May Madness Micro-Short and Graphic Contest Guidelines
Submission Window: Monday, May 4- Friday, May 22nd, midnight.
Choose a graphic image as a prompt then start writing! Story content should relate directly to the graphic of choice and should also follow the content guidelines as posted on our Fantasy Magazine guidelines page.
Each submission should accompany a .jpeg or .gif graphic (all copyright rules apply). Graphics may be original or taken from a pay or free site as long as Fantasy Magazine can publish without infringement. Please include copyright information along with the image. If the image cannot be published on Fantasy Magazine because of copyright issues, the corresponding micro submission will be null and void. Please embed the image into your submitted document either before or after your micro-short.
When submitting, please make sure that your title line reads “Micro Contest: [Title] by [Author].” Submissions that do not follow this guideline, are more than ten sentences, and/or do not have the .jpeg or .gif image embedded into the document will be deleted, unread. No exceptions.
*Make sure to click the “Notify me of followup comments via e-mail” below so that you’ll stay updated on contest news, questions, and answers.
1 • Linda said:
May 4th, 2009 at 1:52 pm, permalink
What is the a word count limit for this?
2 • Rae Bryant said:
May 4th, 2009 at 1:56 pm, permalink
No word count limit. I would warn, though, that I always look for brevity in style. A well-turned phrase can be ruined by unnecessary verbiage.
3 • Kaolin Fire said:
May 4th, 2009 at 2:11 pm, permalink
Are you accepting multiple submissions for this?
4 • Rae Bryant said:
May 4th, 2009 at 2:14 pm, permalink
Ah! Good question, Kaolin. No, as stated in Fantasy Magazine’s guidelines, I’ll not be accepting multiple submissions for the contest. This probably goes without saying, but no simultaneous, either.
5 • Polenth said:
May 5th, 2009 at 2:09 pm, permalink
What is the preferred pixel size for the graphic?
6 • Rae Bryant said:
May 5th, 2009 at 2:13 pm, permalink
Preferred size is 94×128.
7 • Kaolin Fire said:
May 5th, 2009 at 2:18 pm, permalink
Just to toss my hat in the ring without having a story to go with it at the moment ~ All of my posted paintings/digital art (outside of the “covers” section which would be too complicated to say this about) are CC-BY-ND for purposes of Fantasy’s contest
8 • Ken Kiser said:
May 5th, 2009 at 2:26 pm, permalink
How many will be featured? Is this a single winner-takes-all or will there be printed runners-up?
9 • Mark said:
May 5th, 2009 at 4:04 pm, permalink
@ Kaolin:
You, sir, are very clever. A gentleman and a scholar. Even if you don’t win the contest, you win. I applaud your brilliant and well-placed internet self-promotion. Well done, sir!
10 • Rae Bryant said:
May 5th, 2009 at 8:54 pm, permalink
I’m feeling your oils, Kaolin! Very nice.
11 • Christopher Kastensmidt said:
May 5th, 2009 at 9:21 pm, permalink
Rae, is that 94×128 a hard guideline, or if the file is larger can we go ahead and send it in all of its pixelated glory? Any limit on filesize?
Thanks,
Chris
12 • Phillip Sturtevant said:
May 5th, 2009 at 10:59 pm, permalink
submitted and excitedly waiting for update
13 • Rae Bryant said:
May 6th, 2009 at 9:45 am, permalink
“How many will be featured? Is this a single winner-takes-all or will there be printed runners-up?”
Three winners. Top three will be posted on Fantasy Magazine where Readers can vote on their favorite, but yes, all three will be posted on Fantasy Magazine.
14 • Rae Bryant said:
May 6th, 2009 at 9:48 am, permalink
“Rae, is that 94×128 a hard guideline, or if the file is larger can we go ahead and send it in all of its pixelated glory? Any limit on filesize?”
If the image is larger than 94×128, I’ll allow it, but keep in mind, I might need to crop for publishing purposes.
As long as the image can embed in the word doc and post to our submissions system, I’m not worried about file size.
15 • Akiva said:
May 7th, 2009 at 11:52 am, permalink
Can multiple authors submit based on the same artwork?
16 • Rae Bryant said:
May 7th, 2009 at 1:56 pm, permalink
“Can multiple authors submit based on the same artwork?”
