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Weird Tales writing contest!
You’ve seen the latest wave of spam — you know, the faux outrageous news headlines: “Osama trains goats for tactical bombing.” “Laika the Russian space dog returns to Earth.” “Children admit to being little shits: Video.” Isn’t it a shame the headline is all we get? So here at Weird Tales we’re inviting YOU to turn this spam into… um… spam-ade!
Write a flash-fiction story — under 500 words — based on a spam you’ve received. Send your story, along with the headline that inspired it, to contest@weirdtales.net before 9 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 4. The Weird Tales editorial team will judge them, and three winners will be announced at the Weird Tales reception on Friday, Aug. 8 at the World Science Fiction Convention in Denver!
The first-, second-, and third-place winners will all be published online at WeirdTalesMagazine.com the week of August 11. The first- and second-place winners will also receive three free issues of Weird Tales; and the first-place winner will also receive an autographed copy of Ekaterina Sedia’s incredible new novel The Alchemy of Stone.
(UPDATE! If you’ve thrown away all your own spam, writer Adam Israel has compiled a humongous collection of spam headlines here. Be forewarned that adult language abounds therein.)
We encourage you to spread this announcement far and wide. But note: entries from Nigeria will be examined very closely.
July 27th, 2008 at 2:06 am
[…] Tales is giving away a few free issues of Weird Tales magazine and an autographed copy of Ekaterina Sedia’s The Alchemy… among other prizes in a flash fiction contest. Write a 500 word or less short story based on a spam […]
July 27th, 2008 at 11:05 am
[…] Via Cat Rambo, Weird Tales is having a flash fiction contest. […]
July 27th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
[…] WEIRD TALES: magazine of the gothic, fantastic & bizarre & Blog Archive & Weird Tales wr… Weird Tales magazine writing contest write a flash story based on spam headlines, submit by August 4. […]
July 29th, 2008 at 1:30 am
[…] Weird Tales writing contest! Write a flash-fiction story — under 500 words — based on a spam you’ve received. Send your story, along with the headline that inspired it, to contest@weirdtales.net before 9 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 4. (tags: writing) […]
July 29th, 2008 at 11:17 am
[…] security with his bare fists” is my current fave.) Weird Tales magazine is asking folks to write a story of 500 words or less based on one of those headlines; prizes mostly involve copies of Weird Tales, […]
July 29th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Hey Weird Tales! If any of your readers need inspiration for your spam-lit contest, they should swing by spamblr.tumblr.com—it’s a website devoted to art inspired by the same spam headlines. Submissions welcome—emissions, not so much.
Sincerely,
The spamblettes
July 31st, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Can you submit more than one entry?
August 1st, 2008 at 9:16 am
@Chris: Yes. Up to three entries is acceptable.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:07 am
[…] Weird Tales magazine is having a clever contest - Take your email spam and use it to create flash-fiction: […]
August 2nd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
COOL contest. I’ve put a note up about it on my blog.
August 2nd, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I hope you have the spam-filter turned off on that email account.
August 4th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
[…] all those who submitted entries in our Spam Fiction Contest! We received some 150 spamalicious short stories by this morning’s deadline, and have now […]
August 4th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
[…] Weird Tales Spam contest is now closed to submissions. They received 150 submissions, and the winners will be announced on […]
August 5th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
I was stumped. I couldn’t think of anything better than the actual spam title: “Plucky Pensioner Discovers Hitler In Local Starbucks.” That’s a story and punchline all by itself.
August 10th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
[…] Tales magazine recently hosted a spiffy flash fiction contest. The challenge: write a piece of fewer than 500 words based on a SPAM […]
August 18th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
[…] Finally! It took a few extra days for us to contact all the winners, but Weird Tales is now proud to present: the first place winner in the Weird Tales Spam Fiction Contest! […]
August 18th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
[…] The second place winner in the Weird Tales Spam Fiction Contest! […]
August 18th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
[…] The third place winner in the Weird Tales Spam Fiction Contest! […]