Now accepting submissions. 250 words max. Open to all.

Site address: http://www.fishpublishing.com/short_story_vssp.htm

This is the info from the site:

"Competition Summary
Closing date: 4 March 2005
Judges: To be announced.

A First Prize of €1,000 to the winner plus publication in the Fish 2005 Anthology. Nine runners up will also be selected to appear in the Anthology and will each receive an award of €100 plus five complimentary copies of the Anthology."

Perfect for you, Ani - in fact, it's the same idea as their vss last year.
Elspeth

Quite an expensive entry fee for 250 words though.

Ten Euros? What's that, about six pound something? I can understand an administration fee for short stories over 2000 words but for a page of text!!! Is this some kind of new idiot tax?

Colin M

Colin, I suppose it's the means by which the large cash prizes are awarded and the anthologies published. I read in Euros and thought in pounds, but IMO it's still expensive for 250 words.

Nell.

<Added>

But it's good to know about these comps, so thanks Ani.

I quite fancy having a go at this, but since I’ve never written anything under 100,000 words I’m not sure I have the right tools for the challenge.

Anyone prepared to offer me any tips?

Grinder

I've given up comps! (i have theories about comps)

don't you think this is pricey?

I have a 100% competition record. But I'm not paying that much to enter, just in case...

Jai, tell us your theories about comps, or are you cautious about being sued? There are warnings about some poetry comps on the 'net - talk of nepotism etc. And in a comp where you can enter as many times as you like for a fee for each entry, surely each entry should have an equal chance of winning? Therefore if you're lucky/talented enough to win first prize with one entry, your other entries should, in fairness, be able to win second and third prize too. I can see how a few well-known names could walk away with all the prizes, yet if the mags concerned don't want anyone to win more than one prize they shouldn't allow writers to submit more than one entry. As with everything else it's all about money.

Nell.

The standard procedure for comps is that the entry has no name on it or anything to link it with a particular author. When the competition admin receive an entry they remove the cover sheet (with contact details and name) and put the work in a separate pile. Both are given an identity code so when the winner is chosen it's easy to find out who she/he is. So unless you decide to do all your entries in some mad font like Hobo, then they should all stand an equal chance.

I've got a friend who runs an annual short story competition and have no doubts at all that it is totally fair in its judging, but I still don't enter because I see competitions like this (and this is a big generalisation) as a business venture first, and support for new writers second.

Colin M

Nell

It's not a theory about the fairness of it in essence but about the style and type of writing that is more likely to succeed at it and as we have someone on the site (you know who i mean...) who specializes in winning comps - I feel I'd best keep my mouth shut!

just to add not an active member nor one we know well. just for the record.

just also to add - along with comps I have basically given up actively publishing.

Jai -- Why give up actively publishing? You have a remarkable record. I can't understand why you would stop.

Jai, I say it again - you seem to have reached a plateau (and a pretty high one at that) and are ready to take the next step but it isn't being presented to you (for reasons we have spent hours discussing on these forums!) Keep at it though - remember that quote about published writers being the ones that didn't give up (or whatever it was)

Anyway, can you imagine doing anything else?

Elspeth