultural visits and activities in the cities of Barcelona and Gerona.

The travel, accommodation and meal costs, both in Barcelona and Gerona, will be covered by the organisers.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: concurso@iemed.org

For submissions: All the short stories must be sent to the following e-mail address concurso@iemed.org

Website: http://www.iemed.org

Deadline: 30 June 2012

Alex Black of Print Express sent this call for entries to us a few days ago. If you know any budding writer under the age of 14 who might be interested to participate, please point them to this post. Free to enter, no risk - this sounds like a good opportunity for kids to get started on fiction writing.

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Announcing the Print Express Children's Story Competition: we've run a number of competitions for aspiring poets & short story authors in the past, but we're excited to announce that this is the first competition we've run exclusively for kids. If you're aged 13 or under and are a keen short story writer, we want to hear from you - and you could win £150 in Amazon vouchers!

To enter, email us at shortstory@printexpress.co.uk with your short story (maximum of 500 words) on any topic that you'd like. The more creative, interesting, exciting & fun your story - the better!

Here are the rules in full:

- No entry fee
- Open to those aged 13 or under
- Maximum of 500 words
- Deadline to enter is 30th June, 2012
- Only one entry per person
- When applying, include your age
- We'd like to publish the winner's story on our blog, but you keep the rights to it.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries/ submissions: shortstory@printexpress.co.uk

Website: http://www.printexpress.co.uk/

Deadline: 1 August 2012

We are currently accepting submissions for our upcoming anthology.

Please note: If you have previously sent a submission and have not received a response please resend your submission. A technical issue has prevented CP from receiving these emails. Send all submissions to readmynovel [at] gmail [dot] com.

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY:

We are looking for short fiction with SF/Fantasy themes and are open to all interpretations. Whether it's new worlds, alternate universes, fairies, vampires, werewolves, etc. we want the reader to explore new worlds and meet new people (or half people!). We’d like to include stories with a wide range of appeal to both young adult readers as well as adult lovers of SF/Fantasy. All submissions must be free from explicit content and meet the guidelines below. The themes stitching these stories together are fantasy and science fiction.

GUIDELINES:

• Short Story word count between 500 words and 7,000 words
• Poetry word count: no limit (for Inspirational/Christian anthology)
• No s3x scenes
• Previously published stories are accepted as long as you have the rights to them.

• Author name
• A short author bio (for the website)
• Word count
• Title of the story
• Genre of anthology you are submitting for (Historical, YA, SF/Fantasy, Children's, or Inspirational)
• Your email address
• Your story

If your story is accepted for one of our anthologies you will be notified by email. Upon notification you will then receive a submission/publishing agreement. If you agree to the terms sign the agreement and return it to Chamberton Publishing. Once we have the signed agreement, the payment for your story will be made.

OTHER INFORMATION:

• You keep the copyright to your story.
• You can republish it at any time.
• You give Chamberton Publishing the right to publish in the anthology in ebook and/or print.
• Your name will appear in the anthology and on the Chamberton Publishing website.
• You will be paid for your story.
• Publication dates for each anthology to be determined.

• 500 to 2500 words - $50
• 2501 to 5000 words - $75
• 5001 to 7000 words - $100

To submit your story send in an attachment by email to readmynovel [at] gmail [dot] com

*Chamberton Publishing does not accept, nor will we consider, manuscripts with dem0nic, witchcraft, or occult themes, nor do we accept er0tica.

Chamberton understands the commitment and dedication it takes to write, edit, and polish a manuscript. We also understand the dream of every writer to see their book in print. Unfortunately, we are not accepting submissions for novels, novellas, or non fiction at this time.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: readmynovel@gmail.com

Website: http://www.chambertonpublishing.com

Deadline: 30 June 2012

Second Wind Publishing invites you to submit an entry to our holiday short story contest.

Entries are to be holiday stories of any genre that mention a food of some kind. (The food item can be a focus of the story or simply a prop.) The winner will be included in Second Helpings, a short story/recipe anthology to be released in time for Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, New Years. So, be thinking of holiday stories with delicious recipes. The story and recipe must be your own original work since the recipe will also be published in the anthology. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. The story must not exist in print form or in any current or upcoming anthology. The story must be no longer than 5,000 words.

The contest is open to anyone in the world, 18 or older, though the entry must be written in English. There is no entry fee. The best entries will be posted on this site for everyone to read and comment. The authors and management of Second Wind Publishing will choose the three finalists, but reader comments will be taken into consideration. Entries will be judged on originality, readability, writing skills, characterization, plot, and how well they fit in with the theme of the anthology. Spelling and grammar count. The decision of the judges is final.

Everyone is welcome to vote for the winner, which is to be chosen from the three finalists. The winner will be the finalist with the most comments.

