The Wordclay Short Story Contests are no longer open for submissions. Thank you for your interest, and thanks to everyone who entered. The winners will be announced June 30, 2008.
Wordclay Short Story Contests: Official Terms and Conditions
1.A. Entering the SINGLE SHORT STORY Contest:
There are no previous publishing requirements to enter this contest.
New or existing users of Wordclay.com may enter the Single Short Story Contest by completing the following steps anytime during the contest's open submission period:
Becoming a member and registering your personal information with Wordclay will ensure we know how to contact you should you win prizes or be selected as a finalist to appear in the next Wordclay Best Modern Voices anthology series.
- Step 2 : E-mail your short story entry and cover letter to contests@wordclay.com as separate attachments, in Microsoft Word® files. One, two or three short stories are permitted per entrant. If more than three stories are submitted, all entries by said writer will be disqualified. Send only one e-mail as well (one e-mail with multiple attachments, including your story and cover letter). Please follow these additional instructions below:
- Clearly list your name as a header on each page of your submission.
- In the subject line of the e-mail, type "Single Short Story Contest."
- In the body of the e-mail, include:
- your full name
- physical mailing address (no P.O. Box please)
- phone number
- e-mail address
- the title of your submission(s) (maximum of three stories, each story maximum of 5,000 words)
- Include a short cover letter, detailing your previous publishing experience, listing your submission with Wordclay as well as your contact information.
- You can only enter a maximum of three short stories. All entries must be double-spaced, written in Times New Roman, with a maximum length of 5,000 words.
- If you submit more than one story, each story should be separated and saved as its own, individual Microsoft Word document.
- Send only one e-mail to enter your submission(s) (for example, send one e-mail with multiple attachments, including your story (or stories) and cover letter).
- Wordclay will only accept your first e-mail with submissions, so be certain the one you initially submit is your final draft. All subsequent e-mails from an individual with revisions or additional submissions will be ignored.
We will begin accepting submissions on March 31, 2008. The deadline to submit an entry for the contest is 11:59 PM ET on May 31, 2008 (before June 1st).
There are no entry fees, no subsidy payments and no purchases of any kind required to enter and/or win the contest.
By submitting your work, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of the contest, mentioned herein. All work submitted must be original material written by the contestant and is the sole responsibility of the contestant; entrants are entirely responsible for all content submitted. Wordclay reserves the right to declare any entries ineligible if we determine it is not in accordance with the terms stated in Wordclay's Terms of Use or in the Short Story Contest Terms and Conditions.
1.B Entering the
SHORT STORY COLLECTION
Contest:
There are no previous publishing requirements to enter this contest.
Contestants entering should have a short story collection they wish to publish as a book.
Notice: Before entering the Short Story Collection contest, please note that there is a minimum page count of 48 pages required. If you do not have enough content to publish a 48 page, 5 inch by 8 inch (or larger) book, please enter our Single Short Story contest instead.
New or existing users of Wordclay.com may enter the Short Story Collection contest by completing the following steps anytime during the contest's open submission period:
Having your personal information listed in our database will ensure we can contact you freely and conveniently.
- Step 2 : Send your story collection via e-mail and complete all of the following details:
- In the subject line of the e-mail, type "Short Story Collection Contest."
- In the body of the e-mail, include:
- your full name
- physical mailing address (no P.O. Box, please),
- phone number
- e-mail address
- the title of your collection
- the title of your three best stories within the collection for judges review (maximum of 15,000 total word count)
- Include a short cover letter, detailing your previous publishing experience, listing your submission with Wordclay as well as your contact information.
- Wordclay will only accept your first e-mail with your submission, so be certain the one you initially submit is your final draft. All subsequent e-mails from an individual with revisions or additional submissions will be ignored.
- Your entire work must be submitted for review at the time of entry.
We will begin accepting submissions on March 31, 2007. The deadline to submit an entry for the contest is 11:59 PM ET on May 31, 2008 (before June 1st).
There are no entry fees, no subsidy payments and no purchases of any kind required to enter and/or win the contest.
By submitting your work, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of the contest, mentioned herein. All work submitted must be original material written by the contestant and is the sole responsibility of the contestant; entrants are entirely responsible for all content submitted. Wordclay reserves the right to declare any entries ineligible if we determine it is not in accordance with the terms stated in Wordclay's Terms of Use or the Short Story Contest Terms and Conditions.
