In conjunction with the American Folk Art Museum

Underwater New York is an online anthology of stories, art and music inspired by the underwater objects and phenomena that surround New York City.

Artists and storytellers have long drawn inspiration from our cityscape, but underneath the water’s surface is another landscape entirely. On the floors of New York City’s waterways, no fewer than one hundred and seventy shipwrecks languish. Although their exact locations must remain secret to thwart the efforts of amateur looters, we are asking you to dive in and mine the wreckage.

Draw your inspiration from our gallery of shipwreck images and tell a story—fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry—in 3000 words or less, that brings these ghost ships back to life.

As with our regular submissions, we are not asking for explanations, but rather the stories that these shipwrecks evoke. Be as creative as possible, but to qualify for the contest, your story must reference a shipwreck specifically in the NYC waterways.

Underwater New York presents the Shipwreck Story Contest in conjunction with the American Folk Art Museum’s exhibition, Thomas Chambers (1808-1869): American Maritime and Landscape Painter.

The winning story will be published in Underwater New York, and its author will have the chance to read at Underwater New York Free Music Friday: Shipwreck Stories at the American Folk Art Museum on March 5, 2010.
· Submit contest entries online at www.underwaternewyork.com/submissions
· The deadline for submissions is February 12, 2010.
· Contest winners will be announced on the Underwater New York website on February 23rd.
· Visit www.underwaternewyork.com for more details, and to view the gallery of shipwreck images.