One of my favorite things about publishing my debut novel, LAST IN A LONG LINE OF REBELS, has been hearing the affection for one of its characters, Bertie. She’s been described as feisty, hilarious, out-spoken and even flirtatious! Pretty good for a grandmother. So in honor of the character that brought me so much joy to write, I am excited to announce:
THE BERTIE
A Short Story Contest for students ages 11 – 13
Entries accepted March 1 – April 1
Prizes
1st Place $250
2nd Place $150
3rd Place $100
Honorable Mention – $100.00 to be divided between winners.
The winning entries will be posted online on the Middle Grade Mafia website
The details, rules, etc. are below but I wanted to introduce you to some of the great people I’ll be partnering with to bring you this contest.
Would you like to meet them? Yes, please!
The lovely folks at Locker-
Time have agreed to oversee the technical aspects of the contest. Once the contest goes live (more about that later) you’ll find the form to upload your work on their site at www.Locker-Time.com/Bertie. (Link won’t work until March 1.)
It couldn’t be a contest without awesome judges! I am pleased to have the Middle Grade Mafia folks along for this journey. They will be judging the entries, as well as posting the winning entries on their site. Yay, Mafia!
And finally, my terrific sponsor –
Winnwood Retirement has graciously agreed to provide the prize money – $600.00 dollars worth!
General Guidelines
The submission window is between March 1 and April 1
Writers may submit only one story per contest year
Stories must be written by only one writer
Writers must be ages 11, 12, or 13 years old
Previously submitted or published stories will not be accepted
Story must be no longer than 1500 words total
Story MUST contain a intergenerational aspect (two characters from different generations) no matter how minor.
Finalists posted online May 1, 2016
Winners posted online May 15, 2016
Submitting Your Story
Write your story in any word processing program
Go to http://www.locker-time.com/Bertie
Click on the submission form link
Fill out the submission form. Copy and paste your story into the text box
Submit your story!
Writers will receive an e-mail confirmation upon submission.
I’m excited to see read your stories. If you have any questions, email me at Bertie (at) LisaLewisTyre (dot) com. Now as Bertie would say, “Get crackin’!”
Download the contest info HERE.
[…] For more information, visit Lisa Lewis Tyre. […]
[…] Writers ages 11 to 13 are invited to submit short stories to The Bertie writing contest. […]
are you allowed to chose any topic?
Yes! As long as there are two characters from different generations, and it’s under 1500 words, you will be fine. Thanks!
Can the characters be animals
Sure! As long as the animals are from different generations. Go for it!
Can the story be exactly 1,500 words or does it need to be less than that? Thanks!
1,500 words is perfect! Thanks!
Lisa
When are you posting the finalists?
The Bertie Short List (Finalists) are on the home page. It went live this morning. The prize winners will be announced on May 15th!
[…] The Bertie, a short-story contest for 11-13 year olds, was founded by Mafia member, Lisa Lewis Tyre. The contest was named after Bertie, a grandmother, who is one of the most beloved characters in her book, LAST IN A LONG LINE OF REBELS. […]
Hi Lisa,
When will the next writing contest be open for 11 yr olds?
Thanks!
Hello,
It will open September 1st! Good luck!