2.A. Judging the SINGLE SHORT STORY Contest: All of the submitted stories will be reviewed. Judges reserve the right to disqualify contestants that do not comply with the Terms and Conditions for the contest. The winners of the Single Short Story contest will be selected during a two-round process:
Round One: All material must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on May 31, 2008 to qualify for judging. In the first round, a panel of judges will review the stories. They will select 30 stories to move on to round two based on the story's originality, creative imagination, characterization, artistic quality and the adherence to length limitations.
Any styles are welcome as long as the submission complies with these terms and conditions. All decisions of the judges are final. Only one story by the same writer can advance to the next round.
Note: While we respect the right of individuals to freely express themselves in literature, we do not accept prose that is explicitly offensive. Therefore, we ask that writers who submit their work to our contests to be considerate of this policy.
Round Two: The 30 stories that make it into round two will be reviewed by an independent board of finalist judges comprised of accomplished editors and/or writers, who will be disclosed on www.wordclay.com. Click here for more detailed information about the already disclosed judges, although more may be added in the future.
Entries are judged on the basis of originality, creative imagination, characterization, artistic quality and the adherence to length limitations. Of the 30 stories, the finalist judges will select 15 finalist stories, each of which will be included in the Short Story Anthology. Additionally, out of the 15 finalists stories, the judges will select one Grand Prize winner and one Runner-Up. Poems by the same writer/contestant are not eligible to win both the Grand Prize and Runner-Up prize. All decisions of the judges are final.
On June 30, 2008 the winners will be announced. Winners will be notified via e-mail, and we will post information about the winners on www.wordclay.com.
2.B. Judging the SHORT STORY COLLECTION Contest:
Important note: Entrants in the Short Story Collection Contest must submit their entire collection at the time of entry. Entrants must list the titles of the three best stories (total word count limit of 15,000 words for the three stories) to represent their work as a whole. While these three stories will act as the lead pieces for judging, judges may review additional stories at random if further reading is needed to come to decision.
Judges reserve the right to disqualify contestants that do not comply with the Terms and Conditions for the contest. The winners of the Short Story Collection contest will be selected according to a two-round process:
Round One: All material must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on May 31, 2008. In the first round, a panel of judges will review all submissions, reading the three stories selected by the entrant and additional stories as needed. They will select 25 finalists based on the collection's originality, creative imagination, characterization and artistic quality.
Any styles of prose are welcome as long as the submission complies with these terms and conditions. All decisions of the judges are final.
Note: While we respect the right of individuals to freely express themselves in literature, we do not accept prose that is explicitly offensive. Therefore, we ask that writers who submit their work to our contests to be considerate of this policy.
Round Two: The collections of the 25 finalists will be reviewed by an independent board of finalist judges comprised of accomplished editors and/or writers, who will be disclosed on www.wordclay.com. Click here for more detailed information about the already disclosed judges, although more may be added in the future.
The finalist judges will select the Grand Prize and Runner-Up winners of the 25 collections that make it to the second round. Entries are mainly judged by the three stories selected by the entrant, but if additional reading is necessary to make to decision, judges may read stories from the collection at random. Winners are selected on the basis of originality, creative imagination, characterization and artistic quality. All decisions of the judges are final.
On June 30, 2008 the winners will be announced. Winners will be notified via e-mail and we will post winner information on www.wordclay.com.
3.A. Prizes for the SINGLE SHORT STORY Contest:
One Grand Prize winner will receive:
- A check in the amount of $500
- A printed and bound copy of the published Anthology of the top 15 short stories
One Runner-Up will receive:
- A check in the amount of $250
- A printed and bound copy of the published Anthology of the top 15 short stories
The 15 finalists with a story in the Anthology will receive:
- A printed and bound copy of the published Anthology of the top 15 short stories
All non-finalist participants will receive:
- An electronic copy (e-book) of the published Anthology of the top 15 stories
Notification: All prize winners will be notified via e-mail and posted on www.Wordclay.com.
No transfer or substitution of prizes permitted, and no more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. Winners are solely responsible for all costs or expenses not specifically exempted herein, and any and all applicable federal, state or local taxes on the value of their prizes. Stories by the same writer/contestant are not eligible to win both the Grand Prize and Runner-Up prize. Contestants with a finalist story will receive a hard copy of the Story Anthology. The winners' stories will be included in a book published through www.Wordclay.com that will be available for public purchase. The contest's winners will be featured on www.Wordclay.com and may be in the featured spotlight. By the act of accepting a prize, winners agree to the release of his/her name, pen name, likeness and city and state of residence for potential publicity purposes and use on Wordclay's Web site, except where permitted by law.
