Pen Us an Awesome Tale

2023 Short Story Contest

 

Sponsored by:

The Pioneer Branch of the National League of American Pen Woman

Proceeds benefit: Arkansas Writers’ Conference

Cost

$5 for first entry, $3 for each additional entry

 

Submission Deadline (only electronic filing this year)

 

Electronic filing: January 22, 2023, 11:59 p.m. CT

 

Genre

Open. Genre must be listed on the first page of each submission (details below)

 

Theme

Open (Story must be rated G or PG) entertain us, make us laugh or cry, move us with emotion and your excellent storytelling.

 

Prizes

Four awards ($25 each) will be presented to the submissions judged to be the top four entries, regardless of genre.

 

Word Count

2500 maximum (1500 minimum)

 

Contact Information

Email: pioneerbranchanthology@gmail.com

Website https://arkansaswritersconference.com/

 

Guidelines

• Contributors’ work must be original and not posted on any website, social media site, magazine, or traditionally or self-published. No exceptions.  Winning entries from a prior year are excluded but winning authors are encouraged to submit new entries.  Word count must not exceed 2500 words (minimum 1500 words). Story must be fiction and rated G or PG.
• (No excessive gore or violence.) Multiple submissions encouraged.
• Mail submissions to: Ellen Withers, 1815 Columbia Drive, Conway, AR 72034.
• Email submissions to: pioneerbranchanthology@gmail.com Subject Line: “2023 Short Story Contest.”
• Submissions deadline:  Electronic filing only: January 22, 2023, 11:59 p.m. CT
• Payments can be made by check, money order or via PayPal. Mail checks or money orders (made payable to Pioneer 
• Branch NLAPW) to: Ellen Withers, 1815 Columbia Drive, Conway, AR 72034.  
•  
• For PayPal: send an email to pioneerbranchanthology@gmail.com with your PayPal account information and the 
• amount you will owe for contest entry or entries. You will receive an email with instruction for your payment.
• All payments (whether regular mail or PayPal) must be received by January 28th, 2023. Payments can be made prior to the submission deadlines (with enough information included for administration to apply the proceeds to the entries.)
• All entries and payments received will be acknowledged with an email NO EARLIER THAN January 22, 2023 and prior to January 31, 2023. If you do not receive a confirmation by January 30, 2023, email pioneerbranchanthology@gmail.com.
•  
• Winners will be posted on the Arkansas Writers’ Conference website February 1, 2023. 

Formatting the Manuscript

• Font: 12-point Times New Roman or Courier Visual: Black text on white background
• Margins: One-inch margins and one-half-inch first-line indents
• Paragraphs: Set to double-spaced, zero lines before/after Genre/Word Count: Single-spaced genre listed for your
•  submission and word count in top right or top left of first page (example: mystery/2251 words)
• Title: Centered title, about one-third down first page
• Main Text: Begin text two double-spaces below title
• Header: Title / Pg.# on pages 2 and above

Electronic filing requirements:

• Document: MS Word.docx or MS Word.doc or Google doc
• Document: Do not submit a PDF or other document that can’t be edited. This is to allow us to make the submissions 
• anonymous during judging.  Email submitting document(s) must include: Author name, address, phone number, indication of whether payment is to be made via PayPal or via regular mail, genre of submission, title of submission and first line of entry. Multiple entries can be made in one email if genre, title and first line of each entry are clear for the administrator. 

 

 

 

 

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