The winning entry will be published in the upcoming Second Wind anthology, Second Helpings. (Title is subject to change.) The winner will also receive a coupon from Smashwords.com for an unlimited number of free downloads of the anthology for one month. The coupon can be sent to as many people as you wish during that month. The winner will also be able to purchase an unlimited number of print copies of the anthology at half price plus shipping costs. And the winner will receive a one year free VIP account from Angie’s Diary, the online writing magazine to help you get even more exposure for your writing. ($99 value).

All entries will be deleted once the contest is over.

The contest begins April 1, 2012 and ends June 30, 2012.

SCHEDULE:

• June 30, 2012 at 11:59 pm ET: Contest ends.
• July 1 — July 15, 2012: Judging of entries by 2W (and 2W authors) to pick top three entries
• July 15 — July 31, 2012: Judging of the three finalists by blog readers to pick the winner
• August 1, 2012: Winner announced
• October 1, 2012 Book published (In an ideal world …)

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. By participating in the contest, entrant certifies the entry is original, has not been previously published, and does not contain material that would violate or infringe upon the rights of any third party, including copyrights, trademarks or rights or privacy or publicity. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entry that it deems unsuitable or ineligible for the contest. The decision of the judges is final and binding.

2. Limit one (1) entry per person and per e-mail address for the duration of the contest. Winners of previous contests held by the sponsor are prohibited from entering again within a one-hundred eighty (180) day period of previous winning submission announcement. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, or inaccurate entries. In the case of a dispute as to the identity of an online entrant, the prize will be awarded to the authorized e-mail account holder.

3. Online entrants must have a valid e-mail address. Entrants agree to be bound by the terms of these official rules and by the decisions of the sponsor and judges which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this contest. Winners will be required to sign and return a Short Story Publishing Contract within seven (7) days of winner selection, which will give Second Wind exclusive print and ebook rights for two (2) years. Failure to comply will result in selection of an alternate winner. Acceptance constitutes permission for the sponsor and its agencies to use winner’s name and/or likeness, biographical material and/or entry (including an edited form of the entry) for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation. By accepting prize, winner agrees to hold the sponsor, its affiliates, and anyone associated with the sponsor harmless for any injury or damage caused or claimed to be caused by participation in the promotion or acceptance or use of the prize. Sponsor is not responsible for any printing, typographical, mechanical or other error in the printing of the offer or in the announcement of the prize.

4. Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, modify or suspend the contest. Sponsor reserves the right to select winners from eligible entries received as of the termination date. Sponsor further reserves the right to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: secondwindpublishing@gmail.com

Website: http://secondwindpublishing.com/

Deadline: 31 October 2011

Entries for this year's Bloody Parchment short story competition are open. The first prize includes one round of professional editing of a novella or novel-length work. Bloody Parchment will publish an anthology of the top 13 finalists, to be released in anticipation of the 2012 SA HORRORFEST.

Submission guidelines:

Email your entries to nerinedorman@gmail.com as attached .rtf or .doc files and place : “Submission: Bloody Parchment 2011 – [insert author name]” in the subject line. Standard manuscript format applies (Times New Roman, 12pt font; indented paragraphs; double spacing). Please include your contact details (full name, pen name, email address and telephone number if South African resident). This competition is open to South African and international entrants.

Please be a darling and read our rules and regulations for the finer details. The competition is open until October 31, 2011. Winners will be notified by e-mail, and announced on the HORRORFEST websites:

http://www.horrorfest.info/

http://www.shadowrealminc.com/

Submission guidelines:

Impress us. We do not claim to know what makes the perfect story, but as we are the judges and we get to choose the winner, it's only fair that we give some idea what we are looking for. In short, we are going to give the prize to the story that impresses us most and irritates us least. We don't think we're particularly irritable but with a stack of submissions to narrow down to a few winners, any small thing is likely to condemn a story to the larger pile. It's much easier to describe what will irritate us than what will impress us, so we've done that below.
More importantly, what will impress us is a narrative-based story with strong characters and an interesting plot. We know that's what everyone says and that desspite the huge amount that has been written on the subject, it still defies definition. We're not going to try to define it here because we're looking forward to reading entries that show us what it means. If you're looking for a concise description no more than a click away, we recommend http://www.internet-resources.com/stash/weirdtales-1.html

Genre. As this is part of the SA HORRORFEST, we are looking for stories of horror or dark fantasy. We are not going to be prescriptive about what that means as our definitions are fairly broad. A horror story need not contain a supernatural element, nor must a dark fantasy story give us nightmares. All we really ask for is the sense that the story belongs on the dark side.
Having said that, simply inserting an element associated with the darker genres will not be enough. A romance story about a tall, dark handsome vampire is still a romance story. A crime story about a demonic detective is still a crime story. Which leads on to the list of things that will irritate us.

