You’ve worked hard to produce a powerful piece of fiction.
So now what?
All stories entered in our quarterly contests are judged on their own merit—not against the other entries. Judges work through a series of 11 questions (see below), applying a grade out of five, 1 meaning 'not really' and 5 meaning 'totally'. These numbers are tallied for a final score and then averaged with the other judges findings. The highest final score determines the winner.
Make it stand out.
How will your story measure up against the judging criteria?
Hook: Are you immediately drawn into the story?
Style: Is the writer's voice distinct and unique, creating a compelling, readable narrative? Is it fresh and original, avoiding cliches?
Setting: Does the setting support the story? Is a sense of time and place established? Would it be easy to picture even without the write prompt image?
Characters: Is the main character identifiable yet unique? Are emotions believable, providing understandable motivations?
Conflict: Are character motivation powerful enough to create sufficient conflict? Is the potential for conflict strong enough to move the story forward?
Dialogue: Is dialogue natural? Do characters have their own unique voices?
Pacing: Does the story flow smoothly, giving a sense of forward movement?
Story: Does the story hold your interest to the very end? If inspirational elements are introduced, do they flow smoothly and organically out of character or plot?
Believably: Does everything in the story build logically and believably toward the end/climax?
Mechanics: Do the spelling, grammar, punctuation, and paragraph structure show an obvious attention to detail, and that care was taken with the entry?
Overall impression: Did you enjoy it? Is the writing vivid and appropriate to the write prompt image?