OKANAGAN MEMORIES SHORT STORY CONTEST

Artistic Warrior Publishing is holding its first Short Story competition. The competition is open to all writers of all ages from anywhere the world.  The stories must be written in English, non-fiction, previously unpublished (in print and online) and between 1,000 and 3,000 words in length.

The topic is “Okanagan Memories.” You may live in the Okanagan, have friends or relatives here, maybe you’ve seen the Ogopogo or hit a hole in one; regardless of the memory, we want to read about it.  Humour is always welcome; however, you must ensure your story has an Okanagan setting and/or theme.

For first Canadian rights, the top 16 finalists will have their stories published in an anthology in the winter of 2011/2012. The anthology will be divided into two parts, Youth and Adult.  

Entries must be typed and double-spaced in either Arial or Times New Roman, with the title appearing on each numbered page. Please include a separate sheet with your name, address, phone number, email address, precise word count and title. Please ensure your story is available in electronic as well as printed format. The entrant’s name must not appear on the manuscript itself.

Entry fees as follows:

$15 for adults (18 +)
$10 for young writers (up to 17)

Entry fees are non-refundable and multiple entries are welcome. As the judging is blind, you are eligible to win more than once.

Canadian submissions should have cheques made payable to Artistic Warrior Publishing and mailed with your submission to:

“Okanagan Memories”
Artistic Warrior Publishing
2475 Dobbin Road #22
Suite #207
West Kelowna, BC V4T 2E9, Canada

Submission via email and payment via PayPal for international submissions will be available shortly.

Blind judging with a panel of judges will chose the top 16.  Our finalist judge is well known Canadian author and humourist, Gordon Kirkland.  He is a multiple award winning Stephen Leacock Award of Merit For Humour.

There will be three winners in each category and an additional 10 honourable mentions will be chosen.

Prizes awarded as follows:
1st Place Adult – $150
1st Place Youth – $100
2nd Place Adult – $75
2nd Place Youth – $50
3rd Place Adult – $50
3rd Place Youth – $35

Each of the winners will receive a copy of the published book.

All finalists must be able to supply an electronic copy of their work to be sent upon request by Artistic Warrior upon the completion of the first round of judging.

Artistic Warrior reserves the right to reject excessive profanity and explicit sexual or violent content. We also reserve the right to edit submission to ready them for publication.

The deadline for submissions is September 4, 2011. Results will be announced at www.artisticwarrior.com by late September. We would also appreciate it if you told us where you heard about the contest. (i.e.: our website, posters, and other sites)