Driftwood Press Short Story Contest
2022
Results
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This year's contest was the toughest for us to judge yet. Two of the stories tied when we looked at four different voting metrics, so we had to pull in an additional fifth editor to break the tie. After much ado, Michael Stewart's "Twin Sisters," a poetic look at a sibling relationship during WWII, is the winner of this year's In-House Contest! The story is joined by four other remarkable works, all of which could've easily deserved the gold in a less competitive contest. We also have a short list of four finalists who were very, very close and will undoubtedly go on to place and win other contests. All of these stories are currently scheduled to be published in 2023.
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Runner-ups
Victor McConnell's "The Reburial"
Rebecca Starks' "For the Sake of Argument"
Jenna Abrams' "Tank"
Izzy Buck's "Modor"
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Finalists
Alan Sincic's "One Shot Beetle"
Michael Cooper's "All of Them"
John Lavelle's "Flesh and Bone"
Larry Menlove's "Petey Immigrates North, Then Moves West"
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Lastly, we want to extend our warmest gratitude to everyone who submitted to the contest, including the eleven semi-finalists and eighteen additional quarter finalists, who have been notified directly. We want to note, too, that all round one stories are considered by two editors. There were hundreds of wonderful short stories sent in, and many of them deserve—and will find—publication. We are ecstatic to continue to publish works of literary fiction that forefront language and take narrative, structural, and thematic risks, and the support of our community of readers and submitters is continually cherished and appreciated.
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Timeline
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Submissions will be open from September 1st until January 31st.
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To alleviate wait times on your end, we will be declining and accepting submissions as we read them. All submissions accepted will initially be given runner-up status. In April 2022, one of the runner-ups will be awarded the Grand Prize.
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Winner and runner-ups will be published in 2022 or early 2023.
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Awards
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The Grand Prize winner will receive $500 and five copies of the issue in which the story appears. The winner will also have the opportunity to be interviewed about their work; the interview will be published alongside the story.
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Runner-ups will be offered publication, an accompanying interview, $150, and one copy of the issue in which their work appears.
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Past Contest Winners
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Guidelines
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Fiction only.
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1,000-5,000 soft word limit.
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A standard, 12-point font and single-spacing is preferred.
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The work must not have been previously published.
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Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but
please withdraw the work if the story has been
accepted elsewhere. -
Submit works written in English only, no translations.
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Please submit your manuscript in a .doc, .docx, or PDF format.
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We read submissions blind, so please do not include your name, email, or any identifying characteristics on the manuscript itself. All work is considered by two editors.
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Base submission cost is $12. Additionally, we are offering a $25 dollar submission option that will include a print copy of the issue in which the winning story will be published.
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