Tricky Time
March 2022
Current Submission Count:
95
Updated March 31st at 9pm
MARCH PRIZES
1st Place:
$3000 + 10c/word and publication
2nd – 10th Place:
10c/word and publication
11th – 35th Place:
$20
Meet The Winner
Playlist
About the Contest
Write a story involving time behaving strangely, and a coin.
$3,000 grand prize.
Do you understand time? Long, lazy afternoons crawl by, but years pass in a blink. Do you grasp the implications of age and ages? Can you truly imagine a time before your elders, or after your children? Can the human mind comprehend eons?
Our days are measured in minutes and hours, our life in years. The flow is linear, to us anyway. But we know things change at scale. Spacetime and gravity wells. Small animals perceive it in slow-motion. Are there other animals, other beings, who experience time differently? Circular. Layered. Planar. Concepts we can’t imagine? What about our future selves, and the hope and fear we become masters of time, able to travel through it? We could break it. Maybe end it. Or are we overlooking the most important question? When you come to your final moments and look back on your life, will you say it was time well spent?
This contest invites you to explore time, whatever that means to you. Fantasy, contemporary, romance, crime. All genres are welcome.
Submissions close March 31st at 11:59 pm EST. Contest only open to new writers.
Share on:
Read stories from
the last contest.
Get it in your inbox (it’s free).
Are you a new or unpublished author? We want to see your work. Check out the link below to learn what we are looking for.
Meet the Judge
Creag Munroe
Creag is the founder and editor-in-chief of Elegant Literature. He is dedicated to helping new writers achieve success.
Creag is a writing coach and an avid reader who inhales novels at an alarming rate, preferring SF/F as the main staple of his diet. He resides in Toronto, Canada, but swims with sharks and drives motorcycles in monsoons whenever duty allows.
Contest Short Rules
Who can enter?
New or unpublished authors, from anywhere in the world (excluding Quebec, Canada). Full details here.
Prize: 1st place: $3,000 USD.
2nd – 10th: 10c/word and publication.
11th – 35th: $20 USD and an honorable mention in the magazine.
How to enter: Sign up for an Elegant+ Membership and visit the Members Area, or click “Enter Now” on the contest page. Fill out the form and copy/paste (preferred method) or upload a file containing your work.
Important Dates:
The contest opens at 12:01 am EST on March 1st.
The contest closes at 11:59 pm EST on March 31st.
Winners will be announced on May 1st.
Entries:
Unlimited. English language only. Must follow the contest theme/prompt and include the word “coin”.
Length:
Minimum 500 words. Maximum 2000. Word count does not include title of work.
Head Judge:
Creag Munroe
Selection Criteria:
The Judge will choose the winner based on:
Creativity
Character
Structure & Flow
Quality of Writing
For more information, please see the full Contest Rules.
For answers to common questions, please see the FAQ.
We have a uniquely streamlined Publication Process. Read about it here.
See our Submission Guidelines for information on how to increase your chance of selection.
Tricky Time
March 2022
The first magazine to pay professional rates and only accept submissions from new writers.
1st Place:
$3000 + 10c/word and publication
2nd – 10th:
10c/word and publication
11th – 35th:
$20
Current Submission Count:
95
Updated March 31st at 9pm
Meet The Previous Winners
About the Contest
Write a story involving time behaving strangely, and a coin.
$3,000 grand prize.
Do you understand time? Long, lazy afternoons crawl by, but years pass in a blink. Do you grasp the implications of age and ages? Can you truly imagine a time before your elders, or after your children? Can the human mind comprehend eons?
Our days are measured in minutes and hours, our life in years. The flow is linear, to us anyway. But we know things change at scale. Spacetime and gravity wells. Small animals perceive it in slow-motion. Are there other animals, other beings, who experience time differently? Circular. Layered. Planar. Concepts we can’t imagine? What about our future selves, and the hope and fear we become masters of time, able to travel through it? We could break it. Maybe end it. Or are we overlooking the most important question? When you come to your final moments and look back on your life, will you say it was time well spent?
This contest invites you to explore time, whatever that means to you. Fantasy, contemporary, romance, crime. All genres are welcome.
Submissions close March 31st at 11:59 pm EST. Contest only open to new writers.
Share on
Read stories from
the last contest.
Get it in your inbox (it’s free).
Are you a new or unpublished author? We want to see your work. Check out the link below to learn what we are looking for.
Contest Short Rules
Who can enter?
New or unpublished authors, from anywhere in the world (excluding Quebec, Canada). Full details here.
Prize: 1st place: $3,000 USD.
2nd – 10th: 10c/word and publication.
11th – 35th: $20 USD and an honorable mention in the magazine.
How to enter: Sign up for an Elegant+ Membership and visit the Members Area, or click “Enter Now” on the contest page. Fill out the form and copy/paste (preferred method) or upload a file containing your work.
Important Dates:
The contest opens at 12:01 am EST on March 1st.
The contest closes at 11:59 pm EST on March 31st.
Winners will be announced on May 1st.
Entries:
Unlimited. English language only. Must follow the contest theme/prompt and include the word “coin”.
Length:
Minimum 500 words. Maximum 2000. Word count does not include title of work.
Head Judge:
Creag Munroe
Selection Criteria:
The Judge will choose the winner based on:
Creativity
Character
Structure & Flow
Quality of Writing
For more information, please see the full Contest Rules.
For answers to common questions, please see the FAQ.
We have a uniquely streamlined Publication Process. Read about it here.
See our Submission Guidelines for information on how to increase your chance of selection.