Judging Guidelines

The following are the guidelines that the librarian judges will use to score your short story entry.

1. Plot: When evaluating the plot, we look for coherence, originality, and engagement. A well-constructed plot should have a clear and logical progression of events that is easy to follow. It should be original, presenting fresh ideas or a unique take on common themes. Additionally, the plot should be engaging, capturing the reader's interest from beginning to end and keeping them invested in the story's outcome.

2. Character Development: For character development, we assess depth, relatability, and growth. Characters should be multi-dimensional with complex personalities and motivations. They should be relatable, allowing readers to connect with their experiences and emotions. Throughout the story, characters should show growth or change, reflecting the impact of the events and their personal journeys.

3. Setting: In scoring the setting, we look for vivid description, integration, and relevance to the story. The setting should be richly described, painting a clear picture of the environment. It should be seamlessly integrated into the narrative, enhancing the overall atmosphere and supporting the plot. The setting should also be relevant, influencing the story and characters in meaningful ways.

4. Theme: The theme is evaluated based on clarity, depth, and exploration. The theme should be clearly conveyed, providing insight into the underlying message or central idea of the story. It should have depth, encouraging readers to think critically about the issues or concepts presented. Additionally, the theme should be thoroughly explored, woven throughout the narrative and reflected in the characters and plot.

5. Writing Style: For writing style, we consider clarity, grammar, and creativity. The writing should be clear and easy to understand, free of confusing language or structure. It should be grammatically correct, with proper punctuation, spelling, and syntax. Creativity is also key, with the author using language in a unique and imaginative way to enhance the storytelling.

6. Pacing: Pacing is assessed based on the flow and balance of the story. The narrative should have a smooth and consistent flow, without dragging or rushing through important scenes. It should maintain a good balance, with the right mix of action, dialogue, and description to keep the reader engaged. Proper pacing ensures that the story unfolds at a natural and enjoyable rhythm.

7. Dialogue: When evaluating dialogue, we look for realism, relevance, and contribution to character development and plot. Dialogue should sound natural and believable, reflecting how people actually speak. It should be relevant, moving the story forward or revealing important information. Dialogue should also contribute to character development, showcasing personalities, relationships, and changes.

8. Emotional Impact: Emotional impact is judged by the story's ability to evoke emotions and resonate with readers. The narrative should provoke a strong emotional response, whether it's joy, sadness, fear, or excitement. It should resonate with readers, leaving a lasting impression and connecting with them on a personal level. A powerful emotional impact can significantly enhance the reader's experience.

9. Ending: The ending is evaluated based on satisfaction, resolution, and impact. The conclusion should be satisfying, providing a sense of closure and tying up loose ends. It should offer a resolution that feels appropriate for the story and its characters. Additionally, the ending should have a lasting impact, leaving readers with something to think about or a strong emotional response. A well-crafted ending is crucial for a memorable story.

Below is the suggested concept of the scoring of points from 1 to 10

1 – this should have never been written
5 – it’s ok, but…
10 – this is fantastic

The story must meet a minimum score of 70 to be considered in the final round of judging.

Official Rules

Official Rules and Entry Procedures for the Short Stories 2023 Contest.
Please read these rules before entering the Short Stories Contest (the “Contest”). You agree that, by submitting an entry, you will be bound by these Official Rules and you acknowledge that you satisfy all sweepstakes eligibility requirements.

Eligibility. If you are an individual legal resident of the United States of America and are older than 18 years of age or the legal guardian of a minor wishing to enter this contest, you are eligible to enter the Contest.

Contest Period. The Contest begins at 12:00:01 a.m. (CDT) on March 1st, and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. (CDT) on July 31st (the “Contest Period”).

How to Enter. To enter, during the Contest Period you must enter a non-published fictional short story written by the author consisting of no less than 1,500 words and no more than 3,000 words, will not reject stories up to 5,000 words. The contestant may enter and pay the fee as outlined below as often as they would like during the contest period. All entries must be submitted to TxShorts.com.  The entries become the property of TxShorts/DEAR Texas/DEAR Indie for a minimum period of one year ending December 31, 2024.  Copyrights of the short stories belong to the author.

Mailing List. By entering the Sweepstakes, you consent to be placed on a mailing list for promotional and other materials from the sponsors of this contest. You may update or change your “E-mail Preferences & Notifications” by submitting an email to each sponsor. Prizes. 2024 Proposed Award List:

  

1st Place Top Winners from each category will receive a $25 gift certificate from Amazon.com **

Top winners from each category will receive a 3-month basic membership in the Authors School of Business

Top winners will receive 3 print books* If the winner also wins in the Indie Author Short Story Contest, they will only receive 2 of each book.

First Place Prizes est. value ($108.00 for Each Winner)

 

2nd Place Winners Second place winners will receive 2 print books

Second-place winners receive a $25 gift certificate from Amazon

Second-Place Prizes est. value ($50.00 for Each Winner)

 

3rd Place Winners

Third-place winners will receive 1 print book

Third-place winners receive a $10.00 gift certificate from Amazon

 

Rules and guidelines are subject to change without notice. *Prize Value is based on there being sufficient entries so that categories are not combined. **If less than five entries for a genre are received, the entries will be combined into a 'general' category for competition. ***All prizes will be awarded within 6 months from notification of winning, and only after each winner has met the requirements.

