Sunday, March 1, 2020

BRNO SHORT STORY WRITING CONTEST RETURNS


Deadline for 2020 Submissions is May 17

The Fourth Annual Brno Short Story Writing Contest has begun accepting entries as it returns to for another year in order to help bolster the cultural environment of Brno. In fact, the theme for the 2020 contest will be: Brno.

The best short story will win 6,000kc. Second place gets 3,000kc and third place gets 1,000kc. The deadline for entries is Sunday, May 17, 2020.

The BSSWC is a free contest. Only one entry per person. The short stories must be in English, 2,500 words or less, and include the theme “Brno” in some significant way. Entries must be submitted by email by midnight Sunday, May 17, 2020. Winners will be announced in June.

The jury includes a cross-section of local cultural icons and writing enthusiasts:
Don Sparling, a co-founder of the Brno Expat Centre and a longtime leader in the local expat and Masaryk University communities;
Tomáš Kačer, a teacher in the Department of English and American Studies at MU and a translator;
Anna Formánková, a translator and a book editor at MOBA Publishing House; and
Theo Singleton, a member of the Brno Writers Group who finished second in this contest in 2017.

The jury will be instructed that the contest is focused on creating a story that includes the theme “Brno” in some significant way. The story is the most important aspect, including writing, originality, character development, and plot development. It is understood that most of the entrants will not be native English speakers and that, in fact, this may be their first attempt to write creatively in English. All entrants should endeavor to adhere to the rules of English; however, spelling and grammar will not be critical for success.

Brno Daily (brnodaily.cz) and the Brno Expat Centre (brnoexpatcentre.eu) are both media sponsors of the Brno Short Story Writing Contest.

For more information, go to the contest website at brnowritersgroup.blogspot.com or visit www.facebook.com/brnowritersgroup . Send questions to brnowritersgroup@gmail.com.

The Official Rules for the 2020 Brno Short Story Writing Contest

1.  The 2020 Brno Short Story Writing Contest (BSSWC) is designed to stimulate culture in the South Moravia region by providing a significant set of prizes for a jury-based competition in creative writing.

2. The contest is for anyone who lives or goes to school in Brno or the South Morava region. People with a significant connection to Brno may also enter.

3. The theme for each entry must be: “Brno.” Some interpretation of the theme must be a significant part of the story.

4. Entry is free.

5. One entry per person.

6. The maximum length for each short story is 2,500 words.

7. The entry must be original. Previously published work will be disqualified.

8. All submissions must be in English. Some foreign words — e.g., Czech names, terms — are allowed, but it should be assumed that the jury and the audience knows only English.

9. The prize structure will be:
       First place:         6,000kc
       Second place:    3,000kc
       Third place:        1,000kc
Prize money will be paid in Czech crowns. Any additional banking fees will be the responsibility of the contestant.

10. Winning entries will be published on the official contest page — www.brnowritersgroup.blogspot.com — and announcements will be made on www.facebook.com/brnowritersgroup and perhaps other websites. Additional entries may also be published.

11. These Official Rules are available at all times on the official contest page: www.brnowritersgroup.blogspot.com.

12. Important dates:
Sunday, March 1, 2020:        The contest begins, publicity and promotion begins.
Sunday, May 17, 2020:          Deadline for submissions.
June 2020:                               Announcement of winners.

13. Entries must be emailed to brnowritersgroup@gmail.com by 11:59 p.m. CET on Sunday, May 17, 2020. Entries that are not received by the deadline will not be reviewed and will be ineligible. 

14.  The actual Short Story entry should be a Word document (.doc) or Text file (.txt) and follow these guidelines:

A. NAME — The name of the file must be: “The Title of your Short Story”.  For example, if the title of your Short Story is “Love in Luzanky”, then the name of your Short Story must be saved as “Love in Luzanky.doc” or “Love in Luzanky.txt” 

B. FONT — Each individual Short Story must be in 12-point, Calibri or Times New Roman typeface. Please double-space and number the pages.

C. TITLE PAGE — Each entry should have a title page. The title page should contain the title of the Short Story and a brief synopsis. The brief synopsis can be a maximum of two sentences and a minimum of one sentence (and no longer than one-half page in length). The brief synopsis will serve as a description of the Short Story, and possibly be used in online promotion. 

D. ANONYMITY — The author’s name must NOT appear anywhere on the Short Story, including the title page. 

E. LENGTH — The maximum length for each individual Short Story is 2,500 words. Stories that are longer than 2,500 words will be disqualified. This word total does not include the title-page synopsis. (Judges are not required to provide feedback on disqualified submissions.) 

15.  All stories must be submitted via email as an attachment to the following address: brnowritersgroup@gmail.com . The body of the email must include the following information:
Title of the Short Story
Author’s first and last name
Author’s address
Author’s email address
Author’s phone number

16. Please keep your entry within the realms of decency. Overtly questionable content without artistic merit may be disqualified. Similarly, any work deemed to be promoting any brand or organization may face disqualification.

