Dear Writers,
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| Lorian Hemingway |
We would like to offer information on the 2012 Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition:
Our competition is an internationally respected short fiction contest, now in its 32nd year. We are proud to say that many of our past winners (and honorable mention recipients) have gone on to make an indelible mark in the world of literary fiction. Each was then a fresh new voice yet to be heard.
The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition has had the honor of reading the early work of some very talented writers. Among them: Heidi Durrow, a first-place winner in our competition, whose novel, The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, won The Bellwether Prize for Fiction and was, in 2011, on The New York Times Bestseller list; Naomi Benaron, also a past winner, won The Bellwether in 2010. Her novel Running the Rift was published by Algonquin in January, 2012. The list is quite extensive, including National Book Award nominees and NEA recipients. We take fine writing very seriously and do not go by the rule books. New and unique voices are what we seek because theirs shall become the cornerstone of literary legacy. Our 2012 first-place recipient, Darci Bysouth, has just had her winning story "Hold" published in the winter edition of Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts.
Please feel free to look up our listings in Writer's Market, Poets and Writers, and other literary references.
We encourage you to visit our website at http://www.shortstorycompetition.com/ for further background and listings of previous winners.
Following is information we hope will better inform you. (Please feel free to modify the information to fit your format.)
If this is not the best way to reach you, please let us know what method is most appropriate.
With sincere appreciation,
The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition
Contact: Eva Eliot
Editorial Assistant:
shortstorykw@gmail.com
$2,500 Awaits Winners of Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition
Writers of short fiction are encouraged to enter the 2012 Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition. The competition has a 32-year history of literary excellence, and its organizers are dedicated to enthusiastically supporting the efforts and talent of emerging writers of short fiction whose voices have yet to be heard.
Lorian Hemingway, granddaughter of Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway, is the author of three critically acclaimed books: Walking into the River, Walk on Water, and A World Turned Over. Ms. Hemingway is the competition's final judge.
Prizes and Publication:
The first-place winner will receive $1,500 and publication of his or her winning story in Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts. The second - and third-place winners will receive $500 each. Honorable mentions will also be awarded to entrants whose work demonstrates promise.
Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts was founded by editor-in-chief Pamela Uschuk, winner of the 2010 American Book Award for her book Crazy Love: New Poems, and by poet William Pitt Root, Guggenheim Fellow and NEA recipient. The journal contains some of the finest contemporary fiction and poetry in print, and the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition is both proud and grateful to be associated with such a reputable publication.
Eligibility requirements for our 2012 competition are as follows:
What to submit:
* Stories must be original unpublished fiction, typed and double-spaced, and may not exceed 3,500 words in length. We have extended our word limit for the first time in thirty years to 3,500 words rather than 3,000. There are no theme or genre restrictions. Copyright remains property of the author.
Who may submit:
* The literary competition is open to all U.S. and international writers whose fiction has not appeared in a nationally distributed publication with a circulation of 5,000 or more. Writers who have been published by an online magazine or who have self-published will be considered on an individual basis.
Submission requirements:
* Submissions may be sent via regular mail or submitted online. Please visit our online submissions page for complete instructions regarding online submissions. Writers may submit multiple entries, but each must be accompanied by an entry fee and separate cover sheet. We do accept simultaneous submissions; however, the writer must notify us if a story is accepted for publication or wins an award prior to our July announcements. No entry confirmation will be given unless requested. No SASE is required.
* The author's name should not appear on the story. Our entrants are judged anonymously. Each story must be accompanied by a separate cover sheet with the writer's name, complete mailing address, e-mail address, phone number, the title of the piece, and the word count. Manuscripts will not be returned. These requirements apply for online submissions as well.
Deadlines and Entry Fees:
* The entry fee is $15 for each story postmarked by May 1, 2012. The late entry fee is $20 for each story postmarked by May 15, 2012. We encourage you to enter by May 1 if at all possible, but please know that your story will still be accepted if you meet the later deadline. Entries postmarked after May 15, 2012 will not be accepted. Entries submitted online after May 15, 2012 will not be accepted. Writers may submit for the 2013 competition beginning May 16, 2012.
How to pay your entry fee:
* Entry fees submitted by mail with their accompanying stories may be paid -- in U.S. funds -- via a personal check, cashier's check, or money order. Please make checks payable to LHSSC or The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition. Entry fees for online submissions may be paid with PayPal.
Announcement of Winners and Honorable Mentions:
Winners of our 2012 competition will be announced at the end of July 2012 in Key West, Florida, and posted on our website soon afterward. Only the first-place entrant will be notified personally. All entrants will receive a letter from Lorian Hemingway and a list of winners, either via regular mail or e-mail, by October 1, 2012. All manuscripts and their accompanying entry fees should be sent to The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition, P.O. Box 993, Key West, FL 33041 or submitted online. For more information, please explore our website or e-mail: shortstorykw gmail dot com
