Thursday, August 23, 2012

Hey, high school students! Enter the Gaithersburg Book Festival Short Story Contest!




I'm thrilled to report that I'm going to be judging the Gaithersburg Book Festival's Third Annual Short Story Contest--and I provided three opening lines. High school students from across the Washington Metropolitan Area are invited to submit short stories.

The sentences are:
  • The first time he saw her, she was homeless, sitting in Union Station eating crackers from a paper bag…
  • I was 16 the year my brother vanished…
  • Every summer, whether he or she wanted to or not, one person was chosen to go to the moon…
In order to participate, individuals must be enrolled in grades 9 through 12 at a public or private school, or in a homeschool program for the 2012-13 school year, and reside in Maryland, Virginia or Washington, DC. 
Stories must be no longer than 1,000 words and must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document to writingcontest@gaithersburgbookfestival.org by midnight ET on Feb. 15, according to the City of Gaithersburg.
Up to 15 stories will be selected as finalists and posted on the Gaithersburg Book Festival website prior to the festival on May 18, the city said. The first-, second- and third-place winners will be announced at the festival and will be awarded $100, $50 and $25 gift certificates, respectively.
In 2012, the short story contest garnered 141 entries written by students from 13 counties in Maryland, Virginia and DC.
Chevy Chase resident Cary Spector, a student at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, was one of the 13 finalists selected for the high school contest last year.
For more information about the Gaithersburg Book Festival short story contest, visit the official GBF website.

Get writing! I can't wait to read!


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