The official group for the SPC on Protagonize.
The Seasonal Prose Competition is a contest open to all Protagonize authors on a seasonal basis. It is very similar to its counterpart, and "older sibling," the Seasonal Poetry Tournament. The competition is user-run and (usually) does not offer prizes beyond the title of champion and the feeling of accomplishment that accompanies it.
The first ever competition was held in Summer 2010 by the World Building group, and after that trial run has graduated to its very own group. Future competitions will be announced in this group, so join up if you're interested in competing or maybe even hosting!
FAQ
When is the next competition?
We try to have two full format competitions a year, usually one in the summer and one in the winter. Occasionally there will be smaller competitions at other times of the year. Check out the News box below for up-to-date info.
How do I enter the competitions?
First off you have to be a member of this group. After that, check out the description of the competition in question to see how to enter. Some might just require you to leave a comment, others might require the completion of a challenge piece.
Why is this a competition?
Initially we held a competition simply to differentiate ourselves from the Poetry Tournament. Now, we go with the competition format because of the nature of the challenges: they require storytelling, and it's unfair to ask people to stop telling a story should they not score high enough in a challenge.
Who's behind the competition?
That changes as often as the seasons. Typically it's Jackerbie, but other hosts have included Elorithryn, and BDrewCollier.
What's with Snoopy?
Snoopy is our unofficial official mascot, 'cause he's a rad typewriter-using dawg. Yes, dawg. Peace out home slice.
Snoopy and the Peanuts characters are a registered trademark of PEANUTS Worldwide LLC
The Rules: Only members of the SPC group can enter. Anyone may join the group at any time during the challenge to post an entry to the competition.
The Challenge: Although not the start of a new year, Spring is often thought of as a time of new beginnings. Taking inspiration from the phrase "new beginnings," write a flash fiction story of between 400-600 words featuring the characters and settings of a story already published on Protagonize, preferably one authored by you. Please provide a link to this story in the Author Guidance of your submission. You may use a story that another author wrote, but please seek out their permission!
Submission: Post your story on Protagonize and be sure to tag it with SFC12. The title of the story should be formatted as follows: "SFC12: Story title here." Your story must be posted to Protagonize no later than midnight on the 28th of May (Pacific Standard Time) and added to the SPC Group in order to qualify for the competition.
Reviews: Anyone can review in this flash competition, even competitors*! Please go ahead and read the posted works and leave reviews and ratings. Sometime after midnight on the 1st of June (PST) the ratings will be compiled to choose a People's Choice winner, so make sure to have them in before then.
The Prize: Two competitors will be guaranteed entry into the upcoming Summer Prose Competition 2012: a People's Choice winner based on the reviews and ratings posted by Protagonize members, and a hand-picked winner by Jackerbie. All entries will be commented on or critiqued by at least Jackerbie. Ratings are not guaranteed. Should any winner choose to not participate in the SPC12, he or she may select another author to take over the guaranteed entry position.
Probable FAQs:
The challenge specifically says "characters and settings," but can I write about just one character in one setting?
Quite simply, yes.
I wrote a fanfic on Protagonize. Can I base my entry off of that fanfic work?
Technically yes, but it would be more of an interesting challenge to use original work.
Do I have to categorize my story in a specific way?
Nope, not at all. As a suggestion, though, use the Story work type and include Flash Fiction among the relevant categories.
Can I include new characters in my story?
Yes, as long as at least one of the main characters of this story appears in another story on Protagonize.
*As Jackerbie is a moderator, he'll be able to see if you are maliciously rating your fellow competitors. Please make this a fair competition, the stakes aren't that high!
Count me in! :D
Cheers,
WM.
the challenge/prompt will be posted Friday the 18th along with a due date. there will likely be one week for writing, and then a few days extra for reviews. the first post will also be updated with relevant information on posting and reviewing the entries.
The challenge has been posted! Make sure to have your submission in before midnight on the 24th of May (PST). If you've got questions, ask them here and not on the SPC profile page. Alternatively, send an email to jack at protagonize dot com. G'luck!
=]
God, I've missed this place.
just added a note for clarification to the Challenge section.
*Elo cringes as more fights break out in her head* :}
nope, just at least one character already introduced on Ptag.
Thanks, I hope they sort it out soon. I'd like to get my price written before the deadline. :}
35 hours, technically, but with only one entry posted so far i may extend that another day or two.