Things guaranteed to count against you...

Bad usage. We are not going to throw your story out for one spelling mistake but we are all in love with the English language and we don't like to see her abused. Besides, repeated mis-spellings and grammatical errors are guaranteed to irritate.

Fanfiction. Any characters or settings still under copyright are likely to get us sued if we publish them. The idea of being sued irritates us so much that if we're in any doubt, we're not going to touch it even if the story is brilliant. As a general guide, anything published by Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/) is in the public domain.

Bigotry. Your characters may be as bigoted as you like but we're all pale-livered liberals and will be irritated by the sense that a story is derogatory toward any particular group of human beings. We don't mind stories derogatory toward imaginary beings.

Derivative stories. Between us, we've read quite a few books and seen quite a few films, and if any of us think a story is a rehash of one of them with slightly different characters, we are likely to be irritated. That's not to say that a story can't share ideas with other stories or films, and in fact it's practically impossible not to, but retellings nearly always have the sense of being second rate.

Twilight knock-offs. Need we say more?

Things that may irritate us if not handled carefully.

Gratuitous s3x. There's nothing wrong with a bit of s3x in a story, but the competition is part of the Horrorfest, not the Sexpo, and we are not looking for er0tica.

Gratuitous violence. As with s3x, vi0lence may be an essential part of the story and we enjoy a good punch-up as much as the next reader, but p0rnographic descriptions of violence get boring very quickly.

Excessive gore. We are not particularly squeamish and we are asking for horror stories, but gore is another element that gets boring when overdone.

Exposition. There are probably things that we need to know in order to care about the characters and understand the setting, but conveying information is a way that makes us feel we are being given an orientation briefing by the author is not conducive to a good narrative.

Tropes such as vampires, werewolves, serial killers, etc. These are staples of horror and dark fiction and we believe they have a lot of life in them yet. However, the fact of their being tropes also means that a lot has been done with them so a story that uses them will need to do something new.

Trying to shock us. We believe we are immune to being shocked. It may be interesting to be proved wrong, but depending on shock value to the exclusion of narrative and characters will not give us the impression that we are reading a good story.

Rules and regulations:

1. The entrant confirms that s/he is the original author of the work and has full copyright of the submitted work and that it is not subject any publication restrictions as a result of prior obligations (including, but not limited to previous publication) or disputes.

2. The entrant confirms that the work s/he submitted does not violate the trademarks, copyright, and/or rights of others and that any liability that may arise from their work will be solely theirs.

3. The entrant accepts that by entering this contest no obligation (direct or implied) exists for the submitted work to be published and/or any compensation accruing to the entrant.

4. The entrant will retain copyright of the submitted work. In the event that the work should be selected as a finalist in the contest, the entrant agrees upon submission that the contest organisers may publish in hardcover and electronic format an anthology containing their work (properly attributed to the author).

5. The entrant accepts without reservation that the decision of the contest judges are final and that no further correspondence will be entered into.

6. The contest is open for submissions from midnight on (July 7, 2011) until midnight on (October 31, 2011).

7. The contest is for short original fictional work written in UK or SA English within the theme of Halloween, horror, urban fantasy or dark fantasy. No fan fiction will be accepted. Work that is not narrative-driven and/or containing explicit and gratuitous violence, sex or any form of bigotry will be rejected.

8. The submitted work must not exceed (3 500) words in length and must be a complete work, not an extract from a longer piece.

9. A submission must be in the following format (or it will be rejected without correspondence to the entrant): an email attachment, saved as a rich text file (.rtf), only the title (without the author’s name, which will be recorded according to rule 10 below) and the text, no images or graphics, Times New Roman, 12pt font, double line-spacing, with page numbers in the right bottom corner of each page. The author's name should not appear in the attachment since the judging process relies on the majority of the judges not being aware of the author’s identity—those works that are selected as finalists will be reunited with the correct author name before the finalists are announced.

10. Submissions must be sent to the following address only: nerinedorman@gmail.com with the subject line: “Submission: Bloody Parchment 2011 – [insert author name]”.

11. The entrant accepts that once a work has been submitted it cannot be updated/edited in any way whatsoever by the entrant, other than changes that may be recommended by the judges of the contest. Resubmissions of works already submitted will be ignored.

12. The entrant undertakes not to withdraw a work once it has been selected as a finalist (barring cases where the contest organisers become aware of a violation of these rules or any other serious transgression involving the submitted work).

13. The contest organisers do not have the administrative capacity to enter into correspondence with entrants and will not confirm receipt of entries; entrants are advised to utilise the “request delivery receipt” function available with many email applications.

14. The entrant acknowledges that any violation of the letter or spirit of the above contest rules will lead to the immediate disqualification of his/her submission.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: nerinedorman@gmail.com

For submissions: nerinedorman@gmail.com

Website: http://bloodyparchment.blogspot.com

Deadline: rolling

(Note: Literary Laundry accept submissions from outside the United States.)

