Shot Caller Press, LLC

Short Story Contest Information

Who can enter? Any who is or has been in prison or jail.

What kind of story is eligible? True stories about life in prison.

When? October  31, 2009 thru April 31, 2010. All entries must be postmarked by:
 April 31, 2010 to qualify.

Prizes:
First Place: $250.00
Second Place: $150.00
Third Place: $75.00

All those published in the anthology will receive a copy of the book.

***All person’s entering into this contest must give consent to their story being published in the anthology of prison stories. The consent form must be submitted with the story in order for the story to be considered as a valid entry into the contest. The writer/author of the story owns the rights to the entry, but by entering the contest the writer/author gives their consent to Shot Caller Press, LLC to use, publish, market and distribute the story as part of the contest and, if selected, as part of an anthology of prison stories.

***Shot Caller Press, LLC reserves the right to decide not to publish the Anthology if it decides there is not enough interest in the book.

Download an Entry Form

RULES:

• All stories must be about life in prison.
• No more than two stories can be submitted. Both stories must be sent in with the same entry form. Separate mailings will be disqualified.
• Constants who entered into the 2008 short story contest and whose stories were not selected as winners may use the story they entered again. They need only write the title of the story on an entry form and submit the form by April 31, 2010 to qualify.
• Stories must be no more than 5,000 words in length.
• The story must be readable. We prefer typed stories with 12-inch font. Hand written stories are accepted as long as the print is a ¼ inch in height and readable.
• There must be 1-inch margins on every page. Top, bottom, left and right margins.
• The title of the story must be written in the top right hand margin along with a page number. Every page must have both title and page number.

         Do not put your name or any other information on any page of the story.

• The writer/author’s name must be on the consent form only along with the title of the story.  Any story that has the author’s name on the story will be disqualified.
• Any story that quotes another person must give credit to the original work or it will be disqualified. We prefer stories to be in the author’s own words. We run a data base search similar to colleges that seeks out plagiarism.
• All stories must be submitted with a signed consent form giving Shot Caller Press, LLC permission to publish their story in an anthology if selected. Shot Caller Press, LLC reserves the right to choose which stories will be selected for the anthology.
• All entries must be postmarked by April 31, 2010.
• Do not include questions or additional information along with the entry form. Any additional information will be discarded.

***Shot Caller Press, LLC reserves the right to edit stories selected for publication for punctuation and spelling.

How to Enter:

Fill out and sign an Entry Form and send it along with their story to:

Shot Caller Press – Story Contest
8316 N. Lombard # 334
Portland, Oregon 97203

• You can write to us and request that the entry form and information be sent to you or someone in prison.

***A completed and signed consent form must accompany all entries.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is there a cost or entry fee to enter this contest? Absolutely not! This is not a gimmick contest. There is no charge to enter. In fact those writers who stories are selected to be published in the book will receive a copy of the book at no additional charge.

How many times can someone enter? Once. A person is able to enter two stories, but both stories must be submitted with the same entry form. 

Can I enter the same story I entered into the 2008 Short Story Contest? Yes, if your story was not selected as a winner in the 2008 Short Story Contest, you can write the name of the story you entered in 2008 on your entry form where it calls for the title of story, and submit it before April 31, 2010.  We have all the 2008 stories on file. We highly recommend you look over your story first to see if you can improve it in any way and submit an updated and edited copy.

If I change the story I submitted into the 2008 Short Story Contest do I need to say so on the entry form? No. Just send in the edited or revised as if it were a new entry.

If I enter the same story I entered into the 2008 contest can I enter another story too? Yes, include it with the entry form. Remember to write the title of both stories you want to enter on the entry form. As stated above both stories must be submitted with the same entry form and writing simply the title of the 2008 story is acceptable.

Is this a contest where every entry is accepted to be published? No! We take pride in the fact that we are selective with our entries. Our objective is it to make it an honor to be selected to the anthology. Shot Caller Press, LLC reserves the right not to publish the book if it decides that there is not enough interest in the publication.

Who owns the rights to the story? The writer/author owns the rights to the story, but by entering the contest the writer/author gives their consent to Shot Caller Press, LLC to use, publish, market and distribute the story as part of the contest and, if selected, as part of an anthology.

Does the contest require a certain topic for the story or a certain style of story?  Yes, we require that all stories are true and about prison life.

How does Shot Caller Press know the story is original? We do an extensive database search that checks the stories against known writings verifying the originality and authenticity of each story.

Will the judges give the writer literary feedback on the story? No.

Will there be other contests? Yes, our subsequent contest will be for prison poetry. This contest is expected to begin by June of 2010.

Will I be contacted if I do not win? Yes, after all the winning stories have been selected and winners notified, we send everyone on our mailing list an announcement listing the top winners. This could take up to 6 months after the close of the contest, April 31, 2010.

How will the prizes be awarded? When we notify the winners we request that they send us the information as to how to send them their prize money. Every prison has a different procedure. We do not need you to send us the information on your application or consent form. A Prisoner can request that the prize money be sent to a friend or family member on the outside.

How will you announce the winners? The winners will be notified by mail and their names along with their story will be posted on the website within 90 days after the close of the contest. Free books will be mailed upon completion of publication.

What kind of stories is likely to be a winner? What makes a story stand out is that it is unique. The use of proper English WILL NOT help. We want it in the author’s own voice. We want the to hear the sound of prison. Let us have reality!

Will the Story entries be returned to sender? No! Because of the number of entries that are submitted to our contest, no entries will be returned, so we recommend that you keep a copy of your story. (Judges do not give literary feedback to be writer).

Is there a possibility that the book will not be published? Yes, Shot Caller Press, LLC reserves the right not to publish the anthology if it decides that there is not enough interest in it.

Will only the contest winners be included in the book: No, you do not have to enter the contest to be included in the book. Shot Caller Press, LLC reserves the right to decide who will be published and how the book is put together. Some honorable mentions and others may be included in the book.

What criteria do your judges use?

Any story that does not the follow the mandatory guidelines below will be rejected:

• Any entry that does not meets the rules outlined above.
• Any story that is not about prison.
• Entries that do not have a signed consent form.
• Entries that have the authors name on it.
• Any unreadable entry. Scanned copies or unreadable handwriting will be rejected.

Privacy policy: We believe in privacy and in protecting the privacy rights of our writers. Shot Caller Press, LLC will not share any information about our Writers with any other company, individual or agency without the express permission of the Writer involved. Information given to Shot Caller Press, LLC by the Writers will only be used to contact the winners of the contest and to inform other high merit entries about the results of the contest and the ensuing publication. The names of the contest winners along with the winner’s story will be posted on our website and published in an anthology of prison Stories.

If you want to be notified when we begin other contests email us or write to us and ask to be put on our mailing list.

• Shot Caller Press - Mailing List
  8316 N. Lombard St. #334
  Portland, Oregon 97203

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