Enter annual Holiday Short Story Contest - Deadline is November 21st!

The Florida Times Union is having a holiday writing contest! Here is what they said.....


You can make it happy, sad, uplifting, depressing, hilarious or downright weird, as long as you can do it in 1,000 words or less and use each of these words or phrases at least once: nog, wreath, mistletoe, blizzard, kazoo, gingerbread, family, Alabama, puppy, stocking, roller coaster and Kermit the Frog.

There are separate contests for students and adults. For the young writers' competition, each elementary, middle school and high school in the Northeast Florida/Southeast Georgia Times-Union readership area may select one story per grade level to enter in the competition. Schools that send in more than one story per grade level will be disqualified. Judges will select three "best-in-show" stories to be printed in the Times-Union. The top student author will receive $100. Runners-up will each receive $50.

Adult short story writers should submit their entries directly to the Times-Union. Winners of the adult competition will receive the following: first place, $300; second place, $200; and third place, $100.

Stories in adult and young writers categories should be no longer than 1,000 words and should be typed. Work must be original, and it must be fiction, not a memoir, recollection or personal essay.

Each manuscript should include the writer's name, address and telephone number. Student entries should identify the school, the student's grade, age, teacher's name and the name of the school principal.

Manuscripts cannot be returned or acknowledged.

Please e-mail or give me your hand-written writing piece to be typed as soon as possible! I will email one writing piece from NBE 4th grade to see if it will be chosen!

DEADLINES & DETAILS

Deadline is 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21. Manuscripts may be mailed to Holiday Short Story Contest, The Florida Times-Union, P.O. Box 1949, Jacksonville, FL 32231; or they may be e-mailed to tom.szaroleta@ jacksonville.com. If e-mailing, please send the story as an attached MS Word document.