For 21 years, Memphis magazine has sponsored the annual short story contest for Mid-South writers. And this year is no different. What is different is the deadline. Instead of August 1st, we want your stories on or before February 1st. Don't forget: The grand-prize winner receives the tidy sum of $1,000 and will have the story published in our June Culture Issue. The two honorable mention prizes aren't too shabby either: $500 each.
So dust off that manuscript, polish up the prose, and send us your best work. We are always excited to read your fiction and to offer the opportunity to publish the best story each year. And we extend our thanks to Burke's Book Store and the Booksellers of Laurelwood for their faithful cosponsorship of the fiction contest.
Before you mail the manuscript, please refer to the rules below:
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Authors must live within 150 miles of Memphis.
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Entries must be postmarked by February 1, 2013.
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You may submit more than one story but each entry must be accompanied by a $10 entry fee, with checks or money orders payable to Memphis magazine.
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Each story should be typed, double-spaced, with unstapled, numbered pages. Stories should be between 3,000 and 4,500 words long.
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Stories are not required to have a Memphis or Southern theme.
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With each story should be a cover letter that gives us your name, address, phone number, and the title of your story. Please do NOT put your name anywhere on the manuscript itself.
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Manuscripts may be previously published as long as previous publication was not in a national magazine with over 20,000 circulation or in a regional publication within Shelby County.
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Manuscripts should be sent to FICTION CONTEST, c/o Memphis magazine, P.O. Box 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. We cannot accept faxes or emails. Authors wishing their manuscripts returned must include a self-addressed stamped envelope with each entry.
Please call us if you have further questions and we look forward to receiving your stories. Winners will be contacted in late March or early April, 2013.
