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T H E   T W E N T Y - M I N U T E
S T O R I E S   C O N T E S T

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Deadline: 5 p.m. EST, December 19, 2003

The Prizes:

1st Prize:
The McSweeney's Fanatic Gift Bundle, and publication on the McSweeney's website.

2nd Prize:
Any three books from the McSweeney's Fanatic Gift Bundle and publication on the McSweeney's website.

3rd Prize:
Publication on the McSweeney's website.

In fact, all submissions will be considered for the website, and if we like them, we will use them. We will notify anyone whose work we would like to publish. Unfortunately, we will not be able to notify all of those who are not chosen for publication. Winning stories will appear on the site sometime in early 2004.

Instructions:

Write a story in no more and no less than twenty minutes. We are relying on the honor system here, but trust that our judging team knows the difference between a story that was actually written in twenty minutes, and one that just looks like it was written in twenty minutes. You may contemplate the story ahead of time, but the actual drafting period should be no longer than twenty minutes. We shudder to think about the karmic implications for those who try to bend or break the twenty-minute time limit. All entries must include the location and time of writing at the bottom of the story.

How to Enter:

Submit your twenty-minute story pasted in its entirety into the body of an email message sent to: 20min@mcsweeneys.net. Make sure to include your name, phone number and email address so we may contact you if necessary. Stories sent in after the deadline will not be considered. There is no length limit. There is no entry fee. We request that individuals limit themselves to a maximum of three entries.

The Judges:

The crack judging staff will be led by David Daley, the originator of Twenty-Minute Stories, some of which first appeared in Issue 12 of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern. Final decisions will be subject to approval of the McSweeney's Internet Tendency editor.

Write fast!

 

 

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