Writing Contest about Cities of Promise and a Chance to Win 2,000 USD Presented by FutureScapes

FutureScapes invites writers around the globe to participate in its 2018 Writing Contest. 

Contest Theme 

For this year, the Futurescapes Contest theme is “Cities of Promise.” They're seeking stories set in a near-future city where significant strides have been made toward addressing the complex intersection of homelessness, mental health, and drug and sex trafficking. This topic is both more narrow and more convoluted than themes chosen in the past. As such, beginning towards the end of April, the contest will provide links on its website to a set of articles that explore the complex dynamics involved. It is highly recommended that contest entrants review these articles before starting their story in order to ensure they are covering new ground, and working from the best information we have today.
They want to see your vivid ideas and concepts but don’t forget the basics of the story: strong voice, compelling characters driven by real desires, facing serious obstacles that sum to an engaging plot and story. Also, please avoid making a message story. If it feels to “on the nose,” then it is. The judges want a great story rather than a moralizing essay with some story elements.
You need not paint a utopia – they don’t really believe in those. They believe that at any given time, depending on individual perspective, every city has dystopian and utopian aspects. The key is to show them a solution, but don’t strip it of realistic political, scientific, or logistical obstacles, and don’t neglect the possibility and ramifications of unintended consequences from even the best solution.

Award

1. $2,000 prize for the first place.
2. Up to 5 runners-up will each receive a prize of $500.
3. Publication in anthology distributed to mayors, governors, and members of the U.S Congress.

What FutureScapes Contest is Looking for

1. Works of short fiction up to 8,000 words, written in accordance with this year’s theme.
2. Compelling stories that explore the nuance of technology, science, politics, and/or policy, without forgetting about plot and character!
3. Stories that show both the positives and negatives of this possible future.
4. Stories that can provide a road-map for cities, states, and nations to follow.
5. Stories that may be built in a rich and full world, but that manage to show the reality of a single city, neighborhood, and/or life.
6. Stories worthy of the $2,000 prize for first place, and  $500 prize to each of the five runners-up.
7. Stories that, when placed in the hands of a mayor or governor, could change the course of the future.

Contest Rules

• No entry fee for single entry, option to submit a second entry for a fee.
• Final awards determined by professional authors.
• No entry fee is required to submit one (1) entry to the contest. However, an author may opt to submit a second story for consideration in the contest for a fee of twenty-four dollars ($24).
• By entering the contest, contestants acknowledge that they have read the instructions.
• Prize money constitutes compensation to the winning authors in exchange for the purchase by the contest of exclusive print and electronic rights of the story for a period of one (1) year following the first date of publication of the story.
• All entries must be original works written in English. Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated.
• Professional authors are not eligible to enter the contest. A professional author is defined as someone who has accepted payment and/or signed contracts for published fiction in the amount of either; a) four paid published works of short fiction at a minimum average compensation rate of 6 cents per word with a total compensation of at least $1,000, or b) a work of long fiction (40,000 words or greater) for which the author was paid at least $2,500 in compensation.
• Entries must be works of prose not to exceed 8,000 words in length.
• Excessive or gratuitous violence, language, or sexual content will not be tolerated.
• The story must be written on and conform to the official theme of the contest year. The theme for the 2018 contest year is Cities of Promise.
• All entries must be submitted electronically through the submission form available on the contest website.
• Entries must be double-spaced, follow standard manuscript format, with the title and page number on each page. The entry should include a cover page listing the author’s name. 
• The author’s name should appear nowhere else in the document.
• Each contestant may submit only one entry per contest year.
• The prizes for the contest shall consist of one (1) first place prize in the amount of $2,000 and five (5) runner-up prizes in the amount of $500 each. As noted, prize money is considered compensation in exchange for the purchase of story publication rights by the contest. As such, compensation will consist of a minimum amount of $.0625 (6.25 cents) per published word.
• Winners will be individually notified by contest staff.