The 15th annual F. Scott Fitzgerald Conference will be held on October 16, 2010, in Rockville, Maryland, and the conference has just opened its short story contest to entries.
On the plus side:
This contest is open only to residents of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, which means there’s a smaller pool of competition.
On the down side:
The entry fee is $25, which I personally find a bit steep.
But again, on the plus side:
--The fees go to support this wonderful conference.
--The fee is waived if you’re a member of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society ($30 for general membership).
--If you win, not only will you get $1000 and publication in The Potomac Review, but you’ll also have an exceptionally awesome line for your resume/c.v.: “Winner of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Short Story Contest”…any link between your name and Scott’s is all good!
Here’s the scoop from the website:
The F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference, Inc. is sponsoring its 15th annual Short Story Contest. The F. Scott Fitzgerald Short Story Contest is open to residents of Maryland, Washington D. C. and Virginia. The contest is divided into two sections: the Adult and Student contest.
Cover sheets are removed upon receipt at Rockville City Hall, and each entry is assigned a number before it is sent to the judges. All entries are assigned for judging. All entries must follow the above-mentioned format. Judging is done by the Editors of Potomac Review, and the final judge is Richard Peabody, Editor of Gargoyle Magazine and founder of Paycock Press.
Adult Short Story Contest
Writers should send in unpublished stories of no more than 3,000 words. First prize includes $1,000, an invitation to read at the 15th Annual F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference, and publication in Potomac Review. Three runner-ups will receive $200 each. There is a $25 entry fee, and the deadline to enter is July 16, 2010.
Please follow the rules for contest entries carefully:
--Entries must be typed, 10 point or 12 point sized font, double spaced, no more than 26 lines per page, one-inch margins and numbered pages.
--All entries must include a cover sheet that includes writer’s name, address and telephone number.
--Staple or paper clip story in the upper left-hand corner.
--Writer’s name should not appear on the short story. Place a title on the first page.
--Entries must be postmarked no later than July 16, 2010.
--Entries will not be returned.
--Only winners will be notified.
--The entry fee is $25 per entry.
--Pseudonyms are not allowed. We need to match the entry fee with the submission to verify all submissions, so we need real names.
If you are submitting your submission through snail mail, please make the check payable to: F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference, Inc. (This entry fee is waived if you are a FSF member.)
Entries and check should be sent to:
F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference Contest
c/o Rockville City Hall
111 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, MD 20850
To submit for the Short Story Adult Contest online:
Pay the entry fee on CCNow.
Submit your story to Potomac Review online submission manager. When submitting, remember to mark the genre as “contest” in the genre drop-down field to ensure the submission is received correctly and place all contact info in the fields and nowhere on the manuscript.
Student Short Story Contest
The Contest is open to high school students who reside in or attend school within the corporate limits of Montgomery County. Follow the directions below to submit for the Student Short Story Contest:
--Entries must be typed, double spaced, between 1,500 and 3,000 words, and unpublished.
--All entries must include a cover sheet that includes the writer’s name, address and telephone number, as well as the writer’s school, grade and teacher’s name. The writer’s name should NOT appear on any pages of the short story.
--Entries must be postmarked no later than July 17, 2010.
--There is no entry fee.
--Entries will not be returned.
--First prize will be $250 plus an invitation to speak briefly about the story at the Fifteenth Annual F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference Award Ceremony.
--Three runner-up prizes of $100 each will be awarded.
--Only winners will be notified.
If you are submitting via snail mail, entries should be sent to F. Scott Fitzgerald Student Short Story Contest, c/o Rockville City Hall, 111 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850.
To submit for the Short Story Student Contest online:
Submit your story to Potomac Review online submission manager. When submitting, remember to mark the genre as “contest” in the genre drop-down field to ensure the submission is received correctly and place all contact info in the fields and nowhere on the manuscript. In the comments sections of the online submission manager, students need to include writer’s school, grade and teacher’s name.
