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SIXTH ANNUAL
La Viness Short Story Writing Contest
2024

Hosted by Renee' La Viness.

DEADLINE EXTENDED - SEE BELOW

THEME WORDS

HOT and PLATE do not have to be the
focal point(s) of the story, but they should
be so important that the story would
not make sense without them.

 

USAGE: You may use them together (HOT PLATE) or separate (HOT and PLATE).

Any kind of HOT is acceptable: a flame, peppers, a fever, boiling water, something stolen, etc. Also, any kind of PLATE is acceptable: a dinner plate, dental plate, a plate glass window, tectonic plate, breast plate, and so on.

The use of each theme word must be obvious, and it must be required for the story to work.

EXAMPLE: If the theme words were DOOR and BELL -
When the epic church bell rang, it flew out of the belfry and landed in the street, causing the ground to shake and a nearby bridge to collapse, completely disconnecting two small towns and causing the main part of the story to take place. That might be the only time the BELL existed in the story, but if you took the bell out, the rest of the story wouldn't work. DOOR would have to be just as vital, even if it's not what the story is about.
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1st Place - $100
2nd Place - $75
3rd Place - $50
Up to two Judges' Choice
Up to three Honorable Mention

For more information about awards, click here.
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SUBMISSION DATES
E-mail submissions will be
accepted from July 1, 2024 until
--NEW DEADLINE--
11:59 PM (CDT) on September 15, 2024.

ENTRY FEE
$10.00 USD; multiple entries allowed.
-- SPECIAL --
Two for the price of one, per author.
To qualify, both stories must be submitted in same email.
No quantity limit for special rate.
Entry Fee must be paid from contest website.
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WINNERS
Winners will be announced
and awards/certificates
will be mailed on or before
December 5th, 2024.

First Place will also
be listed here.


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GUIDELINES
Fiction or Nonfiction
Any subject / Any genre
(No sex, gore, or poetry.)
2000 word limit, not including title
Must be a complete story. (Beginning, middle, end.)
All entries must be UNPUBLISHED* as of submission deadline.
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ANONYMOUS SUBMISSION RULES
No identifying author information
allowed on the story pages.

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FORMATTING  
Entries should be written in American English.
Font: size 12, easy to read, use curly quotes.
Double-spaced.
One inch margins.
No special "front page only" formatting is required.
Top right of every page: Title / page #
EXAMPLE: The Last Tadpole / 1

COVER PAGE  
Each story should have a separate cover
page with the following information:

Author Name
Complete Mailing Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Cash Award Preference
(USPS Money Order or PayPal)
PayPal address
(if preferred for Cash Award, or if winner is outside USA)
Story Title
Fiction / Nonfiction
# of words in story
First full line of story
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Polish your story with this check list:
Story Checks

   

* UNPUBLISHED
Not published in a book, ebook, audio, website, mass email, or other format that is publicly shared, including online. (This does not include items shared for critique in private writing groups. In fact, we encourage critique before submission.)

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Questions about the short story contest?
Email lsswc@jespiddlin.com
or reneelaviness@jespiddlin.net
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AWARDS INFO

RULES/REGULATIONS

PREVIOUS WINNERS

SUBMIT NOW

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JesPiddlin - copyright 2024.