2018’s major contest asks you to tap into the darker side of the human condition.
Major Contest 2018:
The Hate and Coat Award
Shortlist
The Needle and the Coat | M.C. Benitan
A Cretin’s Gamble | Regina Campbell
All Alone In The Desert | Grace Halliday
One Step at a Time | Ian Harrison
Strictly Business | Kendal Heyes
The Warm Grey Overcoat | Peter Larsen
Creatures of the Night | Tessa McCarthy
Burning Memories | Jeanette Stampone
Lovers’ Tangle | Jacqueline Trott
Longlist
Congratulations to everyone who made the longlist. Stories are listed in alphabetical order based on the author’s surname. The longlist will run until the 16th of April.
Cowabunga | Alyce Adams
For Tommy | Alanah Andrews
The Needle and the Coat | M.C. Benitan
Her Grandmother’s Afternoon Tea | Silver Bolitho
A Cretin’s Gamble | Regina Campbell
The Sound of Bow Bells on the Wind | Iain D. Chalmers
The Price of the Coat | Rod Francisco
Paddington’s Coat | Pam Fulton
All Alone In The Desert | Grace Halliday
Cliffhanger | Ian Harrison
In Memoriam | Ian Harrison
Nothing to Wear | Ian Harrison
One Step at a Time | Ian Harrison
Sherlock with Ants | Ian Harrison
Testing Times | Ian Harrison
Strictly Business | Kendal Heyes
Must Have Been About Leather | Meg Hill
The Husband’s Hat | Anne Howell
Trust | Virginnia Johnston
Supper in the Subway | Helen Lalas
The Good Neighbours | Peter Larsen
The Procedure | Peter Larsen
The Warm Grey Overcoat | Peter Larsen
Slasher & Co | Sally Lewry
Creatures of the Night | Tessa McCarthy
Scabs | Birgitte Necessary
The Disappearance | Agnieszka Oszust
Privacy | Georgia Papp
Three Things | Jo Parker
Hate Compounded | Aphra Pell
Last Laugh | S. D. Platt
Black Crow | David Potter
Black and White | Jennifer Rock
Issy | Silvana Simic-Bentley
Burning Memories | Jeanette Stampone
No More Darkness | Bryana Louise Thomas
Lovers’ Tangle | Jacqueline Trott
Millennial Skin | Jacqueline Trott
Skeleton Dance | Jacqueline Trott
Away From Me | Mick Wiley
Writing Prompt
Memories have huge staying power, but like dreams, they thrive in the dark, surviving for decades in the deep waters of our minds like shipwrecks on the sea bed.
– J.G. Ballard
For 2018’s Major Contest we’re asking authors to delve deep into the darker side of human emotions. Anger, fear, resentment, jealousy, hate, cowardice and enmity. Take these darker emotions and tie them to memory, and the influence memory has over the decisions we make and the paths we take.
Can you draw sympathy for a hateful character? Is love really the only answer? These are the types of questions we want you look at when you enter our Major Contest for 2018.
Other things you’ll need to include:
- A coat, jacket, overcoat or similar piece of clothing as a vital component to the story.
- A deadline that seems unacheivable
- A memory that can’t or won’t be forgotten
Genre
All genres are welcome in this contest, be it fantasy, science fiction, realism, fable, horror, literary or any sub genre.
The word count
It’s a major comp so we’re bumping up the word-count to a massive 999 words. No minimum word count as usual, so if you’re feeling daring, you can go short.
The Fee
Major comps mean major prizes, which means entry fees. Here’s the breakdown
- One entry: $15 AUD
- Three entries: $30 AUD
- Patreon Deal: 2 for 1
The Patreon Deal
Every month we fun a Patreon funded award in which all short listed authors receive an equal cut of the prize. To say thank you for helping make this happen, we’re offering a 2 for 1 deal for any Patreon sponsor.
Because Patreon is an ongoing deal, there’s a stipulation. You must stay a Patreon sponsor for at least one month. When submitting your second story, please mark in the body text that this is a Patreon Deal, as well as your Patreon username.This deal can also be used as many times as you like.
The Deadline
Final submissions are due the 28th of February 2018.
Other Rules
- Authors must pay the appropriate fee to be considered.
- All entries must be labelled cleary in the body text:
- Story Name
- Name of Author
- Name of Award
- Email address of PayPal Account
- Patreon Name if using Patreon 2 for 1.
Due to the volume of stories we receive we cannot chase up incorrect entries. So please do it properly. If you don’t do it properly, just resubmit, that’s the best solution 🙂
When will the shortlist appear?
The shortlist will appear in April of 2018. It will run for two weeks:
- Longlist: 6-24 April.
- Shortlist: 25 April – 1 May
Different judges will be used for both the long and short list. Winner announcement will be on or around the 2nd May 2018.
Prizes
Minus PayPal fees the breakdown is:
- Winner 50% of total entry fees
- Remaining shortlisted authors get the other 50%
- Longlisted authors – Detailed feedback from a judge
Ready to send us your story?
Don’t forget include the details listed above.
Pay here:
- One entry $15 (Also Patreon backer bonus entry)
- Three entries $30
If you want to put in more entries, just click one of the above links and change the mount in the field.
Commitment to transparency
At NiTH we’re committed to providing complete transparency in our process. If you have any questions please let us know.