Yes.
17 • Carie said:
May 7th, 2009 at 3:38 pm, permalink
Does a story for this contest count as published if it is posted on a public forum?
18 • Akiva said:
May 7th, 2009 at 4:12 pm, permalink
Will publishing a draft for comment on a message board be a problem?
19 • Akiva said:
May 7th, 2009 at 4:15 pm, permalink
Question – I know your general submission response time is 36 hours, but the contest is open through May 22. What will the response process look like?
Will you be evaluating submissions on a rolling basis, or will you be waiting to get them all in and then evaluating?
20 • Rae Bryant said:
May 7th, 2009 at 4:56 pm, permalink
“Will publishing a draft for comment on a message board be a problem?”
No, as long as the forum is closed.
Response time: My goal is to choose the top three within a week after the contest’s close. Since we’re still running regular submissions, too, my reading time may give or take a few days, depending on our regular slush pile. I plan to carve out time specifically for reading contest submissions once all are in.
21 • Rae Bryant said:
May 7th, 2009 at 5:53 pm, permalink
“Does a story for this contest count as published if it is posted on a public forum?”
Just to clarify. Yes, Carie, a piece already published in a public forum, whether you were paid for the publishing or not, makes it ineligible for this contest.
22 • Nathan said:
May 9th, 2009 at 1:59 am, permalink
Took me a while to find a picture that worked well enough (and inspired a story idea that was short enough!) Looking forward to reading some of the output…
23 • Akiva said:
May 12th, 2009 at 10:58 am, permalink
Just re-counted the sentences in my submission. 11! It can be corrected with a quick comma splice (changing “Heh, he thought. That’s a good one.” to “Heh, he thought, that’s a good one.”), but I know you don’t accept multiple submissions. Is there any way I can pull my old one, or am I just stuck with my mistake?
24 • S.J. said:
May 17th, 2009 at 11:35 am, permalink
Rae,
I just submitted five minutes ago and then saw the window closed : (
I thought the window was until the 22nd? All the above information says that, anyway.
Not gripping, just a bit confused.
Thanks,
Selena
25 • Rae Bryant said:
May 17th, 2009 at 11:42 am, permalink
Yes, yes. Quite right. I was trying to get the closed post into the system for a scheduled post date ahead of time and had a time warp. Sorry. Yes, the contest is open until the 29th. I look forward to reading your submission.
26 • S.J. said:
May 17th, 2009 at 11:46 am, permalink
Ha, thanks!
27 • Ben Nelson said:
May 18th, 2009 at 2:14 pm, permalink
Does it really have to be a story or a discussion of thoughts inspired by a picture?
28 • Ben Nelson said:
May 18th, 2009 at 3:22 pm, permalink
could it just be a silly poem?
29 • Rae Bryant said:
May 18th, 2009 at 4:41 pm, permalink
“Does it really have to be a story or a discussion of thoughts inspired by a picture?”
I’m not inclined to put additional parameters on creative processes than I’ve already indicated; however, I will suggest that you read Fantasy Magazine’s guidelines and also a few fiction pieces we’ve published. Fiction can take on poetic language, certainly, but contest judging will follow the same guidelines as our fiction submissions in style and tone. Happy writing.
30 • Kaolin Fire said:
May 19th, 2009 at 11:11 pm, permalink
WHOO! I wrote something! Well, “we” wrote something. Nothing like a collab to sneak around a pesky writer’s block.
31 • Ben Nelson said:
May 20th, 2009 at 5:29 pm, permalink
I don’t get it
32 • Kaolin Fire said:
May 20th, 2009 at 5:36 pm, permalink
What part? who/what/when/where/why?
33 • Ben Nelson said:
May 20th, 2009 at 9:01 pm, permalink
what does collab mean?
34 • Kaolin Fire said:
May 20th, 2009 at 9:35 pm, permalink
Collaboration. I worked on “my” 10-sentences piece with a friend.
Not always a good idea, but this time it worked out, imo, amazingly. And it _is_ a great way to get around a block.
35 • Ben Nelson said:
May 20th, 2009 at 11:19 pm, permalink
are we the ones who pay you to put our work on the site or do you pay us?
36 • Kaolin Fire said:
May 20th, 2009 at 11:32 pm, permalink
Where do you see anything that would even hint that folks paid to get published by Fantasy Magazine?