Literary Laundry is now publishing (in print) poetry chapbooks, novellas, and short story collections. Authors selected for publication will receive $250 in upfront payment and 33% of all royalties earned on sales. Submissions for the series is rolling. There is no fee to submit. See the submission policies below for further details.

SUBMISSION POLICIES FOR OUR CHAPBOOK SERIES

• Please submit your chapbook as a PDF. The book interior should be formatted exactly as the author (you) would like to see it published.
• Files should be formatted to trim size 5.5'' x 8.5''

• Poetry books should not exceed 75 pages. This count includes table of contents, prose introduction, author biography, and any necessary appendices.
• Novellas and short story collections should be between 10,000 and 30,000 words in length.
• Each chapbook should contain a 3-5 page, single-spaced prose introduction that reflects upon the book's aesthetic aspirations. (Note: Because this introduction will be written in 5.5'' x 8.5'' trim, it will be much shorter than 3-5 pages in a standard document).
• All books should contain a table of contents.
• With the exception of the introduction, authors are free to format the remainder of their chapbook however they choose.

• Poetry chapbooks may contain images, in either color or black and white.
• Poems may be formatted in any fonts, colors, justifications, etc.

• Novellas and short story collections may be formatted in any fonts or justifications. They cannot, however, contain color.
• Please include a table of contents if the manuscript is divided into multiple sections or stories.
• Authors may include appendices as they see fit.

• Poetry chapbooks must contain at least 10 previously unpublished poems. Previously published poems should be noted on an appendix page that lists which poems were previously published and where.
• At least half of the stories in a short story collection must be previously unpublished.
• All novella submissions must be previously unpublished.
• Any previously published work should be noted on an “Acknowledgements” page (which stipulates where and when the piece was originally published).
• All manuscripts must include an author biography at the end of the book. This biography should be less than a page in length. Personal photo may be included (though this is optional).
• Books selected for publication will receive $250 in upfront payment and 33% of all royalties earned on sales.
• Please do not query until 6 months following submission.

For submissions: via their online submission form here

Website: http://www.literarylaundry.com

Deadline: 18 June 2012

The second annual Short Story Day Africa is on the 20th of June and is rolling out internationally.

So Black Letter Media and Poetry Potion are teaming up to participate by getting YOU reading and writing! Black Letter Media is passionate about getting you to read work by independent publishers. Poetry Potion is passionate about the growth and development of poetry. And it tune with keeping things short, here's how you can participate in this challenge:

A SHORT STORY AND A SHORT POEM

We want to publish a collection of short stories and short poems on the 20th of June, in ebook format and print on demand. We're accepting stories from all over Africa. You have a choice, you can write a poem or a story or both.

CRITERIA

• Short Story length - maximum 2000 words (min 1000 words)
• Poem length - 30 lines or less.
• Please include a short biography (no more than 200 words), a photograph of yourself, and any links to your author website/books pages or blog, or your publishers site. Links will be authenticated, and any links to other sites will mean your work will not appear.
• Submit in a word document.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: story@blackletterm.com

Website: http://www.poetrypotion.com/, /">http://www.blackletterm.com

Deadline: 1 October 2012

(Note: Applicants are invited from anywhere in the world and can be published or as yet unpublished.)

A major new £7,500 annual short story competition has been launched by the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival in association with Oxford Gastronomica.

The Jeremy Mogford Prize for Food and Drink Writing 2013 will be awarded at next year’s festival to the best short story on the theme of food and drink.

MogfordFood and drink has to be at the heart of the tale. The story could, for instance, be fiction or fact about a chance meeting over a drink, a life-changing conversation over dinner, or a relationship explored through food or drink. It could be crime or intrigue; in fact, any subject you like as long as it involves food and/or drink in some way.

The panel of judges will include Jeremy Mogford, owner of Oxford’s Old Parsonage and Old Bank hotels and Gee’s restaurant, Donald Sloan, co-founder and chair of Oxford Gastronomica and head of the Oxford School of Hospitality Management at Oxford Brookes University, and Pru Leith, the celebrated food writer and novelist.

The story should be up to 2500 words and must be written in English.

HOW TO ENTER

Your short story should be up to 2500 words in total in English and have a food and drink theme at its heart. Entries should be submitted by email as a Word document to the mogfordprize@oxfordliteraryfestival.org by October 1, 2012. The winning entry will be announced at the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival in March 2013. The winner will receive £7500.

Entrants should also supply their home address, email and telephone number, their age and profession.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: contact Tony Byrne at 07801 287510 (UK)

For submissions: mogfordprize@oxfordliteraryfestival.org

Website: http://oxfordliteraryfestival.org