Congratulations to the winners for 2008!

First Place:   Jeremiah Street          “Thirty-Two Minutes and Seventeen Seconds”

Second Place:   Rosemary McConkey        “Pay Attention”

Third Place:   N. Burke Maulsby             “Eternal Design”

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ConDFW is pleased to announce our first short story contest! We want to read your speculative fiction! Show us what you think the future might hold, what horrors or mysteries lurk in the shadows, what thrilling adventures go on in your imagination, and more! 

There is no entrance fee for this contest, but the deadline for submissions is Sunday, February 10, 2008. The rules and regulations are as follows: 

1. Stories must be no more than 1,500 words. Submissions should be typed or printed on computer, single-sided, double-spaced, and on plain white paper. Use 1″ margins on all sides, and indent each paragraph by 0.5″. 

2. On each page of the story, include only the story title and the page number. Place the title in the top left corner, and the page number in the top right corner. This will allow us to circulate the story anonymously among the judges and avoid any bias in their decisions (in case you are known to them). Only the contest administrator will have access to your name and contact information until judging is completed. 

3. Use plain fonts, preferably Courier or Times/Times New Roman, at 11 point type. Bold, italic, and/or underlined text can be used for emphasis, but please use black text only. 

4. Submissions should be made electronically in Rich Text Format (RTF), to shortstorycontest@condfw.org. Most word processor programs will save the document in RTF. 

5. No erotica; adult situations are okay, but nothing overtly graphic. Please remember that we are a family-friendly show. 

6. No fanfiction. Use of copyrighted characters, settings, or events will result in immediate disqualification. Stories will be judged on originality. 

7. The maximum number of stories any one person can submit is three. 

8. All stories must be accompanied by a cover sheet containing the story title, your name, and contact information (phone number, mailing address, and e-mail address). 

9. The contest is open to amateur writers only, defined as any writer who has not sold a story of any length for profit before January 1, 2008. 

10. No person may win more than one prize, no matter the number of entries. 

11. Entries must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. on February 10, 2008. 

12. ConDFW may, at its own discretion, keep archival copies of manuscripts, but all other copies will be destroyed. Authors should keep a copy of the manuscript for their own protection. No manuscripts will be returned. All rights will remain with the author. 

13. The results of the contest will be announced during ConDFW 2008 on February 22-24, 2008. 

14. All decisions by the judges are final. Prizes for the winners of the short story contest will be: 

• First Prize: $50 Gift Certificate from Half-Price Books
• Second Prize: $25 Gift Certificate from Half-Price Books
• Third Prize: $10 Gift Certificate from Half-Price Books

In addition, all winners will receive a certificate and free t-shirt, and have their stories printed in the program book for ConDFW 2008  (space permitting). 

E-mail any questions on the Short Story Contest to info@condfw.org with “Short Story Contest” in the subject. 

Remember, the contest deadline is February 10, 2008!