Writing Competitions

Drabble Competition - Deadline 31 July 2010

Write a very short story of exactly 100 words, not including the title. And the title must be shorter than the story itself! This competition is open to all members of Au Contraire, attending or supporting. You may submit up to three entries; entries may be printed in the Au Contraire con book or post-con book, at the editor's discretion.

Email your drabble to drabble@aucon... .org.nz [That's @aucontraire.org.nz], or post to PO Box 10104, Wellington. Include a cover page with the title and your name and contact details; do not include your name on any other page (we expect there will only be one other page in most cases). Please ensure email submissions are sent in a widely recognised file format; RTF is good. Postal submissions cannot be returned, so don't send your only copy.

Filk Competition - Deadline 31 July 2010

Write some SF-themed song lyrics. Most filks are rewritten versions of existing songs - think Weird Al Yankovic - but completely original songs or poems are also welcome. Being willing to sing your filk at the convention is encouraged but not compulsory. This competition is open to all members of Au Contraire, attending or supporting. You may submit up to three entries; entries may be printed in the Au Contraire con book or post-con book, at the editor's discretion.

Email your filk to filk@aucon... .org.nz [That's @aucontraire.org.nz], or post to PO Box 10104, Wellington. Include a cover page with: the title; a "to the tune of" credit, naming the original song and composer/performer, where appropriate; and your name and contact details. Do not include your name on any other page (we expect there will only be one other page in most cases). Please ensure email submissions are sent in a widely recognised file format; RTF is good. Postal submissions cannot be returned, so don't send your only copy.

Providing a link to a recording of the original is appreciated, if it's not a very well known song. You may (but are not required to) send us a recording of the filk being sung. This will not affect judging, which will be purely on the writing, not musical ability.

Short Story Competition - Entires Closed 31 January 2010

We've come up with something extra special for the short story competition - the best entries will be included in an anthology of New Zealand science fiction and fantasy to be published by Random Static Press. The anthology will be launched at Au Contraire. All stories accepted for the anthology will be paid for as well as receiving a contributor's copy of the book, and there will be an additional prize for the overall winner.

Entries should be connected in some way to the convention theme ("the future is a foreign country"); a New Zealand setting or link is a bonus, but not essential. Stories should be under 7000 words, and in general, as long as they need to be but not a word longer. Stories should not condone racism, sexism, homophobia, etc, and any graphic violence or explicit sex should be appropriate to the story and not simply for its own sake. Other than that we're open to a broad range. Surprise us! The number of winning entries will depend upon the quality of submissions; Random Static will only publish works of suitable standard.

Rules

• Prior publication: we cannot accept work which has previously been published. This includes online publication. We will, however, consider works which have been published only on a personal website or blog provided you notify us and remove it before submission. We do not consider passworded critique groups or similar closed forums as publication.
• Multiple submissions: we will accept up to three submissions from the same author, provided each is submitted separately. However, as our aim is to showcase a broad range of writing it is highly unlikely that more than one will be selected for the anthology.
• Simultaneous submissions: by entering this competition, you are granting first publication rights for your story to Random Static. This means entries may not be submitted for publication elsewhere until after the anthology has been published. Please notify us immediately should you wish to withdraw your entry.
• Age: submissions from persons under eighteen are welcome. We will neither discriminate, nor make any allowances, based on age. We may, at our sole discretion, release the author's copy of the anthology to a parent or guardian rather than the contributor.
• Fanfic: we can only accept original stories for consideration. Fanfic or other copyright-infringing content is not eligible.
• Eligibility: any citizen or resident of New Zealand may enter. You do not need to be a member of Au Contraire, though we would appreciate it.