WINTER 2018 CONTEST
FREE STAMP FLASH CONTEST
Gordon Square Review is announcing our first-ever Free Stamp Flash contest. Named in honor of the ubiquitous Free Stamp sculpture in downtown Cleveland, this contest is for Northeast Ohio writers submitting flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and/or prose poetry entries of 500 words or fewer (prompts below). Each entry costs $6, which covers up to three pieces submitted within a single document. The winner will receive $250, publication in Issue 2 of Gordon Square Review, an invitation to read at the Issue 2 launch party, and a voucher for one free Literary Cleveland single-session class. Bonus: One finalist will also be selected for publication and invited to read at the Issue 2 launch party. The contest deadline has been extended to April 1, 2018.
CONTEST GUIDELINES
Flash Writing Prompts
Gordon Square Review’s first-ever Free Stamp Flash contest for Northeast Ohio writers is on! We want to read your best flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and/or prose poetry. Need some inspiration to get your flash on? Try one or more of the writing prompts below* for some creative guidance:
Physical Transformation. Write a flash story, flash essay, or prose poem about a physical transformation: tattoos, scars, haircuts, warts, growth, amputation, metamorphosis, sunburn, the ability to sprout wings—it can be a physical transformation you actually experienced or something fantastic and imagined. No matter what you choose, use the physical transformation as the catalyst for your piece.
Communicating with the Dead. Think beyond mediums and eulogies and consider other ways we might communicate with or about the dead. Maybe it’s something true to life, like a special ritual you created to feel connected to a loved one who has passed. Or maybe it’s something imaginary, like a special data plan that reaches into the afterlife or zombie carrier pigeons who take messages to the dead. No matter how you imagine communicating with the dead, craft your ideas into a flash story, essay, or poem.
Art as Inspiration. Write a flash story, essay, or prose poem that responds to artist Chris Pekoc’s cover art for Gordon Square Review Issue 1, “39 Planets (with Large Black Hand).” What does this image inspire in you? What story or memory might it conjure? Don’t feel beholden to writing about the artwork or Gordon Square Review’s issue itself; instead, use Pekoc’s image as a creative starting point for the story taking shape in your own mind.
*The Free Stamp Flash contest is open to any subject matter. Entries may result from one of our prompts, but this is not a requirement. Each contest entry costs $6 may include up to three pieces of flash fiction, flash nonfiction, or prose poems (500 words or fewer each). The first-place winner will receive $250, publication, and an invitation to read at the Issue 2 launch party. One finalist will also receive publication and a reading invitation. The contest deadline is April 1, 2018. Please see our full guidelines for additional information.
Good luck!
Gordon Square Review is announcing our first-ever Free Stamp Flash contest. Named in honor of the ubiquitous Free Stamp sculpture in downtown Cleveland, this contest is for Northeast Ohio writers submitting flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and/or prose poetry entries of 500 words or fewer (prompts below). Each entry costs $6, which covers up to three pieces submitted within a single document. The winner will receive $250, publication in Issue 2 of Gordon Square Review, an invitation to read at the Issue 2 launch party, and a voucher for one free Literary Cleveland single-session class. Bonus: One finalist will also be selected for publication and invited to read at the Issue 2 launch party. The contest deadline has been extended to April 1, 2018.
CONTEST GUIDELINES
- To be eligible, writers must reside in Northeast Ohio—including the Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Youngstown, Kent, and Lorain areas—or must have a strong previous tie to Northeast Ohio. Please note your location (or an explanation of your connection to Northeast Ohio—that you lived or studied here previously, etc.) in your cover letter.
- Contest entries will be read blind. Please do not include your name or any identifying information anywhere on the document or in the document file name. (It is acceptable to include your name/personal information in your cover letter.)
- The fee for each entry is $6. All entries will be considered for regular publication.
- Each entry may include up to three pieces of flash fiction/nonfiction or prose poetry, all submitted in a single document. Each individual work must be 500 words or fewer. It is acceptable to mix genres within a submission packet.
