www.writermag.com

Prizes: $1,000, first place; $300, second place; $200, third place.

The first-place entry, along with the finalist judge’s comments, will be published in The Writer magazine. All three winning entries will be posted on The Writer Web site, www.WriterMag.com.

Finalist judge: Shelby Hearon

Entry fee: $10 per entry, payable to The Writer. Entry fees are nonrefundable. Payments must be in U.S. funds drawn from a U.S. bank.

Deadline: Postmarked by May 31, 2009.

Rules
1. Submit two (2) copies of your short story. Entries must be submitted with an official entry form, available below.Place the title only (not your name) on each page of the story.
2. All entries must be original and previously unpublished in a book, nationally distributed periodical or Web-based magazine. Entries must be in English and submitted by the author, who must be at least 18 years old at the time of entry.
3. Entries should not exceed 2,000 words. No graphic language, sex or violence.
4. Entries must be double-spaced in standard 10- to 12-point type, and each page must be consecutively numbered. Please paperclip pages together; do not staple or enclose in covers or binders.
5. A $10 nonrefundable entry fee, payable to The Writer, must accompany each entry. Please do not send cash in the mail. Submitted entries are final and will not be returned, so be sure to keep a copy for your records. We are unable to acknowledge entries.
6. You may submit more than one entry, but each entry must be accompanied by a $10 entry fee. No simultaneous submissions are allowed.
7. Winners will be notified by Sept. 1, 2009.
8. Family members and employees of The Writer and its affiliates are not eligible to enter the contest.

How to submit

Download the entry form at www.writermag.com
Send two (2) copies of your entry, along with the completed entry form and total entry fee ($10 per entry). Payment must accompany all entries.

Address entries to: 2009 Short-Story Contest, The Writer, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612.