The total retail value of all prizes is based on the number of winners. Winners must have or will need to create an account on the sponsor’s website to issue the prize in order to redeem the prize. The GCs may only be used for purchases of eligible goods or services on the sponsor’s website or certain of its affiliated websites. Redemption of a GC will be subject to the sponsor’s standard terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to the sponsor’s Gift Cards in effect on the day of issuance of the GC. A GC cannot be redeemed for the purchase of gift cards. Except as required by law, a GC cannot be reloaded, resold, transferred for value, redeemed for cash, or applied to any other account. The sponsors are not responsible if any GC is lost, stolen, destroyed, or used without permission. If a GC is lost or stolen, it will not be replaced.

Winners will be: (a) responsible for paying all costs and expenses related to the prize that are not specifically mentioned, including, but not limited to, taxes, and any other expenses that might reasonably be incurred by the winner in receiving or using the prize; and (b) will be required to submit his/her social security number or taxpayer ID number to Sponsor or its prize provider agency in order to claim the prize.

Selecting Contest Winners: A panel of judges determined by each sponsor will review each story submitted and grade in the following categories: Characterization, Plot, Theme, Setting/Atmosphere, Mechanics, Writing Quality, and Passion. The score for each category will be given by each judge and then totaled. The author with the highest-scoring story will be selected as the winner for each category/subcategory.

Scores are based on a point system with values ranging from 1 the lowest value to 10 the highest value.  Winners for each quarter will be notified by email.  There is no additional scoring or actions necessary by the author to be entered into the quarterly contest.  However, each short story for that quarterly contest must be entered by the last day of the quarter they are wanting the story to compete in.  If the story is submitted after that period, will only be judged for the overall contest.

The judge’s scores are final. If there is a tie on total points, another judge may be selected to review and score each of the tying stories and issue a final ruling for the winning story. Additional Terms. We may, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law and in our sole discretion, change these rules or cancel the Sweepstakes at any time; or modify, terminate, or suspend the Contest should viruses, worms, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond our control corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness of the Contest or submission of entries. We are not responsible for: (a) lost, misdirected, late, postage due, incomplete, or unintelligible entries whether caused by you or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest, or by any technical or human error that may occur in the processing of entries; (b) any printing or typographical errors in any materials associated with the Contest; (c) any error in the operation or transmission, theft, destruction, unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries for technical, network, telephone, computer, hardware or software, malfunctions of any kind, or inaccurate transmission of, or failure to receive any entry information on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website; or (d) injury or damage to you or any other computer resulting from downloading any materials in connection with the Contest. We may, in our sole discretion, disqualify any individual found to be: (x) tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or website; (y) acting in violation of these rules; or (z) acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. If your entry is incomplete or if you use robotic, automatic, programmed or similar entry methods, your entry will be void. The authorized subscriber of the e-mail account used to enter the Contest at the actual time of entry will be deemed to be the participant and must comply with these rules in the event of a dispute as to entries submitted by multiple users having the same e-mail account. The authorized account subscriber is the natural person who is assigned an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domains associated with the submitted e-mail addresses. No greater than the nine (9) prizes stated in these Official Rules will be awarded.

Miscellaneous. The Contest is governed by the laws of the United States. The Contest and all accompanying materials are © 2015 by Texas Authors, Inc., its sponsors, and its affiliates. All rights reserved. If you win the prize, you may not transfer, assign, or redeem the prize for cash. We may substitute a prize with a prize of equal or greater value. Each winner agrees (for himself or herself and his or her heirs) that, by accepting the prize, we, along with each of our respective affiliates and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”), will have no liability and will be held harmless by the winner for any liability, loss, injury or damage to property or person, including death, and attorney’s fees and court costs, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, by reason of the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of the prize or participation in the Contest, even if caused or contributed to by the negligence of any of the Released Parties. You agree that our decisions related to the Contest and the random drawing are final. Winner agrees that, by participating in the Contest, we may use the winner’s name, image or likeness in any manner and in any medium for our promotional purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law, and we may be required to disclose the winner’s address to state regulatory authorities.

Winner’s List. After we confirm the winners, we will post the names of the winners at http://TxShorts.com after March 1, 2024.

Sponsors. Bourgeois Media & Consulting, LLC, DEAR Texas/DEAR Indie, Inc.,  Texas Authors Institute of History, Authors School of Business and any additional sponsors that may be added during the time of the contest. All sponsors are legal businesses within the State of Texas. Each sponsor is responsible for awarding their prize to the winner of the Contest and can not and will not be held liable for the failure of lost, stolen, un-awarded prizes by other sponsors of the Contest.

Privacy Notice: All information submitted in connection with this Sweepstakes will be treated in accordance with these Official Rules and Texas Authors, Inc., Privacy Notice.