四虎影视

Will the contest entries be published?
No. There is no publication component to this contest..

Am I giving up any rights by submitting?
No. You still own your work, 100%.

Can I submit to more than one category?
Yes. Though each piece can only win a prize in a single category so please send different pieces if you鈥檇 like to contend in more than one contest category.

Can I submit more than one entry for a single category?
No. It鈥檚 one entry per category per person. The maximum amount of entries anyone can send is four鈥搊ne literary short story, one genre story, one nonfiction piece, and one micro-rpg.

You say you want 鈥渦npublished鈥� work. What does that mean?
If you wrote something for a school assignment, that鈥檚 fine. If your piece ran in your school newspaper or school literary magazine, that鈥檚 fine too.

If your piece ran in a national periodical of any type (USA Today, Reader鈥檚 Digest, Boy鈥檚 Life, Seventeen, etc.)? That鈥檚 published. The same is true with posting your piece in online forums, blogs, and websites (personal ones or something like Wattpad or AO3). If your piece was included in any textbook or anthology, that too counts as being published.

If you have any questions about this, please email us to ask.

I want to send in something different than a traditional short story. Can I do that?
Absolutely. While many submissions will be traditional short stories, we are also quite open to graphic narratives, scripts, picture book manuscripts, comics, and other literary forms/blends.

I鈥檓 a poet. Can I submit a poem?
You may submit anything you choose up to 2,000 words long (save for games, which are limited to 600 words), though poetry without an extremely strong narrative component likely doesn鈥檛 fit well in any of the submission categories. This is primarily a prose narrative contest.

How should I format my entry?
If you鈥檙e submitting prose or a game, please submit a double-spaced document in a 12-point font. Please title your work, both in the file name and in the document itself. If you鈥檙e submitting a script, poem, manuscript for a graphic novel, or some other format, you have a little more leeway, but please make sure your work is clear, clean, and in-line with industry standards.

What type of stories/subjects/themes do you want?
That鈥檚 entirely up to you, though a familiarity with the genre/style you鈥檙e writing in will surely be of help to you.

What are the judges REALLY looking for?
High-quality writing that engages the reader.

What are the common issues with most submissions?
Here are three of the top reasons most entries don鈥檛 make the cut.

• Failure to follow the contest guidelines
• Poor editing/proofreading
• Clich茅 ideas/plots

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I鈥檓 not an American citizen. Can I still submit?
If you鈥檙e a high-school-age student enrolled in a high-school curriculum and you鈥檙e writing in English? Yes.

I don鈥檛 live in the United States. Can I still enter?
If you鈥檙e a high-school-age student enrolled in a high-school curriculum and you鈥檙e writing in English? Yes.

I鈥檓 homeschooled. Can I enter the contest?
If you鈥檙e a high-school-age student enrolled in a high-school curriculum and you鈥檙e writing in English? Yes.

Is 四虎影视 associated with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus?
John Ringling was involved with the launching of the institution in 1931, but beyond that, we have no relationship to the circus beyond the association of his name. The circus鈥檚 closing in 2017 had zero effect on 四虎影视.

Are there creative writing programs that actually teach game writing, script writing, picture books and graphic novels?
We do! We have courses focusing on tabletop games, video games, comics, picture books, and scripts in every medium! Check us out at here.

I鈥檝e got a question that doesn鈥檛 seem to be answered anywhere. What do I do? 听
Send in your question via email to creativewriting@ringling.edu with the subject line 鈥淐ontest Question.鈥