SHORT STORY CONTEST COMPLETE GUIDELINES

First Prize receives $1,000 and publication.
Second Prize receives $500.
Final Judge: Julie Orringer

Contest is open from September 15 to December 1. Entries must be postmarked by December 1, 2007. All entries will be considered for publication.

1. All entries must be unpublished and 6,000 words or less. Please type and double-space.
2. The entry fee is $20 (please make checks payable to American Short Fiction). The fee entitles the entrant to a copy of the contest issue. Send only one story per entry. You may enter as many times as you like.
3. Cover letter must include name, address, phone number, and the title of the work. Entrant's name
   should appear on the cover letter ONLY.
4. Previously published stories and stories forthcoming at other publications cannot be considered. Entries may be simultaneous submissions, but the entry fee is nonrefundable if the story is accepted elsewhere. Please notify us immediately to withdraw a story that is taken elsewhere.
5. Send entries to:
   Short Story Contest
   American Short Fiction
   P.O. Box 301209
   Austin, TX 78703
   Please note: American Short Fiction claims no responsibility for mislabeled entries.
6. Include a SASE for notification of winners. Winner will be announced on March 31, 2008. Manuscripts will not be returned.
7. The first round of judging will be a blind read by American Short Fiction editors and editorial assistants. Ten stories will be forwarded to contest judge Julie Orringer for the final blind judging.
8. Current employees or others affiliated with Badgerdog Literary Publishing are ineligible for consideration or publication. In addition, writers who have a strong personal or professional relationship with the judge are asked to abstain from entering the contest in order to prevent a conflict of interest.
9. We comply with the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) Code of Ethics.

Judge Bio
Julie Orringer is the author of the fiction collection How to Breathe Underwater, which was named a New York Times Notable Book and won the San Francisco Chronicle's Best Book of the Year. Her stories have appeared in The Paris Review, McSweeney's, Ploughshares, Zoetrope: All-Story, The Pushcart Prize Anthology, The Best New American Voices, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. She teaches creative writing at the University of Michigan.

Contest Code of Ethics
CLMP's community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. Intent to act ethically, clarity of guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest. To that end, we agree (1) to conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors; (2) to provide clear and specific contest guidelines--defining conflict of interest for all parties involved; and (3) to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. This Code recognizes that different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. We have adopted this Code to reinforce our integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that our contests contribute to a vibrant literary heritage.

Questions? Contact us at editors [at] americanshortfiction.org.