- Please note that each individual contest submission sent via Submittable will incur the $6 fee. While each entry may include up to three pieces, these pieces must be submitted in a single document within the same Submittable entry. For example, writers cannot submit one piece of flash fiction and then ask to submit two more later as part of the same entry. (Writers may submit more than one packet of entries so long as each individual submission includes the $6 fee.) Submissions that do not meet these guidelines may be disqualified.
- Writers are welcome to make a separate general submission to Gordon Square Review in addition to a contest entry. Please note, however, that there is no need to submit the same writing to both the contest and the general submission pool, as all contest entries will be considered for publication.
- All contest entries must be previously unpublished in either print or online venues, including personal blogs.
- Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but we ask that you withdraw your work immediately if it is accepted elsewhere. Entry fees will not be refunded in the event of a withdrawal. If you need to withdraw only a single piece from a packet of three entries, please leave a note on your submission in Submittable.
- All entries must be submitted via Submittable. Print or emailed entries will not be accepted. Entry fees are nonrefundable.
- The contest is open to all themes and subject matter. Need some inspiration? Consider some of the writing prompts found here and here.
- One winner will each receive $250, publication in Gordon Square Review, promotion through Literary Cleveland’s channels, and a voucher for one free single-session Literary Cleveland class. Vouchers are non-transferrable, must be used within one year, and are limited to a value of $50. One finalist will also be published in Gordon Square Review.
- The contest deadline is April 1, 2018. Gordon Square Review editors will judge. Results will be announced in May 2018.
Flash Writing Prompts
Gordon Square Review’s first-ever Free Stamp Flash contest for Northeast Ohio writers is on! We want to read your best flash fiction, flash nonfiction, and/or prose poetry. Need some inspiration to get your flash on? Try one or more of the writing prompts below* for some creative guidance:
Physical Transformation. Write a flash story, flash essay, or prose poem about a physical transformation: tattoos, scars, haircuts, warts, growth, amputation, metamorphosis, sunburn, the ability to sprout wings—it can be a physical transformation you actually experienced or something fantastic and imagined. No matter what you choose, use the physical transformation as the catalyst for your piece.
Communicating with the Dead. Think beyond mediums and eulogies and consider other ways we might communicate with or about the dead. Maybe it’s something true to life, like a special ritual you created to feel connected to a loved one who has passed. Or maybe it’s something imaginary, like a special data plan that reaches into the afterlife or zombie carrier pigeons who take messages to the dead. No matter how you imagine communicating with the dead, craft your ideas into a flash story, essay, or poem.
Art as Inspiration. Write a flash story, essay, or prose poem that responds to artist Chris Pekoc’s cover art for Gordon Square Review Issue 1, “39 Planets (with Large Black Hand).” What does this image inspire in you? What story or memory might it conjure? Don’t feel beholden to writing about the artwork or Gordon Square Review’s issue itself; instead, use Pekoc’s image as a creative starting point for the story taking shape in your own mind.
*The Free Stamp Flash contest is open to any subject matter. Entries may result from one of our prompts, but this is not a requirement. Each contest entry costs $6 may include up to three pieces of flash fiction, flash nonfiction, or prose poems (500 words or fewer each). The first-place winner will receive $250, publication, and an invitation to read at the Issue 2 launch party. One finalist will also receive publication and a reading invitation. The contest deadline is April 1, 2018. Please see our full guidelines for additional information.
Good luck!
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Thank you to all the writers who entered our inaugural contest. We received many strong entries and were honored to read your work! Our 2017 contest winners each received $250, publication in Gordon Square Review’s debut issue, and a voucher for one free Literary Cleveland single-session class. Please enjoy their winning submissions below and stay tuned for additional contest opportunities for Northeast Ohio writers.
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POETRYOn the Anniversary of the Kent State Shootings by Mimi Plevin-Foust Poetry finalists:
“Mantle” by Bronte Billings “Stalking” by Diane Ferri “With Cherokee Blood” by Brandon North |
PROSEThe Difference Between Me and Paige Pendleton by Shannon Ready Prose finalists:
“Rifle,” by Scott Burr “Porcelain” by Bridgid Cassin “Appendix A” by John Filkorn |