Yog’s Law. Money flows toward the writer.
Anything else and you’re doing it wrong…
37 • Kaolin Fire said:
May 21st, 2009 at 6:41 am, permalink
A last-minute question for some friends of mine. I thought this had been answered earlier, but not seeing it. What timezone does this contest close in?
38 • Ben Nelson said:
May 21st, 2009 at 10:28 am, permalink
I’m just a little new to this.
39 • Kaolin Fire said:
May 21st, 2009 at 3:05 pm, permalink
Other sites you might want to check out, if you’re just getting into things: Writers Beware, and Preditors + Editors. They’ll help you steer clear of the bad places.
Another tip: if you don’t have a website, leave it blank. Otherwise you’re tricking the poor little form into making bad links
40 • Rae Bryant said:
May 21st, 2009 at 10:30 pm, permalink
Timezone: Eastern
41 • Six Million Dollars, Man « Digital Metaphor said:
May 23rd, 2009 at 12:55 pm, permalink
[...] the deadline for the ‘Can you fantasize in ten sentences or less?’ competition was yesterday, so best of luck to everyone who entered – looking forward to [...]
42 • Ken Kiser said:
May 24th, 2009 at 3:38 am, permalink
Now that the submission window is closed, I’d like to wish everyone good luck. I can’t wait to read those best three.
By the way, does anyone know what the total number of submissions were? Did we get a good turnout on this?
43 • Akiva said:
May 24th, 2009 at 2:30 pm, permalink
Actually, I kind of wish we could read them all
44 • Ken Kiser said:
May 24th, 2009 at 5:34 pm, permalink
Me too, but unfortunately, I think we’ll have to be satisfied with three. I wonder how many got turned in.
45 • Kaolin Fire (GUD Magazine) said:
May 24th, 2009 at 7:10 pm, permalink
I have a suspicion I’ll be reading a fair number of them. Or Debbie will.
46 • Rae Bryant said:
May 25th, 2009 at 6:13 pm, permalink
All right, folks. Preliminary judging and responses have been sent.
I can’t say that I’m surprised by the turn out or the level of craft. I will say that it made choosing only three difficult, and so I didn’t.
As requested by several submitters and readers, we’re running more shorts, ten in all, for your viewing pleasure. From these ten, readers will choose their favorite three. The top chosen micro short will win the prize, $10. Wish it could be more.
We are also working with PodCastle to podcast the top three of the ten. More details coming.
I plan to have all judging finalized this Friday.
Thank you to everyone who submitted. To those who did not make the final round, we look forward to your regular submissions. Happy writing.
Best,
Rae Bryant
47 • Christopher Kastensmidt said:
May 25th, 2009 at 8:09 pm, permalink
Rae,
Should we have gotten a response by e-mail?
Thanks,
Chris
48 • Alex Masterson said:
May 25th, 2009 at 8:37 pm, permalink
Congratulations to the final few! And back to the wordcave for the rest of us
49 • Christopher Kastensmidt said:
May 25th, 2009 at 8:44 pm, permalink
Ignore that last comment, just found it.
Thanks,
Chris
50 • Kaolin Fire said:
May 25th, 2009 at 9:20 pm, permalink
Just to be sure–if we haven’t heard anything, we’re in the running? Or we should check spamfilters, internet connections, ouija boards…?
51 • Rae Bryant said:
May 25th, 2009 at 9:25 pm, permalink
Don’t listen to the ouija. That demon has been wreaking havoc all over DC lately, and I have it on good authority he’s taken a particular interest in writers.
Yes, submitters who have not received an email yet are still in the running.
52 • Akiva said:
May 26th, 2009 at 12:57 pm, permalink
Congrats to those still in the running
53 • Ben Nelson said:
May 31st, 2009 at 4:58 pm, permalink
how do we read the winning submissions?
54 • Kaolin Fire said:
May 31st, 2009 at 4:59 pm, permalink
They’re all here:
http://www.darkfantasy.org/fantasy/?p=3436
55 • Rae Bryant said:
May 31st, 2009 at 11:44 pm, permalink
Yes, they can all be accessed at http://www.darkfantasy.org/fantasy/?p=3436 or from the publication post on the main Fantasy Magazine page.
Enjoy.