Escape Artists

The Arcade => Flash Contest VI => Completed Contests => Flash Fiction Contest VI - Escape Pod => Topic started by: darusha on March 02, 2020, 11:49:11 PM

Title: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: darusha on March 02, 2020, 11:49:11 PM

It’s no joke: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020!

Submissions will be open from April 1-15, 2020, via a dedicated portal on Moksha.

To be a valid submission to the contest, each story must adhere to the following rules:

• The story must be no more than 500 words long, not including its title. Do not use the title to skirt around the word count. Word count will be determined using Scrivener.
• Each author may submit only ONE story.
• The story must adhere to the general Escape Pod submission guidelines. Most importantly, it needs to be a science fiction story; other genres, including horror and fantasy, are discouraged. As a general rule, we will take a very liberal view of what constitutes science fiction, but authors should note that experience shows that stories that attempt to skirt the genre restriction tend to fare badly in the voting.
• The story must be original and previously unpublished. If your story was published on your public blog or your Patreon or newsletter, it is considered previously published and is ineligible. If it has only been posted to a private critique group, it has not been previously published and is eligible. If you have a question send a query to darusha@escapeartists.net with the subject line “QUERY” and ask before submitting. Please do not submit stories that have been entries in any previous Escape Artists contest. Note that contest stories will be posted on a members-only portion of the forum, so first publication rights will not be spent if your story does not win.
• The person submitting the story must be the story’s author (or acting for the author with express permission) and hold full publishing rights to the story.
• The story must be submitted in its final form, as the author intends it to be read by the voting public. We will not allow authors to submit changes to stories, especially not after submissions are closed.
• The title, byline, and text should be included in the submission. Any byline will be stripped when the stories are posted in the contest, and will be revealed when the story does not advance, or at the close of the contest. Feel free to use a pseudonym for the byline, but we will need a legal name if you win for prize purposes.
• Authors under 18 are welcome. By submitting, any author under 18 asserts they have obtained the permission of a parent or guardian with whom Escape Artists, Inc. can enter into a contract on behalf of the author.

The three stories with the highest votes will be published on Escape Pod. Authors will be paid $40 USD, making this a pro sale of at least eight cents a word.

Please share widely and loudly!

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: Deborah L. Davitt on March 29, 2020, 02:41:59 AM

I, for one, am excited!  :D

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: Thunderscreech on April 01, 2020, 05:20:04 PM

Red 5, standing by.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: VSHarriman on April 01, 2020, 07:25:22 PM

Can you explain the voting requirements?  Do you have to read a minimum number of submissions?  How are they ordered and posted?  Thanks.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: darusha on April 01, 2020, 08:56:55 PM

The stories will be anonymously and randomly grouped for voting, and you should read all stories in a group before voting in that group. You can read and vote in as many (or as few) groups as you like. Each group will have around ten stories (plus or minus a few to make the numbers work out).

Voting will likely start on May 1, but that's subject to change.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: jordanshiveley on April 02, 2020, 08:48:12 PM

YAY!

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: darusha on April 06, 2020, 09:10:49 PM

I've had a couple of questions about the contest, so I'll answer them here for everyone:

Please don't submit your contest entry elsewhere, as we’d rather not have stories withdrawn if they progress through the contest. If a story doesn’t advance, however, it would be free to be submitted elsewhere at that time.

Also, for those of you who are new to Escape Artists Flash Fiction Contests, the forum threads with contest entries are moved to an archive on the forum after the contest closes, but that archived forum is still accessible by active forum members. You can find them in the Completed Contests board.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: jordanshiveley on April 11, 2020, 05:20:35 PM

How long is the judging cycle for this contest usually?

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: darusha on April 12, 2020, 12:49:06 AM

The voting period depends on the number of entries. At the moment it looks like voting will likely take up the month of May, but if we get a huge number of entries on the last day, which can happen, it might extend into June.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: Marc Lensly on April 13, 2020, 01:43:34 PM

New here, so thanks very much for the explanation of the contest.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: RajivMote on April 14, 2020, 03:16:36 AM

If I remember correctly, a "hello" post initiates the ability to vote in the contest. So... Hello! Standing by.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: markv on April 14, 2020, 01:16:58 PM

Thank you for the  details. Looking forward to it!

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: Scott W Baker on April 15, 2020, 12:52:44 PM

Assuming that social distancing stretches through May (which I expect), the timing on this is very good. I always enjoy reading the stories for these contests. Nice to have something to look forward to each week.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: Languorous Lass on April 15, 2020, 07:20:26 PM

Hi —what time tonight does the contest close?  I’m in EDT.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: Feverwood on April 15, 2020, 11:40:37 PM

Have you changed the submission portal? Or is it just cosmetic?

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: darusha on April 16, 2020, 02:01:50 AM

The portal will close at 0700 UTC 16 April 2020.

The portal hasn't changed since the beginning of the contest. You can find it at: https://escapeartists.moksha.io/publication/escape-pod/15/submit

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: JohnAMcColley on April 16, 2020, 03:17:59 AM

Feeling like I just snuck it in there, fewer than four hours from the deadline... but I'm in. I only had the thing 4/5 written this am when I realized what day it was... Best of luck to all. I look forward to reading some amazing stories... Wait, can I say "amazing stories?" What I mean to s--&^$***eeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEE

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: NathanielEakman on April 16, 2020, 09:30:43 AM

Barely squeaked an entry in before the deadline, but I'm also here.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: MilvusScribe on April 16, 2020, 05:31:42 PM

My first time participating! Looking forward to seeing everyone's entries <3

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: Android Astronomer on April 17, 2020, 01:24:09 AM

This is my first time as well. I look forward to reading. Thank you all for competing.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: mdouglaswhite on April 20, 2020, 04:23:03 AM

Hello! I'm very excited to join the Escape Artists forum, and to read some terrific stories in the upcoming Escape Pod Flash Fiction contest :)

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: ferdwrites on April 20, 2020, 03:38:40 PM

Hey guys! This is my first Flash Fiction contest. Excited to read everybody else's stories!

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: StainlessSteelRatt on April 23, 2020, 09:17:02 PM

Hello everyone. I'm looking forward to the contest, I submitted and am really just looking forward to the feedback. This my first time reading or writing for the contest, and I'm very excited.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: HCTurner on April 27, 2020, 04:27:49 PM

Good Luck to those who submitted and happy voting, all.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: DoctorLogic on April 29, 2020, 10:01:13 AM

Hurrah!  Can't wait to read all the stories.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: LinkP on May 26, 2020, 01:43:14 AM

Congrats to everyone that moved on to the Semis!  Well done!

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: Canijo on May 28, 2020, 12:29:13 AM

I'll try next time.

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: darusha on June 12, 2020, 12:13:08 AM

In what was a very close race, including a tie for third, the winners of the Escape Pod Flash Fiction Contest for 2020 are…

"Butterfly" by Drew Czernik

"In Roaring She Shall Rise" by Rajiv Moté

"Death Poems of the Folded Ones" by Carol Scheina

"The Day the Sun Went Out" by Hannah Whiteoak

Congratulations and we’ll hear these stories on an upcoming episode of Escape Pod.

Thanks to all the authors who entered stories and special thanks to all the readers who voted!

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: darusha on September 04, 2020, 03:16:17 AM

And the episode is now live! https://escapepod.org/2020/09/03/escape-pod-748-flash-fiction-contest-winners-2020/

Title: Re: Escape Pod’s Flash Fiction contest returns on April 1, 2020
Post by: Languorous Lass on September 04, 2020, 04:44:35 AM

Yay!  Thanks, Darusha!