June Mystery Contest

Details

Lately we've been digging in to some classic mysteries—Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Sam Spade, and the rest.

We love a good mystery, and nothing's quite as gripping as the first chapter to a mystery novel. Everything's set up—the scene, the characters, and the crime—and you can't help but want to read more.

In that vein, we want you to write a mystery! But not a whole mystery... that'd take more than a month for sure. We just want to see the first chapter of your mystery. We want to be tantalized by your characters and intrigued by your case—and you've got at least 2000 and at most 5000 words to do it in!

Winning entries

Winners have been announced! Log in to see them.

Prizes

Rules

• Your entry must be the first chapter to an original, previously unpublished mystery novel, with a minimum of 2000 words and a maximum of 5000 words (as counted by us).

• Entries must be received by June 30, 2008, and winners will be announced on July 7, 2008. Scribophile staff reserves the right to disqualify any contest entry for any reason and to change the terms of the contest for any reason.

• Entries will be judged by the Scribophile staff, taking into consideration the ratings given by Scribophile members. Decisions are final.

• Only one entry is allowed per member. Multiple entries will all be disqualified.

Submission guidelines

• To enter the contest, post your work on Scribophile and tag it with "june contest" (without quotes). Your work will automatically be considered.

• Email submissions will not be accepted.