Content:
The content of all entries should promote a Christian world view. This does not necessarily mean that it is explicitly about Christian themes and topics. The Christian philosophy can be implicit. However, judges should not have to guess at how the story represents a Christian perspective. An extreme example of this might be Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series. Tolkien adamantly denied any explicitly Christian content in his series but the implicit endorsement of loyalty, honor, and other moral themes that Christians appreciate make his Christianity implicit in the series.
Furthermore, orthodox Christianity should be represented. That means, essentially, ‘mere Christianity’ in the sense that CS Lewis promoted. Well written but heretical stories very likely will not succeed in this contest.
Entries from previous years that did not win a cash award are allowed to be re-submitted. If you did win a cash award, you may submit a new story. Honorable Mentions may submit their previously submitted story.
Copyright
Authors retain all rights to their story or poem but if the author is a winner in our contest, grants ACM the right to compile their short story and poem into an anthology which is then distributed to every entrant and made available in online retail outlets such as Amazon.com. Note, only winners of our short story and poetry contests are published in the anthology!
ACM is granted the right to publish the winning stories on its websites and post the names of contest winners as well as the titles to the stories. Author warrants that the story is completely theirs and does not infringe on the rights of any other entity and is responsible for any plagiarism or other unauthorized use.
Entrants in our novel contest completely retain their rights to their work. Even the winners retain full copyright, and though an offer to publish may be extended, they are not required to accept. If, and only if, an agreement to publish is reached, will some rights be granted to ACM, which obviously is required to some degree in order to publish the work!
Anthologies
All entrants to ACM’s short story contest is entitled to a copy of that year’s winners’ anthology. We only ask that if you choose to receive that copy, you pay $3 extra in shipping at the time of your submission.
Unfortunately, international shipping has proved to be unworkable. Effective with ACM’s 2012 contests, only entrants residing in the US will receive copies of the anthologies or winning novelists we proceed to publish. Digital editions will be made available to our many international entrants, instead.
Those residing in certain areas of the world such as Canada, England, Australia, and others, could still purchase the hard copy version of the anthology through online retailers such as Amazon that have established themselves in those regions. If you are an international entrant and desire a digital edition, you should still indicate that you are receiving the anthology on the submission form.
Note: if any of our prize winners do not live in the US we may consider still mailing them a physical edition of the anthology.
Simultaneous Submission
Authors may submit stories that have been submitted elsewhere at other times. Author should ensure that their submissions elsewhere will not jeopardize ACM’s right to publish the story in an anthology if it is the winning story. (Ie, ensure that other contests also allow the authors to retain full rights to their story and allow simultaneous submission.)
Multiple Submissions
Authors may submit more than one story but must pay the entrance fee for each. Each short story/poetry author will only get one free anthology, however, so be sure that your subsequent submissions do not include shipping.
Online and Mailed Submissions
Online submissions must be submitted through this page. Submissions cost $15 plus shipping for the anthology. For US addresses, the shipping is $3. For other addresses, consult the payment page. Paypal and credit cards are accepted. Those who wish to mail their check should still fill out the online submission form and then send a check to the address provided on the payment page. In that case, include the [SUBMISSION FORM AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HOME PAGE - SHORT STORY/POETRY ONLY] to ensure that your payment is properly matched up with what we received online.
Group and Mass Submissions – (short stories and poems, only)
Authors with more than 5 submissions or groups of 10 or more authors can receive a group rate. Email Debbie Thompson at debbie@athanatosministries.org for more information. Be ready to provide the number of entries in question and whether or not you are a teacher or represent an educational organization or ministry. Note: groups cannot use the same upload form for manuscripts, so be sure to inquire about how to get those submissions to ACM.
Judges
Judges are steeped in the writings of CS Lewis, GK Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, and JRR Tolkien. Your story will be evaluated in terms of its quality, its theological insight, and effectiveness in communicating the Gospel. The poetry category is judged by those with background and experience in English Lit.
Right to Revise
Athanatos Christian Ministries reserves the rights to modify this contest if, in its sole discretion, circumstances warrant it. This includes award amounts, although to this point there has not happened in the course of a contest.
Poetry
The home page for the poetry contest is http://christianpoetrycontest.net/ Again, we are hoping for a poem that doesn’t necessarily beat someone over the head with its Christian theme. However, we recognize that poetry limits the ability to do this and take that into account when judging.
English as Second Language (ESL)
ESL contributors will be judged first against those in their age category. If the entry is deemed to be worthy of 1st or 2nd place, then the ESL contributor will receive the higher award. If the ESL contributor is deemed to be worthy of one of the 3rd place awards, the contest administrators reserve the right to include the contributor among them or place them in the ESL category. Contest administrators reserve the right to adjust this as necessary for fairness and appropriateness.
Awards
In order to receive your awards you will have to sign a contract that indicates you agree to these rules and that your material is in fact entirely your own.
Skin Thickness Requirement: 1 inch. This is a contest that attempts to give the author honest, fair, helpful feedback- win or lose. We are as interested in building up writers who do not win or even make it to the semi-finalists as we are in the winners. Not giving our honest assessment of your story would not be helpful. If you do not desire our honest assessment do not enter our contest! [NOTE: This section refers to our NOVEL contest. Feedback is not offered for short stories and poetry entries]
Moreover, if there is anything about the terms or nature our contest that you do not like, the time to decide that is before you submit your entry. Along those lines, it is not necessary for you to complain to us about our contest terms. All that is needful is that you just don’t participate in our contest! Thank you for your understanding.
