First Prize receives $1,000 and publication. Second Prize receives $500.

Final Judge: Justin Cronin

The contest is open September 15, 2011, to December 8, 2011 JANUARY 6, 2012. Please note: The contest deadline has been extended! All entries must be submitted by January 6, 2012. 

All entries will be considered for publication. Please note: This page is for our Short Story Contest. Regular submission guidelines are here.

Complete Guidelines: Short Story Contest

• All entries must be unpublished and 6,000 words or less. Please type and double-space.
• The contest entry fee is $20. You may submit only one story per entry, but you can enter as many times as you like. Before submitting a story, entrants should pay the $20 entry fee via PayPal (http://www.americanshortfiction.org/paypal.html). After the transaction is completed, you'll be directed to the Submission Manager. 
• Keep track of your PayPal order number. You will need this number when you upload your contest entry via the American Short Fiction Submission Manager. 
• The $20 fee entitles the entrant to electronic access to the contest issue.
• All entries should be uploaded to the American Short Fiction Submission Manager. Stories can be submitted in .rtf, .doc, and .pdf formats. Do not submit files in .docx. 
• In the comments box, please include your name, address, phone number, and the title of the work. Entrant’s name should not appear in the file itself. 
• 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. If your contest entry is accepted by another publication, please log in to the Submission Manager to withdraw it from consideration. 
• Winners will be announced on or around March 31, 2012, on the American Short Fiction website. 
• The first round of judging will be by American Short Fiction editors and editorial assistants. Ten stories will be forwarded to contest judge Justin Cronin for the final blind judging. 
• 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. 
• We comply with the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) Code of Ethics.

Contest Code of Ethics

CLMP’s community of independent literary publishers believe 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.

Judge Bio

Justin Cronin is the author of three novels: Mary and O’Neil, which won the Pen/Hemingway Award and the Stephen Crane Prize; The Summer Guest; and The Passage, named one of the ten best novels of 2010 by Time magazine and appointed to NPR's and the Washington Post's "best of the year" books lists. Having earned his MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop, Cronin is now a professor of English at Rice University. 

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

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