Upcoming Contests

For those of you who feel like your writing muscles have been finely tuned after the frenzy of November, here are a few contests/submission calls that I've heard about, that you might be interested in:

Storytellers:

EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing is delighted to announce that Tesseracts Sixteen: Parnassus Unbound, is now open for submissions.

Submissions close February 29, 2012.

SUBMISSION DETAILS:

• The theme for Tesseracts Sixteen is "Parnassus Unbound." Submissions should focus on art, music, literature and cultural elements which are integral to the story. This anthology will reflect as broad a spectrum of stories as possible; highlighting unique styles and manners.
• The Tesseracts anthology series is only open to submissions from Canadians, landed immigrants living in Canada, long time residents of Canada, and Canadian expatriates living abroad.
• Canadian authors who write in languages other than English are welcome to submit an English translation of their work, provided it otherwise falls within the parameters of this anthology. Translation into English is the sole responsibility of the author. Please supply details of original publication for any submission that originally appeared in a language other than English.
• Submissions must be speculative fiction: science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy, magic realism, slipstream, supernatural horror, weird tales, alternate history, space opera, planetary adventure, surrealism, superheroes, mythic fantasy, etc.
• Tesseracts Sixteen is open to both short fiction and poetry.
• The maximum length for stories is 5,000 words, with shorter works preferred.
• Deadline: February 29, 2012 (midnight).

Scriptwriters:

Break out your scriptwriting software and get to work, because the 4th Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest gives you the unique opportunity to turn this idea into a solid spec screenplay that could be your ticket to Hollywood success.

The Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest is an international competition that facilitates relationships between new writers and Industry leaders looking to help aspirants embark on writing careers.

Working from this A-list logline from Todd Garner (Producer, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Knight & Day, Jack and Jill), you're challenged to create up to the first 15 pages of an original script based on the given concept. Make it your own - drama, action, sci-fi... anywhere your imagination takes you!

"A father and son find themselves trapped in the Bermuda Triangle after embarking on a quest to discover what happened to the father's missing parents."

But it doesn't stop there. The Industry Insider Screenwriting Contest goes much further than your average competition, by providing the top 10 finalists with mentors to guide them through the entire script creation process, with the goal of completing a spec screenplay to be judged by a panel of Hollywood power players.

Here's how it works:

• Entrants write up to the first 15 pages of a script based on the logline above, provided by Todd Garner
• The top 10 finalists are chosen from the submissions, and receive a personalized letter of congratulations from Todd Garner
• Each of the 10 finalists receives a copy of Movie Magic Screenwriter to professionally format their work as they enter into a 12-week Story Specialists mentoring program, consisting of feedback for every 10 pages submitted, with the goal of completing a spec screenplay based on the given logline
• After 10 weeks of mentoring, the finalists submit their rough drafts to our professional script readers for comprehensive Development Notes, and then have two weeks to work with their mentor and notes to complete the final draft of their screenplay for judging.
• Todd Garner and production company Benderspink judge the completed screenplays and choose a winner

The lucky winner receives transportation and lush accommodations at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, a classic Industry lunch with Todd Garner at The Ivy, a meeting with Benderspink, Energy Entertainment and more.

Fees, Dates and Deadlines:

• Contest Begins: October 1, 2011
• Standard Submission Fee and Deadline: $50 - December 31, 2011