Storytwigs is back! Thank you for your support.

About:

This is a fun, relaxed, free competition for extremely short pieces of prose (storytwigs). Entries should be 100 words or fewer, and the prizes range from $10 to $100 dollars. The prompt for this month’s competition is EVIDENCE. You can support the competition by contributing to the prize pool here.

Prizes:

• Grand Prize Winners: $100

• Winners: $20

• Honorable Mentions: $10

  All winning storytwigs will also be published on our website and promoted on our social media channels with credit to the authors. We have changed the prize categories slightly.

Rules and Guidelines: 

• This competition is free to enter. Entries will be judged based on criteria listed below.

• Submit your storytwig via the form below by 11:59pm Eastern time on January 31st, 2024.

• Up to three entries allowed per person.

• The contest is only open to citizens/residents of United States or Canada.

• Entries must be 100 words or fewer.

• You must be 18 years or older to enter.

• Entries must be original works by the entrants, and entrants must have the rights to the content they are submitting.

• Entries must be text-only—images, websites, audio pieces, videos, etc. will not be allowed for this particular competition.

• Entries must not contain any hate-speech or explicit content. Think G, PG, or PG-13 rating.

• By submitting an entry, participants grant us the right to display winning entries on storytwigs.com and in our promotional materials (with credit to the author).

• All decisions made by the judges regarding the winners are final.

• By submitting, you are agreeing to all contest rules.

• Contest rules are subject to change.

• We ask that you not directly use AI generated outputs in the storytwigs (but using AI for brainstorming or spell/grammar checking is totally fine!)

Judging Criteria:

I (Devon) will be judging this competition. You can find information about me here. If you’d like to judge (or suggest a judge for) a future competition, please let me know! I am looking for judges for future competitions.

Each entry will be judged on a 100 point scale.

• Originality: 30 points

  • Does the piece bring something interesting to the prompt? Is the piece unique? Does it feel fun and surprising in some way?

• Style and voice: 30 points

  • Does the piece have a clear style and voice? Does it make the most of the short format, or does it feel (unintentionally) incomplete?

• Technicality: 30 points

  • Does the piece demonstrate a command of the rules of writing? Are there any spelling or grammar errors? If the piece breaks the rules (to establish tone, for example), does it do so with good reason and in an effective way?

• That extra something: 10 points

  • Is the piece greater than the sum of its parts? Does it stick with you? Does it seem like the author had fun writing it (even if it’s not a “fun” piece)?

What to expect:

All entrants will be notified whether their storytwig has won/received a prize within a few weeks of the submission deadline. Winning storytwigs will be featured on storytwigs.com shortly thereafter.