I, Tamsin G., will be your host and judge
(Though if this grows, I may recruit a panel of fellow judges in the future!).
How it will work:
You will have until June 30th at 12pm CST to sign up. The sign up fee is $30.
On July 1st @12pm CST
you'll receive an email containing three prompts, and a google form that will allow you to submit. Your story must incorporate all three prompts in some way.
You'll have 15 days to write and submit a new and original fantasy short story of 2,500 words or fewer.
Once submissions are in, I'll read each story, provide feedback in a google doc, and announce the winners. This will likely take up to 3 months or less depending on the amount of submissions.
Prize Pool:
Thirty percent of all contest earnings will be awarded as prize money. (Note: There will be a minimum prize of $60 for 1st, $40 for 2nd , and $30 for 3rd place)
- 1st Place: 15% of total earnings
- 2nd Place: 10% of total earnings
- 3rd Place: 5% of total earnings
- Top 10: Will be shared on The Cozy Scriptorium with a cover image created by me.
For Example:
If the contest earns $1,000, the prizes would be:
1st Place: $150
2nd Place: $100
3rd Place: $50
Prize amounts will scale based on total contest earnings, so the more participants who join, the larger the prize pool becomes.
Judging Criteria:
- Creativity and Originality
Presents familiar ideas in a unique way or introduces entirely original concepts.
All prompts feel essential to the story and are woven in naturally.
- Characters & Emotional Impact
Are the characters compelling? Do readers care about what happens?
-
Storytelling, plot, & pacing
Structure,
satisfying progression, and satisfying resolution.
Sentence structure, immersive-ness, readability, and prose quality.
Captures the hard to define quality that makes a story linger in your mind, and leaves a lasting impression.
Rules:
- Stories must be fantasy. Any fantasy subgenre is welcome, including cozy fantasy, epic fantasy, dark fantasy, fairy tales, sword and sorcery, mythological fantasy, and fantasy romance.
- All three prompts must be included.
How you incorporate them is entirely up to you, but all three prompts must appear in the story in a meaningful way.
- Your story must be written by you! No AI.
- Maximum word count: 2,500 words.
There is no minimum word count, but submissions exceeding 2,500 words may be disqualified. - One entry per person. Each participant may submit only one story.
- All rights remain with the author.
You retain full ownership of your story. Submission grants permission for the judge (Tamsin G.) to read and evaluate your work for contest purposes only. - Keep content appropriate.
Excessive gore, graphic violence, explicit sexual content, hate speech, or plagiarism will result in disqualification. - Submissions must be received by the deadline.
Late entries may not be accepted. (July 15th @ 12am CST) - Judges' decisions are final.
All placements and awards are determined by the judge and are not subject to appeal. - Stories will be judged anonymously. Do not include your name in the document, or publish your work online until the winners have been chosen.
- Previously published stories are not eligible.
- Entries must be written in English.
- Have fun. The goal is to challenge yourself, improve your writing, and tell a fantastic story.