Butte Literacy Council

PROJECTS & EVENTS | GET INVOLVED | BOARD of DIRECTORS | CONTACT | BLC in the COMMUNITY

Short Story Contest 2010 (Download PDF)

Help Butte Literacy Council celebrate writing talent in Butte County by sending your short stories to our annual contest … And maybe win a prize!

Entries must be postmarked by Friday, March 19th, 2010. (Late stories will not be considered.) Winners will be notified in April . Entries will not be returned.

AWARDS NIGHT: Friday, April 23, 6:30 PM at Barnes & Nobel Bookstore in Chico. Cash or a gift certificate will be awarded to the writers of the best stories in each category. Winners will be afforded
an opportunity to read their stories aloud.

How to Enter

• Entrants must be Butte County residents.
• Review judging criteria below.
• Each entry must include a cover sheet with the age category in which the entry is to be judged, the entrant’s name, address, daytime telephone number and a brief bio of the entrant; i.e. school, interests, etc. Please do not put the entrant’s name on the actual story.
• Although published writers are not excluded, only those entries previously unpublished will be considered for competition.

Judging Criteria by Category

K-1st grade: MAXIMUM* word count is 200. Judges will primarily consider creativity - How imaginative is the work? How original is the story's theme? The story should be clear and easily read and it may be illustrated. If the entry is a dictated work, it must be submitted as dictated. Mail K-1st entries to: 8791 Stanford Lane,  Durham, CA 95938

2nd-3rd grades: MAXIMUM* word count is 350. Judges will consider the story's originality, whether the story has a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end, and overall spelling, grammar, and neatness. Illustrations, if included, should help tell the story. For all entries 4th grade thru adult, stories should be neatly printed in ink or typed. Mail 2nd-3rd entries to: 2780 Grainland Road, Durham, CA 95938

4th-6th grades: MAXIMUM* word count is 500. Originality, creativity, and story structure will be considered; additionally, more attention will be given to prose, vocabulary, and descriptions used to convey the story message. Spelling, grammar, and neatness will be given greater weight than in the younger categories. Mail 4th-6th entries to: 760 Skylark Drive, Chico, CA 95926

7th-8th grades: MAXIMUM* word count is 750. Greater attention to the story theme will be given; e.g. Is the plot well developed? The ability of the writer to hold the reader's interest will also be considered, as well as neatness, grammar, and all other aforementioned criteria. Mail 7th-8th entries to: P.O. Box 4287, Chico, CA 95927

9th-12th grades: MAXIMUM* word count is 1500 words. Judges will consider originality, creativity, skilled use of the English language, overall story impact, and writing ability. All previous criteria will apply. Mail 9th-12th entries to: 13 Blackstone Court, Chico, CA 95928

Adult: MAXIMUM* word count is 2500. Sophistication, style, plot complexity and originality will be considered. All previous criteria apply. Only previously unpublished works are eligible for competition. Mail Adult entries to: 6397 Graham Rd, Paradise, CA 95969

*Please note: entries exceeding the maximum word count will not be considered.