If you have any questions about our contest, please don't
hesitate to email us at jsmcontest@gmail.com
1. Can you clarify what you mean by "unpublished
author"?
For this contest, being an unpublished author means:
a) That you have not published a single work of fiction over
10,000 words for payment, in any form.
b) That you have not had more than 3 works of fiction under 10,000 words selected for publication for payment, by a publisher other than the author, in any form.
You ARE still eligible if:
a) You have self-published a novel or novella but have not sold any copies.
b) You have self-published short fiction on your own personal platform.
c) You have published short fiction with a third party publication but did not receive payment.
d) You have won a prize for this or another contest. Being published as a contest winner does not count unless you were paid specifically for publication of your story.
2. Is there a genre restriction?
Stories can be in any genre, intended for an adult audience, and will be judged for creativity and writing quality. Only short prose fiction will be accepted. Poetry submissions will not be accepted. Stories for children will not be accepted.
There can be some overlap between fiction and creative nonfiction, but as long as your entry reads like a story it will be likely accepted.
3. Can I make changes to my submission after I
submit?
Yes, you can resubmit the same story for no fee up to three
times, until the deadline.
Minor typos and formatting issues will more than likely not affect the judges' decisions, but at this time we will allow you to resubmit your story with minor changes. If you are submitting an entire new story, you will have to pay another entry fee.
4. Will I retain the rights to my work?
5. Will my story be published?
The author retains all rights to their submitted work.
By submitting your story to our contest, you grant JSM Contest the right to publish your name and story title on our website and in promotional materials.
If you are a contest winner or finalist, we will publish the story on our website.
Prize winning stories will also be published in an anthology of winnings stories, to be published after the third year of the contest.
6. Can I enter the contest if I am a previous winner?
Yes, but please wait at least one year before entering again.
7. Can someone who is turning 16 the same year as the
contest enter?
The person submitting a story to the contest must be 16
years of age on the date the prizes are awarded, which will normally be on the
last Saturday in September.
Please keep in mind that this is and adult writing contest.
