Does anyone know of any good competitions for "long" short stories (5,000- 12,000 words)? So far I can't find any that will accept more than 5,000.

Yeah, I know, it'snotanovelandit'snotsshortstorysowhatisit? Not a commercial proposition, that's probably what it is- but I'd like to give it a try.

Thanks for any advice.

Some US contests have longer wordcounts.

For example, I've just been sent details of this competition for stories up to 7000 words:

http://willowsprings.ewu.edu/Contests.htm

Found this on a blog today:

Finally, the quarterly US magazine Glimmer Train says it is looking for 'emotonally affecting, literary short fiction.' Stories may be up to 12,000 words in length, and writers can submit up to three in any one reading month (the next reading month is April). There are no reading fees for standard submissions.

Glimmer Train pays a standard fee of $700 for first publication rights. In addition, they run regular contests for new writers, very short stories, and so on. Entry fees are payable for these contests, but the prizes on offer to the winners are higher than the (still substantial) $700 fee paid for standard submissions.

Full guidelines can be found at www.glimmertrain.com/writguid1.html.

Glimmer Train is fab. If I thought I had the slightest chance of getting round to reading a short fiction mag consistently, that's the one I'd subscribe to.

Emma

I subscribed to Glimmer Train for many years and thought I would want to get in there. The eds seems nice women and the presentation is great. But it took me years to realise I wasn't really enjoying the fiction in there. It felt samey, oten with a near-identical "polished" voice. Right now I cannot remember a GT story. I think too many of the authors are from MFAs. Mind, I'd still sub there because it's a good publication to have on a cv I'd think.



AkB

<Added>

! often