In the past month or two, I’ve been receiving more and more submissions. My inbox is so full I don’t know how I’m ever going to catch up to everything that’s been sent in! So, what’s the best way to deal with the situation? Invite a bunch more submissions, of course, and offer free books and discounts!
The Summer Stories contest will be open to your entries from July 21, 2013, until August 10, 2013. The theme for the contest is: camping or picnic. All submitted stories must be related to one or both of these themes. Beyond that, the world is your oyster! (Or, given the theme, perhaps the world is your anthill?)
Prizes:
In total, there are nine prize packages available, including free books and ebooks and big Store discounts.
Selected stories will be published to the site at the rate of two per day during the week of August 12 to 16, 2013, with prize-winning stories being published on August 14, 15, and 16, as described below.
Grand Prizes
There will be two grand prizes, one for each story category. The two grand prize-winning stories will be published to the site on Friday, August 16, 2013.
- Grand Prize (Artistic): The author of the best “artistic” story will receive a print copy of their choice of Fifty-Word Stories: Volume One or Volume Two, plus a one-time use coupon for 50% off their next order from the TimSevenhuysen.com Store.
- Grand Prize (Amusing): The author of the best “amusing” story will receive a print copy of their choice of Fifty-Word Stories: Volume One or Volume Two, plus a one-time use coupon for 50% off their next order from the TimSevenhuysen.com Store.
Runner-Up Prizes
There will be four runner-up prizes, two for each story category. The runner-up prize-winning stories will be published to the site on August 14 and August 15, 2013.
- Runner-Up Prizes (4): The authors of the second- and third-best “artistic” and “amusing” stories will each receive an ebook copy of their choice of Fifty-Word Stories: Volume One or Volume Two, plus a one-time use coupon for 50% off their next order from the TimSevenhuysen.com Store.
Draw Prizes
An additional three prize packages will be awarded to three authors who will be picked randomly from all entrants. Winners of a grand prize or runner-up prize will not be eligible for the draw. The draw prize winners will be selected using a random number generator, and will be announced on the day the grand prize-winning stories are posted.
- Draw Prizes: The three draw prize winners will each receive a one-time use coupon for 30% off their next order from the TimSevenhuysen.com Store.
Contest Rules:
- To be eligible for this contest, stories must be received between July 21, 2013, and August 10, 2013.
- Stories must be related to the theme of either “camping” or “picnic”. Stories not related to one of these themes will not be considered for a prize, but may be considered for later publication on the site.
- Submit your entry or entries to tim@fiftywordstories.com. (Limit two story submissions per writer. Please send each story in a separate email. Story should be pasted into the body of the email.)
- The subject line of your email must start with “SUMMER STORIES ENTRY” and include the title of the story.
- Stories must be exactly 50 words long, not counting title and author biography.
- Any stories received for the contest but not published during the week of August 12 to 16, 2013, will still be held eligible for later publication on the site. Entry into the contest does not guarantee publication on the site.
- “Artistic” stories will be those that would be primarily categorized under the “Artistic” or “Touching” tags when published. “Amusing” stories are those that would be primarily categorized under the “Amusing”, “Puns and Wordplay”, or “Odd” categories when published. The editor reserves the right to assign each submission to a category at his sole discretion.
- All stories must follow all guidelines specified on the Submissions page. Please read this page before sending in your entry.
I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with. We have some very talented regular submitters that I’m sure I’ll hear from, and I know there are some equally talented readers out there who maybe just need some encouragement to throw their hat in the ring. Well, there’s no better time than now! Get writing!
