Official Competition Rules and Regulations
1. OPEN ONLY TO REGISTERED MEMBERS OF THENEXTBIGWRITER.COM. TO ENTER.
Not a member? Learn more about joining.
Writing members of theNextBigWriter.com may enter by:
- Posting their DRABBLE or DROUBBLE on theNextBigWriter.com site, anytime during the Contest period. The DRABBLE must include the tags Tough Drabble(entered as tough_drabble) in it and the DROUBBLE must include the tags Droubble Entry (entered as tough_droubble).
Two $100 dollar prizes are offered. The first for a one hundred word "Drabble" at $1.00 per word. And a second part of the contest for a two hundred word "Droubble" at $0.50 per word, confirming once again that less is more. The number of words in each entry will be based on the count from Microsoft Word.
Per Wikipedia: "A drabble is an extremely short work of fiction exactly one hundred words in length, although the term is often misused to indicate a short story of less than 1000 words. The purpose of the drabble is brevity and to test the author's ability to express interesting and meaningful ideas in an extremely confined space. Richard N. Hill recently coined the phrase "dribble" to describe a story that is only 50 words. Michael Kent of The Next Big Writer added "droubble" for a double drabble, a story in exactly 200 words."
Take a look at the picture above. It is of a homeless man leaning against a storefront during the Great Depression. Write about this man and the picture. What is he doing there? Where is he? Who is he? Why is he there? Why is he homeless? These are some of the questions open to exploration. The winners will be the ones who can craft the most powerful story out of the compact droubble/drabble format.
The deadline for the Contest is 11:59 PM ET on January 15, 2009. All submitted work must be received by the deadline stated above to be eligible for the prize award. TheNextBigWriter members can enter one or both contests but can only win in one category.
All work posted to the site by members is the sole responsibility of the submitting person. Entrants are entirely responsible for all content posted or otherwise made available via the site. Sponsor reserves the right to declare any entries determined to not be in accordance with the stated terms of theNextBigWriter Member Agreement ineligible for entry.
2. Rankings and Winner Selection: There will be two winners in the TIMES ARE TOUGH DROUBBLE/DRABBLE Competition, one for the best Droubble and one for the best Drabble. The editorial staff of TheNextBigWriter will choose a winning entries. The site's rankings and recommendations will guide the editors but sole discretion for choosing the winners rests with the editorial staff. All editorial decisions and procedures relating to this Contest are final. The editorial staff is looking for a piece that expresses a meaningful idea related to the competition theme within the extremely confined word limits of the DROUBBLE/DRABBLE.
3. Prizes: Two $100 dollar prizes are offered. The first for a one hundred word "Drabble" at $1.00 per word. And a second part of the contest for a two hundred word "Droubble" at $0.50 per word, confirming once again that less is more. TheNextBigWriter members can enter one or both contests but can only win in one category.
No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. No transfer or substitution of prizes permitted. By accepting a prize, each winner agrees to the release of his/her name, pen name, likeness, and city and state of residence for potential publicity purposes, where permitted by law.
4. Eligibility: Void where prohibited by law or regulation. Contest is open only to registered theNextBigWriter.com members 18 years of age or older. (i) Void in AZ; and (ii) Contest is only open to legal residents of the United States (except residents of AZ, PR, and all other US Territories and Possessions), Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, India, Israel, or Canada (except the Province of Quebec). Contest is not open to employees and their families (spouses, parents, children/siblings and their respective spouses, and those living in the same household) of theNextBigWriter, LLC, its affiliates, advertising and production agencies. Entrants consent to the use of their registration information in accordance with theNextBigWriter privacy policy. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. All rights to any work submitted by Writing Members are retained by the submitting member in accordance with the stated terms of theNextBigWriter Member Agreement. Any entries that are currently or have previously been published or protected by a copyright, trademark, or other proprietary right other than the entrant’s may be entered, with the permission of the publisher or copyright holder, only. Entries must be original and conceived and created entirely by the entrant. Sponsor may prohibit any entrant from participating in this Contest or any future promotion offered by the Sponsor, if, in the sole opinion of theNextBigWriter, LLC such entrant (i) has tampered with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or website, (ii) repeatedly shows a disregard for the rules, or (iii) acts (a) in an unsportsmanlike manner, (b) with an intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass theNextBigWriter, LLC or any other entrant, or (c) in any other disruptive manner. Entrants must be a Writing Member or Review Member of theNextBigWriter.com site, as appropriate, in good standing as of the end of each segment of the Contest period to be eligible to win. The Contest may be terminated at any time after its commencement without prior notice; however if such termination should occur, all prizes will be awarded to winners according to the rankings at the time of Contest termination.
5. Limitation of Liability: Sponsor is not responsible for typographical errors in any contest-related materials; or for any individual's inability to enter this contest, including but not limited to unavailable network, server, telephone, or other connections; failed software or hardware transmissions; other errors of any kind, whether human, mechanical, or electronic, including lost, late, incomplete, damaged, or misdirected entries; or for any damage to any computer related to or resulting from participation. Sponsor reserves the right to terminate or modify contest if fraud or technical failures compromise the integrity of the contest as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. In the event that the contest is terminated, all eligible entries received before termination will be ranked. Entrants agree that the Sponsor, its promotion partners, related companies, agencies, and their respective employees or officers shall not be liable for injury, losses, damages or costs of any kind resulting from participation in this contest or acceptance of or use or misuse of a prize or parts thereof. By entering, participants agree to be bound by these official rules.
6. Winners List: For a list of winners send a postcard, only, with your name and address to: theNextBigWriter Awards Winners List, P.O. Box 610383, Newton, MA 02461. Winners will also be posted on theNextBigWriter.com website as they are determined.
7. Sponsor: theNextBigWriter, LLC, P.O. Box 610383, Newton, MA 02461.
