Starting July 1, 2009 and ending at midnight, July 31, 2009, I will be holding a writing contest on my blog, Diamondsandtoads.com.

The contest will require writers to retell “Sleeping Beauty” in 1,000 words or less. Entries that are too early, too late or too long will be automatically disqualified.

The prize will be a one-of-a-kind box that will feature the fairy tale as a theme. It’s value will be about $50.00 It will be handmade by an Etsy.com artist.

The story cannot have been published elsewhere prior to its publication on Diamondsandtoads.com. It will be published on the blog in early August and will remain there indefinitely. Once the winning story is published, the author will be free to publish it anywhere else.

The story must be young-adult in tone, but G-rated. It should not be geared to small children.

No artwork will be accepted.

No critiques will be offered, nor will explanations. Emails demanding to know why the author did not win will be ignored.

The published story will be open to blog reader comments.

No students who have been in my classes at IUSB are eligible (they will know who they are).

Diamondsandtoads.com is a non-profit site dedicated to the enjoyment, study and analysis of fairy tales. It is part of my teaching efforts at IUSB. I gain nothing from this contest beyond the enjoyment of it. I will be purchasing the prize myself, and I will bear all competition costs.

There is no entry fee.

It is open to people in the US only. Entrants must be 18 or older.