Choose the Single Short Story Contest to enter a single story
if you do not have an entire collection prepared.

Entering the contest is free, so gather your stories and enter today.

Brenda Mirsky, Grand Prize Winner of the Wordclay Book of Poetry Contest, shares her thoughts on Wordclay and her entry:

"I entered the Wordclay Poetry Competition on a whim, never expecting to be taken seriously and consider it an honor (not to mention a big surprise) to have been chosen Grand Prize Winner of the Book of Poetry Contest. Working with the Wordclay system was eye-opening. Wordclay is a wonderful new tool for writers today."

Single Short Story Contest: How to Enter | Deadlines |Details | Prizes | Judges

How to Enter the Single Short Story Contest

Step 1:

If you have not already, participants should register at: http://www.wordclay.com/BookWork/UserRegistration.aspx

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. 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

• 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.

 

Deadlines

The deadline to submit an entry for the contest is 11:59 PM ET on May 31, 2008 (before June 1st).

By submitting your story and entering this contest, you accept and agree to the Terms & Conditions of the contest.

Contest Details: Single Short Story

All literature is by nature unique and individual. We are supportive of all forms of expression; however, for this contest, we ask that you adhere to these terms:

In order to enter, each writer must register online at www.Wordclay.com and submit his or her work electronically as a Microsoft Word document.

• There are no entry fees, no subsidy payments and no purchases of any kind required to enter and/or win the contest.

• There are no previous publishing requirements required to enter this contest.

• Entries are judged on the basis of originality, creative imagination, characterization, artistic quality and the adherence to length limitations. All decisions by the judges are final.

• Each writer retains the copyright to his or her work.

• Fifteen of the finalists stories will be included in an anthology published through www.Wordclay.com. All non-finalist participants will be eligible to receive a free electronic copy of the finished collection. The finalists with work included in the anthology will receive a printed and bound copy of the finished book at no cost. The contest's winners will be featured on www.Wordclay.com.

• 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 collection, Wordclay 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.

Notification: All prize winners will be notified via e-mail and posted on www.Wordclay.com. It is the responsibility of the entrant to ensure their e-mail address is correct and current. The e-mail address on file can be updated through your Author Control Panel after logging in.

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.

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 be considerate of this policy.

For more information about our finalist judges, click here.

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

Fifteen Short Story Anthology finalists 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

Judges of the Single Short Story Contest

Click here to meet the judges.

Back to top

How to Enter the Short Story Collection Contest

Step 1:

If you have not already, register at: http://www.wordclay.com/BookWork/UserRegistration.aspx

Becoming a member and registering your personal information with Wordclay will ensure we know how to contact you should you become a winner.

Step 2:

Send your short story collection via e-mail. Complete all of the following details when sending your submission:

• E-mail your collection to contests@wordclay.com as an attachment, in a Microsoft Word® file.

• 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.

Deadlines

The deadline to submit an entry for the contest is 11:59 PM ET on May 31, 2008 (before June 1st).

By submitting your story and entering this contest, you accept and agree to the Terms & Conditions of the contest.

Contest Details: Short Story Collection

All literature is by nature unique and individual. We are supportive of all forms of expression; however, for this contest, we ask that you adhere to these terms:

• In order to enter, each writer should register online at www.Wordclay.com and submit his or her work electronically as a Microsoft Word document.

• There are no entry fees, no subsidy payment and no purchases of any kind required to enter and/or win the contest.

• There are no previous publishing requirements to enter this contest.

• Entries are judged on the basis of originality, creative imagination, characterization, artistic quality and the adherence to length limitations. All decisions by the judges are final.

• 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 make a decision.

• Each writer retains the copyright to his or her work. The winners' stories may be included in a book published through www.Wordclay.com. The contest's winners will be featured on www.Wordclay.com.

• 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, www.Wordclay.com retains the right to reformat the stories 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.

Notification: All prize winners will be notified via e-mail and posted on Wordclay's Contest Connections page.

For the short story collection contest, keep in mind that there is a minimum page count requirement of 48 pages for a completed book. If you do not have enough material to fill 48 pages of a 5 inch by 8 inch book (or larger), please enter the short story contest instead.

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 be considerate of this policy.

For more information about our finalist judges, click here.

Prizes for Short Story Collection Contest

One Grand Prize winner will receive:

• A check in the amount of $500
• 25 free copies of their book (shipping and handling included)
• Publishing package that includes: Custom Typesetting Interior ($249 value), Custom Cover Design ($999 value), 1 Year Softcover Channel Distribution ($99 value) and Press Release Composition ($149 value).

One Runner-Up will receive:

• A check in the amount of $250
• 10 free copies of their book (shipping and handling included)
• Publishing package that includes: Custom Typesetting Interior ($249 value), Custom Cover Design ($999 value) and 1 Year Softcover Channel Distribution ($99 value).

Judges of the Short Story Collection Contest

Click here to meet the judges.

Back to top