A Midsummer Tale is a creative non-fiction contest. We are looking for non-fiction stories told using fiction techniques. This means characters, dialogue, and some semblance of a plot are musts. Please, no essays or articles.
Details, including specific theme and length, are announced May 1.
The deadline for submissions is June 21.
Entries are blind-judged by Beaver. The judge’s decision is final. Winners are announced July 31.
Winning stories are published in the September issue of Toasted Cheese. Winners receive Amazon gift certificates: $20 for first, $15 for second, $10 for third.
Stories should be essentially true, but do not need to have journalistic accuracy. This is your version of what happened, not a “Joe Friday” accounting of The Facts. Creative license can be taken in order to recreate dialogue that took place 20 years ago, for example.
You may use pseudonyms to identify the people in your story; however, please indicate that you have done so on your entry.
For a better idea of what we are looking for, please visit our archives and read some of the creative nonfiction we have published in the past.
The theme of the June 2008 A Midsummer Tale contest is: Snapshots. Photographs can trigger memories of events you thought you had forgotten. Has it been a while since you’ve looked at the dusty albums or boxes that hold your family photos? This year’s AMT contest is a chance for you to dig through your yellowing snapshots and reminisce. Choose one old photo and write about the events surrounding it.
- Stories must take place in the summer.
- The word limit is 3,000 words.
- This is a non-fiction contest; your story must be about something that actually happened, not something you invented.
IMPORTANT:
- Attach a copy of the photograph to your entry. Photos will be published along with the winning stories. Entries without an attached photo will be disqualified.
- By entering the contest, you warrant that the photograph you have included is a personal snapshot and that you have both the right to publish it and the permission of anyone identifiable in the photo to use their image.
The contest opens May 1, 2008. The deadline for submissions is June 21, 2008. E-mail entries to amtcontest08[at]toasted-cheese.com. Your subject line must read: A Midsummer Tale Contest Entry.