Open to short stories in any genre or style (excluding flash fiction).

Entry Period: May 1 through August 31, 2010

Length: 1,000 to 3,500 words (not including title)

Entry fees: $15 first story, $12 second story, $12 third story. Limit three (3) entries per author.

All entries must be in English and original work written by the submitting author; complete short fiction only (no novel chapters or excerpts, no children’s stories, no accompanying illustrations or photographs).

Prizes: Grand Prize, First, Second, and Third Place entries receive cash prizes, plus publication on Menopause Press.

See Fiction Contest Details for payment and submission information and other sordid requirements.

Winning entries will feature strong female characters (preferably mature females with life experiences to draw upon) in believable situations.


Fiction Contest Details

Deadline: We call it a deadline for a reason. Anything MP receives after the date/time listed in the Contest Announcement will be considered dead to us. (That means it’s disqualified.) Entry fees will not be refunded under any circumstance.

Who may enter: Any writer over age 18. This isn’t a contest for children. Because Menopause Press is a site designed for women readers and writers who have a lot of life experience, we want stories written by adults with insight. Female authors are particularly encouraged. Yes, we welcome entries from men.

What to enter: Your best short story of an appropriate length that will appeal to women who enjoy intelligent, insightful fiction with strong female characters. Nix the melodrama. Deny the cliché. Can the hapless victims. Soap operas and their ilk are shunned. Sorry, we can only accept entries written in English. See Contest Announcement for length and other specifications for the current contest. All genres will be considered, although violence for its own sake, blood and guts horror, pornographic or gratuitous sexual content, distasteful or abusive treatment of children/animals/philandering husbands, or anything related to these areas that MP deems unacceptable will lead to disqualification. We’re not looking for stories with shock value. MP seeks strong plots, well-developed characters, and meaningful themes. Good writers should have good judgment and understand their chosen genres. Even horror can be written with taste. In fiction writing, a subtle slap on the shoulder is always better than a fist to the jaw.

Entry fees: First Entry: $15 (US). Second and third entries: $12 each (US). Limit three entries per author. (Please note: your entry fee is used to compensate winners and support MP administrative costs. This is NOT a reading fee.) Fees are non-refundable.

Paying the fee(s): Pay before you submit your writing! MP cannot stress this enough. We accept entry fees by PayPal only via MP’s shopping cart. No checks or alternative methods are accepted at this time—so don’t ask! Be sure to note your PayPal confirmation information and PayPal account email address in your entry submission. Failure to do so could result in disqualification if we can’t match your entry to your payment.

Submitting your entry: All entries must be submitted via the official Entry Form (Click here or look for the link with the Contest Announcement). Sorry, we cannot accept snail-mail submissions.

Copy/paste your stories into the boxes provided in the form. Place the TITLE in all capitals and the word count (like this: WC 0,000) at the top of each story. At the end of each story, please insert the word END in capital letters so we are certain we have received the full text. In the event we do not see the word END, we may or may not contact you to request verification that the final paragraph is the end of the story.

All stories should be formatted single-spaced without paragraph indents. For readability, put an extra line return between paragraphs—so your story will be formatted similar to this page. (We prefer this formatting because it will make it easier to publish winning stories.)

Verify all your information and that you have included all your entries (with Title/WC at top and END shown at the bottom). Submitting multiple entries at different times when you’ve paid the fees all at once makes it more difficult to pair your payment and your entries and could lead to stories being disqualified.

Important stuff: Limit three entries per author. All entries must be paid at one time to receive multiple entry discount. Paying individually will result in each costing the First Entry fee. Any entries by a single author beyond the third will be immediately disqualified.

Judging & Winners: Judging is by a select panel of humans with taste, experience (writing, editing, and otherwise), and love of fiction. Impress them and you will be rewarded. Winners will be notified approximately 45 days after close of contest. At that time, MP will request details to complete the prize award process. All cash prizes are awarded in US dollars via PayPal. Winners will be required to have a PayPal account (it’s free and easy to create one at PayPal.com). MP is not responsible for exchange rates, fees, local taxes, or similar considerations incurred after prize distribution.

Good Stuff:

Grand Prize Winner receives $125* US; publication of the winning story on Menopause Press along with author’s name, city/state/country, a short bio, photo.

First Place receives $75* US; publication of the winning story on Menopause Press along with author’s name, city/state/country.

Second Place receives $50* US; publication of the winning story on Menopause Press along with author’s name, city/state/country.

Third Place receives $50* US; publication of the winning story on Menopause Press along with author’s name, city/state/country.

Five Honorable Mention stories will be listed on Menopause Press by title, author’s name, city/state/country. Honorable mention stories will also receive a short critique by one of our contest judges and may be considered for publication on the site at a later date.

* IMPORTANT: Since this is the inaugural contest, Menopause Press reserves the right to increase or decrease monetary prizes based on participation. Also, in the event more than 100 entries are received, Grand Prize, First, Second, and Third Place winners may also receive bonus books on writing or a reasonable alternative for non-US winners.

Legal Junk: All entries should be unpublished either by traditional press or online. For instance, if you post your fiction in your blog, don’t submit it here. If your story has won a contest elsewhere and been published, don’t submit it here. (Non-published placers and honorable mentions are okay.) Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please notify us by email if the story is accepted elsewhere so we can remove it from consideration.

Menopause Press reserves one-time digital publication of all winning stories for a minimum of one year. During and after that time, stories will also be available in our archives at the site’s discretion. MP will consider removing stories from the archive if the author submits a special written request. Please note that such requests will not be considered prior to one year from MP publication date. Authors retain copyrights and may reprint their stories by conventional means at any time, however, they may not be republished elsewhere on the Internet for the one year period as specified above.

A generic receipt for a contest entry will be forwarded to author via email. This will be an automated response confirming contact with Menopause Press. It is not a guarantee that your entry is acceptable or complete. Do not contact MP to verify that your entry was received in good order. If there is a problem with an entry deemed not the fault of the author, MP will contact the author for verification or correction.

Entries cannot be altered or updated once submitted. Submitting multiple, revised copies of the same story will lead to only the first entry being considered. Subsequent submissions of it will be disqualified.

The decision of the judges is final and irrevocable.

Menopause Press is not responsible for published stories appearing on other sites without MP’s permission or the author’s consent. We do not authorize re-publication of our contest winners. It is the author’s responsibility to sic the hounds on those who violate their rights.

By paying your entry fee and submitting your work you are agreeing to the terms and conditions set forth in the contest guidelines and rules.

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Click on the link above and go to the contest official site