Member-Sponsored Carlos Dunning’s Crime Fiction Contest #3
Details
| Deadline: | Jan 31, 2017 |
| Fee: | Free |
Carlos Dunning is once again seeking the best in short crime fiction. This contest is open to all Scribphile members. What does "the best" mean? First it means a piece that is original. If you've got a stereotyped or hackneyed notion or characters, you need to do a hard re-boot. What placed high last time? An addict complicit in Philip Seymour Hoffman’s overdose; a gangbanger ferreting out betrayal; a tough-talking wisecracking noir private eye named Nicholas Noir.
Carlos wants storytelling that has impact for the reader. Sure, a crossbow bolt to the throat has impact, but so does a sweet-talking charmer decked out in gold lamé hanging over a Bellagio crap table at 6 a.m. dribbling champagne on the green felt. Imagination is vital!
Carlos believes that the best crime writing (not to mention genre writing of any sort) is entertaining and interesting, even intriguing and compelling. But stories that are comical, droll, or steamy will also be looked on favorably.
The story (at least 1,500 words, maximum 3,000 words) must fall into the general genre of crime fiction. This means that something illegal, illicit or ethically over the line must have taken place in the past, must be taking place in the present, or will take place at some point in the future or be threatened—all as expressed in the context of the piece. Adult material is okay.
Prize money for this contest is provided by the Scribophile Writing Contest Prize Fund.
Winning entries
Winners have been announced! Log in to see them.
Prizes
| 1st prize: | $100 cash via PayPal, 20 karma points |
| 2nd prize: | $75 cash via PayPal, 15 karma points |
| 3rd prize: | $50 cash via PayPal, 10 karma points |
| 4th prize: | 5 karma points |
| 5th prize: | 5 karma points |
| 6th prize: | 5 karma points |
Rules
Entries must be received before midnight (UTC time) Tuesday, January 31, 2017 and the winners will be announced on or before February 7, 2017.
Entries must be no more than 3,000 words per Scribophile's count and no less than 1,200 words.
Multiple entries are allowed.
Work must have public visibility on Scribophile until a winner is announced.
Submission guidelines
To enter the contest, post your work on Scribophile and check the box that says "Enter this work into the Member-Sponsored Carlos Dunning's Crime Fiction Contest #3". Your work will automatically be considered. The checkbox will be visible until the contest deadline, which is in UTC time.
Entry is free, but you'll need karma points to post your work. You can earn karma points by writing critiques of work by other members.
If you have placed in a contest in the past with a particular piece, you may not resubmit that piece in other contests.