17. The BSSWC shall take every possible action to protect the privacy of all entrants, including their email address. Any individual concerned about such privacy issues should contact the contest administrator directly by email at brnowritersgroup@gmail.com . 

18. The jury for the competition includes the following:
- Don Sparling
- Tomáš Kačer
- Anna Formánková
- Theo Singleton

19.  The contest administrator is Bruno Zalubil.

20.  The jury will be instructed that the contest is focused on creating a story that includes the theme “Brno” in some significant way. The story is the most important aspect, including writing, originality, character development, and plot development. It is understood that most of the entrants will not be native English speakers and that, in fact, this may be their first attempt to write creatively in English. All entrants should endeavor to adhere to the rules of English; however, spelling and grammar will not be critical for success.

21. Results will be announced on the contest websites in early to mid-June.

22. Each contest entrant may receive feedback from the jury, and their work may be published online. Winning entries should expect to be published, definitely on the official contest page — www.brnowritersgroup.blogspot.com with announcements on www.facebook.com/brnowritersgroup — and perhaps on other websites.

23. There may be media interest in the competition. Winners would be encouraged to speak to the media. Brno Daily (brnodaily.cz) and Brno Expats Centre (brnoexpatcentre.eu) are Media Sponsors of the contest.

24. The Brno Short Story Writing Contest was made possible by anonymous donations.

25. In the event that 10 entries or less are received, the contest will be canceled. Each entrant would receive 200kc. The remainder of the money would be returned to the donors.

26. The administrator of the BSSWC reserves the right to disqualify any entrant or submission that does not comply with these Official Rules and other contest requirements. Entries that are deemed completely off topic will be considered for disqualification.

27. If you have any doubts about your eligibility, please send a note to brnowritersgroup@gmail.com.

28. A confirmation email is sent when an entry is received. If you do not receive a confirmation email within 24 hours of your submission, please contact the administrator as soon as possible.

29. All decisions as to compliance with these Official Rules are within the sole discretion of the contest administrator. Any decisions by the contest administrator are final, conclusive, and binding upon all entrants. 

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

'Brno is for Lovers', Jack Stephens Win BSSWC-3

Brno is for Lovers”, written by Jack Stephens, was the unanimous selection as the winner of the Third Annual Brno Short Story Writing Contest.

“It was my love letter to the city,” said Stephens, who will receive the 6,000kc first prize.
Stolen Moments with Kings”, written by Adam Sweet, was selected as the runner up and he gets 3,000kc. Sweet won the 2017 BSSWC with “New Year’s Evey”.

Two stories shared third-place honors: “Just Google It” by Hana Pačesová, a Brno-native who is currently on maternity leave, and “Heartbeat” by Simon Botten, who also finished third in the 2018 BSSWC. Both receive 1,000kc.

Anonymous donations funded the initial 10,000kc prize pool. Another anonymous donation allowed for both third-place authors to receive 1,000kc. Brno Daily (brnodaily.cz) and the Brno Expat Centre (brnoexpatcentre.eu) were both media sponsors.

Stephens, who hails from London, earned Honorable Mention with “The Last Time” in 2018. “Brno is for Lovers” moved him to the top of the list.

“I wanted to capture all of the different kinds of strong emotions that people feel in the city and capture the experience of being here from many different perspectives,” said Stephens, who works as a teacher and journalist. “I wanted to create an overview of how love functions in the city. I wanted it to be something that as many people could relate to as possible.”

Four additional stories were awarded Honorable Mention:
• “Where The Heart Is” by Jennifer Stahl
• “Bleeding Heart” by Veronika Opatřilová
• “Stalker of my Brother’s Dentist” by Jan Váňa
• “Love in the Time of Dystopia” by Jan Cymba

The Third Annual Brno Short Story Writing Contest asked writers to address the theme, “The Heart of Europe”, in some significant way. It was a free contest, with only one entry per person. The short stories had to be in English and 2,500 words or less. The deadline for entries was May 26 Forty-five entries were submitted.

The jury included a cross-section of local cultural icons and writing enthusiasts: Don Sparling, a co-founder of the Brno Expat Centre and a longtime leader in the local expat and Masaryk University communities; Tomáš Kačer, a teacher in the Department of English and American Studies at MU, and a translator; Anna Formánková, a translator and a book editor at MOBA Publishing House; and contest co-founder and Brno Writers Group co-founder Lee Adams, the At the Movies blogger for the Brno Expat Centre.

The jury was instructed that the contest was focused on creating a story that included the theme “The Heart of Europe” in some significant way. The story was the most important aspect, including writing, originality, character development, and plot development. It was understood that most of the entrants would not be native English speakers and that, in fact, this may be their first attempt to write creatively in English. All entrants were to endeavor to adhere to the rules of English; however, spelling and grammar was not be critical for success.