Student Writing Contest
Arisia 2016 is calling for original science fiction or fantasy works of fiction for its annual Student Writing Contest!
- Entries are FREE. Writers retain ALL rights to their works --we only wish to encourage, celebrate, and recognize the talented young writers throughout the Northeast.
- All entries must be original works of fiction by students or young adults currently enrolled in high school or equivalent, between 13 and 18 years of age. No college students, please.
- Short stories must be 1000 to 3000 words long.
- Our theme this year is “exploration.” Writers may feel free to draw inspiration from any sci-fi or fantasy theme(s) they wish. Please, no fan fiction!
- Entries must meet the submission format guidelines below:
Guidelines:
- Double-spaced, 12 point font
- In the upper left corner, type your real name, your email address or a teacher’s email address, your school and teacher's name, and an approximate word count.
- Submissions should be made in doc, odf, or pdf formats.
- Entries should be submitted via email to writingcontest@arisia.org with the subject line:
- ENTRY FOR STUDENT WRITING CONTEST.
- For more information, please e-mail us at writingcontest@arisia.org.
- Deadline for submission: December 1, 2015
Winners will be contacted via email on or before January 1, 2016.
Prizes will be awarded to exceptional stories, including cash prizes that total $800, and free memberships to attend Arisia 2016. The school attended by our first-prize winner will receive a matching prize! Prizes will be awarded at our annual Arisia convention on Sunday evening, January 18th, 2016, during the Arisia Masquerade.
Past winners can be found HERE.
FAQ:
- What is Arisia?
- Arisia, Inc. is a 501(c)3, non-profit, volunteer-run organization whose purpose is to promote science fiction and fantasy.
The Arisia convention, held in Boston MA each year over MLK day weekend, is a celebration of all things sci-fi, fantasy, and generally "geeky".
- What is this contest?
- This is a contest to encourage young writers throughout the New England area. There is no fee to enter.
- Who can enter?
- High School students, or young adults between the ages of 14 and 18, who have never been enrolled in college, and are currently residing in the New England area (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT).
- What are the prizes?
- Prizes will include cash prizes (first prize is $250!), memberships to future Arisia conventions, and the option to have the story published on the Arisia website.
- Tell me more about this publishing?
- All winning stories will be published in perpetuity online at Arisia.org, provided the author and their guardian give consent. Authors will retain their copyright, and we will remove the stories at any time requested.
- What can the story be about?
- Anything that can be clearly labeled within the science fiction or fantasy genres.
- How long can stories be? Is there a minimum length?
- The minimum length is 1,000 words. It should be a complete story --not a single chapter of a larger work.
Stories should not be longer than 3000 words.
- What can't I submit?
- Please keep your story appropriate to show to other high school students (so, approximately PG-13 is a safe bet) We are looking for original prose stories, so please no fan-fiction or poetry. It should go without saying, but please make sure all stories submitted are an original work. Please do not submit anything that has already been professionally published
- May I work with someone else?
- Collaborations are permitted provided all collaborators meet the entry qualifications --no adults, and no writers from outside the New England area.
In the event of a collaboration winning, all prizes will be split as evenly as possible among the winners.
- Do I have to give up my copyright to Arisia?
- Not at all! The story, and all associated copyright, remains yours. We want to recognize young writers, not take their work.
- When is the deadline?
- December 1
Get writing!
