The envelope, please

Readers of this blog know that I love Duotrope’s Digest (www.duotrope.com/) as a source for market research.  But there’s one thing Duotrope doesn’t do.  Because of its reasonable bias against journals that require submission fees, it doesn’t list writing contests.  Contests usually charge fees; that’s how they sweeten their pots.  You’ve got to be the judge of whether the contest is worth the price.  Because I sometimes submit stories to contests, I subscribe to other journals and sites that list them.  My (so-far) only contest win was with Moonlight Mesa’s Cowboy Up contest, found on Ginny Wiehardt’s former About.com Fiction Writing guide.  Ginny recently left About.com, but if you like horses half as much as I do, here’s a chance to include them in a story.

The third annual Moonlight Mesa Cowboy Up Short Story Contest officially opens March 1, 2011, and closes September 1, 2011.  This year all entries must be a Western suspense, mystery, thriller, or cozy, etc.  The stories must be Western in nature but can be set in the “olden-days” or in “modern” times.  Wordage has been increased to 3500.  Submission guidelines for the contest can be found at the publisher’s website: www.moonlightmesaassociates.com/  First place wins $250; second place ropes in $150, and third place earns $75.  Award certificates are sent to all finalists.

Also recently appearing in my inbox:  a “people’s choice” request from a publication in which my writing has appeared (trying to sound modest) – Short-Story.Me.

“Please submit your favorite story that we published in 2010 to the storySouth Million Writer’s Award contest.  There are cash and fame for the winning authors and publicity for Short-Story.Me!  Prize money is over $500 for the winning writers.  Readers can nominate one story by going to this url:

http://www.jasonsanford.com/jason/2011/02/reader-nominations-for-2011-million-writers-award.html/  Writers may nominate their own story as long as it was published on Short-Story.Me! in 2010 and follows contest rules.”

This contest is fee-free.  Of course I’m going to submit my Short-Story.Me publication, “Shaman.”  (Did I mention there’s a horse in it?)  And I’m asking you to submit it also.  Please hurry -- submission deadline is March 15.