A  brief  examination  of  a  subject  in  prose  usually  expressing  a  personal  view  or  interpretation  of  a

subject or topic.

 

REQUIREMENTS:

  1. Only one  (1)  notarized  Short  Story  written  only  by  the  contestant,  with  six  (6)  copies  of  the notarized  original  should  be  submitted  on  or  before  the  specified  deadline.  The  top  of  each page must include the contestant’s name, page number and unit name and number.

 

  1. The Short  Story  should  have  a  single  story  line  without  subplots,  no  more  than  three  or  four characters,  a  single  viewpoint  and  a  short  time  scale.  The  story  must  be  typed,  double  spaced and between 1000 and 1500 words.

 

  1. The contestant must be prepared to answer questions by the judges.

 

NOTE:   The  deadline  for  submission  of  national  registration  documents  is  May 15, 2020..   No

materials or copies will be accepted after that time or at the National Competition. Contestants will be judged by the following criteria:

  • General Merit (25)

 

  Ideas-   single   storyline,   no   subplots,   3-4chracter,   single   viewpoint   (2   at

most), short time scale

  Organization – consistent writing  style, consistent mood/tone  and space

  Wording  –  appropriate  language,  brief  descriptions

  Flavor

  • Mechanics (25)

  Usage

  Punctuation/Capitalization/Spelling

  • Overall  Effect   (50)   –   Minimum   background,   concise   dialogue,   no   lengthy   preamble,   no

contrived  ending