Welcome to Firetales, a fiction short story contest for teens and adults! Each competition has a theme prompt to tie all of the stories together. The top stories from each bracket will be published into an anthology. This current contest is a test run, but hopefully this will become an annual event!
We believe the main goal of storytelling is to honour and glorify God and to point others to Him. One of the main ways to do this is by showing that our world is one of both brokenness and beauty.
The contest officially starts Thursday, June 1. The deadline for submission will be Saturday, July 22, 2023 at Midnight your time zone. Submissions will be made through a form on this site.
Please read through all of the guidelines and info at the bottom of the page to thoroughly understand how the contest works.
He does not despise real woods because he has read of enchanted woods; the reading makes all real woods a little enchanted.
C.S. Lewis
COURAGE
noun
- The ability to control your fear in a dangerous or difficult situation
- Mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty
- Taking action to do what is right despite being afraid, esp. when it seems impossible to succeed
For the only courage worth calling courage must necessarily mean that the soul passes a breaking point and does not break.
G.K. Chesterton
First two definitions modified from in order: The Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Sparks: Ages 13-18
Guidelines
- Content: No swearing, sexual content, graphic violence/gore. Read more here.
- Genres: Any fiction genre or sub-genre is allowed except horror, romance is discouraged, but will be accepted.
- Word Count: 500 – 5,000 words
- Top 3-5 stories will be published in the anthology.
- Story is expected to relate to the theme in someway.
- The story must be unpublished and the original work of the author and only written by that single author. Co-authored stories will not be accepted.
- One submission per author.
- The story must be written during the contest duration. June 1 – July 22, 2023
Embers: Ages 18+
Guidelines
- Content: No swearing, sexual content, graphic violence/gore. Read more here.
- Genres: Any fiction genre or sub-genre is allowed except horror.
- Word Count: 500 – 8,000 words
- Top 3-5 stories will be published in the anthology.
- Story is expected to relate to the theme in someway.
- The Anthology cover illustration will be based on the story which gets first place.
- The story must be unpublished the original work of the author and only written by that single author. Co-authored stories will not be accepted.
- One submission per author.
- The story must be written during the contest duration. June 1 – July 22, 2023
Formatting Guidelines
Coverpage: (All Center Justified, halfway down page) Title, Name/Pen Name, Date Submitted, Email/Phone, Word Count, and which contest you are submitting to (Sparks or Embers).
Formatting: 12pt, double spacing, left justified, Times New Roman or Courier New, first line indented.
Headers: (right side, top of page) Name_Title_Page#
When calculating word count, the title page should not be included in that number.
Files for submission should be in a .docx format. Please name your files like this: title-name_author-name.docx
Judge’s Rubric
Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.
G.K. Chesterton
Contest Guidelines and General information.
Content
Do the stories have to be explicitly Christian?
No. However we expect submissions to be God-honouring in their content and message. If you’re unsure about what this means or have questions, please reach out to us. We ask that you look at this page: https://storyembers.org/manifesto/ if you find you cannot agree with the majority of the statements, we kindly suggest this may not be the right contest for you to enter.
Also read and ponder Philippians 4:8 (bottom of page).
Can I get critiques?
Yes, you may get critiques and feedback on your short story.
Submission
If I’m 18 which contest can I enter? Can I enter my story into both?
You may pick either contest to enter, but you may only enter one.
Who can enter?
Any young author who is 13+. Contest organizers and judges are prohibited from entering.
Is there a entrance fee?
As of 2023, no, since this contest is a test run. However, in the future there may be a small fee to help cover the costs of running the contest.
How does the judging process work?
After the deadline all stories will be handed over to a panel of 3-4 judges. Each judge will read through every story, scoring it according a rubric. The scores from each judge will be added up for a final score. The story with the highest score wins. In the case of a tie, both stories will place. If several stories tie, a tie breaker judge will be brought in. Judging will take a few weeks to complete depending on the number of submissions.
How many stories can I submit?
You may enter one story per contest period. First place winners of the Embers category will be prohibited from entering again in the future. First place winners of the Sparks category may enter the Embers category when eligible if they wish.
Publication
If my story wins a spot to be published, what will happen?
We will ask you to confirm that you give us the rights to publish your story. We will then work with you to edit and refine your story so it’s the best it can be.
Where will the anthology be published?
It will be self-published through Amazon and will be available there in e-book, paperback and maybe even hardcover form.
What about copyright?
All authors retain full rights to their works during the contest. When a story is selected for publication in the anthology, upon confirmation of the author, we ask that we retain exclusive publication rights for a year from the submission deadline. After that the author is free to do what they wish with their story.
Are there any other prizes besides publication?
Currently, no. Hopefully future contests will be able to offer some fun prizes.
What will be done with the money from sales of the anthology?
It will go into a fund for future contests, to provide prizes and cover any costs occurred during the process of the contest (eg. paying a cover artist/illustrator, hiring an editor, compensation for the judges, ect.).
When will the anthology be published?
It will depend on how long the judging and editing process takes, but hopefully around a month after the results are announced.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8 (KJV)