Short Story Category

Participants must reside in New Jersey and currently be in grades 9-12.

Each student may submit a maximum of one short story. Each participating teacher may submit up to ten short stories.

Your name should not appear on the short story itself. Remove all identifying information from your submission (including writer’s name, school, teacher). The submission page will ask for this information. Because this is a universal form, some of the choices seem obvious. You are entering a short story contest; therefore, you are submitting a short story. When you are asked why the piece is important to you, identify your teacher, teacher's email, school, school address, home address, and phone number in this answer.Because this field contains personal information about you, leave the "share" button UNCHECKED.

Maximum length: 10 pages (double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1” margins).

Short stories must be original and must properly attribute any lines or sources (including other writers) that provided inspiration. If, for example, you modeled some or part of your story after another writer’s work, include mention of that somewhere. If you borrow anyone else’s words, you need to indicate that fact.

Please read and follow NCTE guidelines regarding appropriate language. You will find these at the beginning of the submission process.

No simultaneous submissions. In other words, if you submit a short story to our contest, do not also submit it to another contest, nor to another place for publication.

Writers may be disqualified for failing to meet these expectations.

Submission deadline: December 15, 2009.

Keep the following judging criteria in mind as you draft and revise your short story:

• writer shows vs. tells: story happens before the reader’s eyes; reader sees, hears, smells, tastes, and/or feels the story
• writer makes effective use of storytelling tools – including dialogue, figurative language, imagery
• story takes place in specific scene(s)
• plot is driven by conflict; end of story conveys resolution to conflict
• characters defy stereotype; are round – and perhaps dynamic
• plot is not predictable; contains surprise, originality
• point of view is consistent and effectively serves to tell story
• writing expresses personal style
• story conveys meaning
• writer effectively begins and ends story
• title is well chosen and adds meaning to piece
• story reflects effort, thought, skill

For more information about this contest, consult our blog, http://writingteacher.edublogs.org/. In addition to the blog, you’ll also find contest information on our Web site, www.njcte.org/