Little Fictions Call-out

Thu, 19 September 2019

Year of the Rat

Spineless Wonders is excited to announce a new writing competition to celebrate the 2020 Lunar New Year, the Year of the Rat. A team of editors and actors will judge the competition entries, which are invited from writers across Australia as well as from Australians living overseas. The theme of the competition is rats. Entries can either be in the form of microlit (up to 200 words) or short fiction (up to 2000 words). The competition deadline is 30 October 2019.

What we are looking for

While in Western culture rats are viewed as pets or pests, in Chinese culture being a rat suggests you might be clever, a quick thinker and successful. Love them or hate them, we’re looking for texts about rats. Whether it’s two-faced rats, lab rats, pet rats, hoarding rats, smart rats, or wealthy rats we want to hear your best story about rats.

We are seeking submissions that may reflect the author’s cultural background or lived experience. They may emanate from other forms of connection the author has, or has had, with countries and cultures which celebrate the lunar calendar. Or they may simply be works of the imagination created in response to the theme.

Texts submitted in English and other languages are welcome.

Submissions can be in the form of:

  • microlit (microfiction or prose poems) up to 200 words; OR
  • short fiction (in any genre and form such as prose, dramatic monologue etc) up to 2000 words.

Entrants may submit as many entries as they wish.

Submissions will be judged by a team of editors and actors who will be looking for prose writing which will translate well into live performance. Selected submissions will be performed at the Little Fictions Lunar New Year shows in February, 2020. Selected submissions may also be broadcast on community radio and via podcast and included in a range of activities staged by Little Fictions Productions and #storybombing events staged by Spineless Wonders. Submissions may also be adapted for the screen as part of the Microflix Film Festival. Authors will be notified if their work is to be included in these activities and a modest royalty will be paid in each instance.

For more details and competition guidelines, go to the Spineless Wonders’ website: https://shortaustralianstories.com.au/little-fictions-callout-year-of-the-rat/