The 2019 Brno Short Story Writing Contest “Official Rules”

1.  The 2019 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 Moravia region. People with a significant connection to Brno may also enter.

3. The theme for each entry must be: “The Heart of Europe.” 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:

Friday, March 1:                     The contest begins, publicity and promotion begins.

Sunday, May 26:                     Deadline for submissions.

Early June:                              Meeting of jury to finalize selections.

Mid-June:                                Announcement of winners.

13. Entries must be emailed to brnowritersgroup@gmail.com by 11:59 p.m. CET on Sunday, May 26, 2019. 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, Calibiri 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

- Lee Adams

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 “The Heart of Europe” 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 will 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. 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.