Wordclay is under no obligation to publish every story that is entered and can disqualify an entry at any time. The contestant is under no obligation whatsoever to purchase a copy of the publication in which his or her story may appear.
Due to formatting restrictions within the finished anthology, www.Wordclay.com retains the right to reformat the prose for size and placement. Though we will make every effort to preserve section breaks and forms, we will not be able to guarantee retention of format from the writer's original file.
3.B. Prizes for SHORT STORY COLLECTION Contest:
One Grand Prize winner will receive:
One Runner-Up will receive:
Notification: All prize winners will be notified via e-mail and posted on www.Wordclay.com .
No transfer or substitution of prizes permitted, and no more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. Upon winning, it is the responsibility of the writer to supply the entire story collection they wish to publish. It is entirely the contestant's responsibility to supply enough content to reach the 48 page minimum. Winners are solely responsible for all costs or expenses not specifically exempted herein, and any and all applicable federal, state or local taxes on the value of their prizes. By the act of accepting a prize, winners agree to the release of his/her name, pen name, likeness and city and state of residence for potential publicity purposes and use on Wordclay's Web site, except where permitted by law.
ALL Wordclay Short Story Contests:
4. Eligibility:
Entrants are encouraged to register with Wordclay, but need not in order to be eligible to win. Void where prohibited by law. Federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Contest is open only to registered users of Wordclay 18 years of age or older or with parental consent. The contest is void in Arizona. Only legal residents of the United States (except residents of Arizona , Puerto Rico and all other Territories and Possessions of the United States ), Canada and the United Kingdom are eligible to enter the contest. An eligible writer is permitted to enter both the Short Story and Short Story Collection contests, but is not eligible to win a Grand or Runner-Up prize in more than one contest, nor can they win both the Grand and Runner-Up prize within a contest. Employees of Wordclay and/or Author Solutions Inc. and their families (spouses, parents, children or siblings and their spouses and those who share the same dwelling) are not eligible for the contest. Wordclay respects the privacy of our registered users. By registering and entering this contest, contestants consent to the use of their registration information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. The rights to work(s) submitted by contestants are retained by the author of the work in accordance with the stated Terms and Conditions. Submissions must be original material created entirely by the entrant. Wordclay may prohibit any entrant from participating in this Short Story Contests or any future promotion offered if, in Wordclay's sole discretion, the contestant has: tampered with the entry process, the operation of the contest or Web site; disregards the rules of the contest; is rude or shows poor sportsmanship; is disruptive, annoying, abusive, harassing or threatening in any way towards Wordclay or any other writer. The short story contest may be terminated without prior notice at any time after it begins; however if such a termination should occur, all prizes will be awarded to winners according to the rankings at the time.
5. Limitation of Liability:
Wordclay is in no way responsible for any of the content or typographical errors in any contest-related materials or published works. Wordclay is under no obligation to publish every story that is entered and can disqualify an entry at any time. The contestant is under no obligation whatsoever to purchase a copy of the publication in which his or her story may appear. Due to formatting restrictions within a published book, www.Wordclay.com retains the right to reformat the story for size and placement. Though we will make every effort to preserve section breaks and forms, we will not be able to guarantee retention of format from the writer's original file. Wordclay is not required to pay any form of royalties associated with the sale of the anthology to authors with work included in the anthology. Wordclay is not responsible for any individual's inability to enter this contest, including but not limited to: failed software or hardware transmissions; unavailable network, server, telephone or other connections; errors of any kind, whether human, electronic, or mechanical regarding lost, misdirected, late, incomplete or damaged entries; or for any damage to any computer, network, hardware or software related to or resulting from participation. Wordclay reserves the right to end or modify the contest if fraud or technical failures compromise the integrity of the contest as determined by our sole discretion. In the event that the contest is ended, all eligible entries already received will be ranked. Contestants agree to the following: Wordclay, their promotion partners, affiliated companies, agencies and their employees are not liable for injury, losses, damages or costs of any kind resulting from participation in this contest, or in results of accepting or using the prize awarded. By entering the story contest(s), participants agree to be bound by these rules.
6. Winners:
Winners will be posted on Wordclay's Contest Connection Web page when they are determined.
7. Contest Sponsor:
Wordclay, 1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200, Bloomington, IN 47403
Send general questions to customersupport@wordclay.com.
(Please, do not send submissions to this physical address or e-mail address. Follow the submission instructions in the contest Terms and Conditions part 1.A or 1.B).
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