Rules and prizes 2013

Can you commit a crime story in just 150 words?

‘A shot rang out’ is four words, but it packs a hell of a punch. Flash fiction is the art of surprise, illumination, punch.

Think short fuse, short-arm, Get Shorty. Did you know ‘flash in the pan’ originated with the priming of guns? And flashnotes are counterfeit notes… We could go on, but we won’t, because we’re big on brevity. Surprise us. Burn us. Write us. Whatever you do, do it in a flash.

Bang bang, you’re read.

NEW FOR 2013/14: Shortlisted authors will be invited to attend the Crime Writing Seminar on Thursday 30 May 2013, at which the winners will be announced.

PRIZES

1st prize is two weekend passes to CrimeFest 2014 (access to all interviews, panels and receptions, exc. accommodation, dinner, travel)

2nd prize is one pass to CrimeFest 2014

3rd prize A trio of books of your choice from the Hersilia Press catalogue plus other crime goodies

RULES

Max 150 words. No minimum. Title not included in word count. One entry per person. £2 entry fee to cover our admin, to be paid via PayPal. No entries from established crime authors, please. No other restrictions apply, but you’ll want to be able to attend CrimeFest in Bristol in the UK if you win (NB: travel and acommodation are not included in the prize).

Entries by midnight BST on 1 March 2013.

How to Enter

When you’re ready to submit your 150 words to our judges, first pay your £2 entry fee via PayPal. You’ll receive a confirmation from PayPal with a transaction ID. Copy and paste your transaction ID into the body of an email, together with your 150 words.

In the subject line, write Flashbang. In the body of the email, put your name, address and email. Stories will be cut and pasted into a document for blind reading by the judges so don’t repeat your name under your story title. Send the email to this address, replacing the bits in brackets as appropriate: flashbangcontest (at) gmail (dot) com.

You’ll receive an automated email confirming its safe receipt. If you don’t receive the confirmation email, please leave a comment here and we’ll investigate and/or contact you as necessary.

Copyright remains with the author at all times. We reserve the non-exclusive right to publish winning and commended stories here and on the CrimeFest site, for a period of up to 12 months.

Longlist will be published here April 4. Shortlist will be published here April 18. Winners will be announced at CrimeFest 2013, May 30 to June 2. Judges’ decisions are final. Good luck, and get flashbanging.