The Rules

Very short stories (and/or narrative prose poems in paragraph form) should be previously unpublished and 500 words or less.

Send as many stories as you wish (via postal mail or in the body of an e-mail). All stories, regardless of genre or theme (except children's, religious and erotica) will be considered, as long as the author pays the requested $5 reading fee per story or poem. Note: Reading fees are waived for current subscribers (limit 3 free entries).

By Mail: Send one printed copy of your story or poem, along with complete contact information, a $5 non-refundable reading fee per story or poem, and a letter-sized SASE with adequate postage for list of winners (manuscripts will not be returned) to:

VERY SHORT STORY CONTEST
Lunch Hour Stories
PMB 1117
22833 Bothell Everett Hwy, Ste 110
Bothell, WA 98021
USA

Submissions: Authors may submit as many stories as they wish, as long as the stories are previously unpublished, and a $5 reading fee per story is included. Simultaneous submissions are okay, too, but please let us know if/when the story is accepted for publication elsewhere.

Notification: Winners will be notified (and a winner's list posted on our website) no later than March 31 following the deadline. Winning stories will be eligible for publication during December of the following calendar year.

Prizes

First Place: $100, publication in December of the following year, and five (5) printed copies of the anthology in which the story appears.

Second Place: $50, publication in December of the following year, and five (5) printed copies of the anthology in which the story appears.

Third Place: $25, publication in December of the following year, and five (5) printed copies of the anthology in which the story appears.

In addition to the three contest winners, up to nine (9) additional stories will be selected to appear in the anthology. The author of each story selected for publication will receive five (5) printed copies of the anthology.

Judging: Approximately 20 finalists will be selected by the editorial staff of Lunch Hour Stories magazine, and final selections will be made by a guest editor or author (name to be announced prior to the closing of the contest). Winning stories will be selected solely on the basis of literary excellence and reader appeal, and not on the reputation of the author and/or their publishing history. Any and all persons associated with Lunch Hour Book Publications, Lunch Hour Stories magazine, the judge(s) and their family members, are ineligible.

Previous judges:

2008 - Anna Scotti (pending)
2007 - Helen Sears
2006 - Bruce Holland Rogers

ALL CASH PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED; however, the editors reserve the right not to publish any of the entries and/or winning stories if they do not meet the standards necessary for publication. In the event that the anthology itself is not published, all reading fees will be refunded.

Due to the large number of contest entries, the editors are not able to provide personal feedback or critique. Thank you for understanding.