The “Aestas” Short Story Contest 2015 - Deadline 30th September #seanocarolan #writing #contest #Aestas

BEGINS – 9:00 a.m. July 01, 2015 (US Central time)
ENDS – 11:59 p.m. Sep 30, 2015 (US Central time)


Unlike our earlier contests, Aestas 2015 is not theme bound. There is no restriction on genre either, but for consistency of presentation we do not accept children’s stories, fantasy, young adult or chick lit. Likewise hardcore science fiction is not something we are looking for, but are open to alternative history based literary works.

The contest will be judged by four independent judges, and the results will be announced by mid-Nov 2015. Three winners will be selected from the entrants, and will be awarded prizes as detailed in the below guidelines (see ‘Prizes’). In addition, depending on the length and quality of submission, a long-list of stories will be selected for publication in an anthology which will be sold through leading online bookstores. All published authors will be gifted a free copy of the anthology.

For detailed guidelines and rules, please refer below:
“Aestas” Short Story Contest 2015 Rules

The rules below govern the “Aestas” Short Story Contest 2015 (“Contest”).

Sponsor: The Contest is sponsored by Fabula Press (“the website”), and the Quill & Ink webzine (collectively known as “Sponsors” hereafter).

Eligibility: The Contest is open to all writers 18 years old or above. There is no limit to the number of entries per person, but this is not bingo, and more submissions do not necessarily translate into higher chances of winning.

Contest and Judging Criteria:
Entries must be received by US Central Time 11:59 p.m. September 30, 2015. Submissions should be through the Submissions Manager tool on the website. There is a US$10 entry fee, to be paid through the Submissions Manager.
Stories must be written in English, original and unpublished up to the time the winners are declared on or about November 15, 2015.
Stories must be double-spaced, in Times New Roman font size 10 and not less than 2000 words and no more than 7,000 words.
The name of the story and total word count must be printed on the front page of the story.
Pseudonyms are not permitted.
All submissions are final. No changes or substitutions to a story are allowed once your entry is received.
Queries before submission are welcome but must relate to the contest rules or if there are difficulties in submission.
By entering the Contest, entrants agree to allow Fabula Press to publish their stories, names and biographical information in all media, including but not limited to newspapers and online websites, without any compensation, save the prizes as detailed under ‘contest rewards’ to the notified winners. However, the above clause shall be null and void if the entry does not make it to the long list after first round of judging, and all rights will revert to the authors.
Do not send photographs with entries. Winners will be contacted about a photograph at a later date and must agree to publication of his/her photograph.
In connection with your submission, you affirm, represent and/or warrant that (i) you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents and permissions to use and authorize Sponsors to use all copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights in and to your submission to enable inclusion and use of the submission in the manner contemplated by these Contest rules.
Sponsor reserves the right to reject and disqualify any submissions that could be offensive or inappropriate or that do not meet the terms and conditions of these rules.
In case of any dispute, the sponsors’ liability is limited to refund of the contest entry fee.

Judging and notification:
The Fabula Press team will complete the first round of judging. The finalists’ entries will then be judged by the Fabula Press Aestas Short Story Contest 2015 judges’ panel, who will select the First, Second and Third prize winners based on a 9 point scoring matrix on plot, quality of narrative, and characterisation. Final decision will be based on the sum total of the scores from the judges. The decisions of the contest judges will be final in respect of any matter relating to this Contest.
The winners will be contacted by email by the Sponsors, and must reply within two working weeks to maintain eligibility. If the winner(s) cannot be contacted within this time period or fail(s) to respond to any attempted contact, such winner(s) will be disqualified, his/her entry will be declared null and void and the Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to select another winner based on the judging criteria, in which event these provisions shall apply to such other eligible entry.

Contest Prizes: Apart from publication of long listed authors in an anthology with a free copy of the anthology as payment, a total of three prizes will be awarded as below. Payment will be through paypal. If paypal does not work in your country, get in touch with the sponsors before entering the contest for alternative payment channels.
First Prize: US$150 and 2 copies of the anthology
Second Prize: US$100 and 2 copies of the anthology
Third Prize: US$100

Ownership/Use Rights: Entrants retain the copyright to their stories. However, by entering the contest and on being selected for the longlist after the first round of judging, you grant the Sponsors a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish and reproduce in part or full in print or online media, and to display your full name, short story and photograph in connection with Sponsors’ business, through print or online media channels. For the avoidance of doubt, the scope of full reproduction / full publishing is limited to publishing the story in the anthology and / or e-book format. However, before we commence with the exercise of such license, you will be allowed seven days’ time from the date of the longlist notification delivered to you by email to decide on whether you are agreeable to retain your participation in the contest.

The longlisted entrants will also be contacted separately for publication in the print anthology.

Indemnity: By participating in this Contest, you agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Sponsors, and their office bearers from any and all damages, injuries, claims, causes of action, or losses of any kind (including but not limited to lawyers’ fees) arising from your participation in the Contest, your violation of any term of these Contest rules, your violation of any third party right, including without limitation any copyright, property, or privacy right; or any claim that your submission caused damage to a third party.

Banning: The Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, prohibit any person from entering the Contest whom it believes to be abusing the rules. Such abuse includes but is not limited to falsification of information and/or identity, plagiarism, racial discrimination and bigotry.

Force Majuere clause: The Sponsors are not liable for failure to perform their obligations under these rules if such failure is as a result of Acts of God (including natural disasters), Acts of War, civil unrest, usurped power or confiscation, terrorist activities, prevention by statutes, or interruption or massive and sustained failure of electricity, internet or telephone service.

Any extension / reduction of contest and / or the judging window will be at the sole discretion of the organisers, and will be notified on the website if extended.

To submit, click here. For queries relating to the contest, mail us at editors@fabulapress.com