New Contest- You Gotta Check This Out!

Hello everyone! It’s time for a new contest. The idea for this one popped into my head a week ago today, so it’s only fitting that the details be posted right here, right now, on its anniversary. (Well, sort of…) So without further ado, here’s your new That’s right. This one is for all you creative writers out there. Come one, come all, and participate in this summer’s creative writing challenge. So what’s this contest all about anyway? Well, I’m glad you asked.

Yes, there is a prompt: You have until September to create and submit a short story or poem that retells/revamps your favorite fairy tale(s).

Interested? You should be, because this is going to be great. Plus, you get to help choose the winners! Read on for more information.

Rules
Let’s just get these over with, shall we? Every contest has them, and they’re a necessity in this case.

1. Entry- Your entry must contain these details:

• It must be either a short story or a poem. Length doesn’t matter, but try to keep it reasonably short. Now is not a good time to write your debut novel.
• It must somehow encompass a fairy tale (or multiple fairy tales) in some way. You can retell the story from another character’s point of view, change the events of the story, create a different setting; the possibilities are endless. Just make sure you’re not just re-typing something we already know.
• Your submission must include a title, and a note somewhere (either at the beginning or end) that tells what fairytale(s) you based your work on.
• Please keep entries PG-13. Preferably PG, as this is a relatively kid-friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be disqualified.
• Submit your post to Mr. Linky below before the deadline to be eligible to win. Only post the DIRECT link to your entry, as these links will be used to judge your submission. If you've never used Mr. Linky before, check out this post on how to use it.
• After you have submitted your work to Mr. Linky below, leave me a comment on this post letting me know you have done so. Before you leave your comment, see note for Prizes below.
• After the deadline has passed, a poll will be created to allow visitors to vote for their favorite entries. The entries with the most votes wins, although there may be a few extra surprise prizes thrown in. More details about this when the deadline gets closer.

Questions? Drop me an email, and I’ll do my best to clarify.

2. Deadline- You must submit your entry by September 28, 2007 at midnight (MST) *Edit: It's been extended!* in order to be eligible for prizes. Bloggers can submit using Mr. Linky below. Make sure it is a direct post! Non-bloggers who want to submit something can email their entries, and I will post them for judging. Chances of winning depend on how many entries we get.

3. Prizes-*EDIT*- Prizes have been posted here. Not entirely sure what these will be yet. But there will be prizes. When you leave a comment stating you’ve submitted your entry, I also welcome suggestions for prizes. Would you like amazon.com gift certificates? Book packages of published retold fairy tales (like Sarah Beth Durst’s Into the Wild, for example)? Or maybe a body care gift basket? I’m open for anything! If I can get some more funds from my amazon associates links, then I might be able to afford more. I will post details about prizes as soon as I know for sure.

4. Eligibility- Anyone in the US or Canada can enter, whether or not you have a blog (actually, anyone who lives anywhere can enter, but I may have to modify prizes if you're outside the US or CA). Participants under 13 must have a parent’s permission in order to post their work. The Shady Glade does not allow/condone/approve of information stealing of any kind! Anyone who is caught doing so will be disqualified. Use your own work PLEASE!

Please Help
Now I’ve got you all excited, what can you do to help? Well, here’s just a few suggestions:

• Participate! Only those who enter can win, so what are you waiting for?
• Spread the word. Tell your friends, your classmates, your parents, even your enemies (unless you don’t want them to win…that would be bad). You are more than welcome to use the graphic above in your blog entries, sidebars, websites, etc. linking back to this post. Even if you don’t plan on participating (or if you don't plan on posting your entry for a long time), please consider posting the news of the contest anyway. We want to make this as successful as possible, and there may even be a prize to the person who gets the most participates to join.
• As always, if you have something to donate, please let me know.

Got any other ideas? Just let me know!

That’s it for now. Keep checking back for news as it comes in. I may be setting up a review list for other retold fairy tales, doing additional bonus contests, posting my own entry (ineligible, of course) and more. You never know. So let the challenge begin!