Twenty-fifth Annual Acrostic Story Contest

Acrostic Story Contest #25 ARRIVAL DEADLINE January 31, 2024

Dreaming of success. . .

Everyone can have a dream. For some, it is winning money, while others are happy to have met the challenge of the contest. Go for it!

Here are the main points for this year: your story must begin Dreaming of success, and use exactly 26 sentences to keep readers interested. If your story has too many or too few sentences, it will not be judged. Judging is anonymous, so do not put your name on the story, only on the entry form. Keep in mind: no lewd language, no racist, sexist, ageist, or prejudiced ideas or expressions. Late entries are not judged. Make sure you send via Canada Post two copies of your story, along with the entry form and fee of CDN$5.00.

Now you can use e-transfer* as well as VISA, MasterCard, or a cheque. Organizers ask that you put the title of your story in the ‘notes’ section of your e-transfer form. Pay attention to the deadline – entries must ARRIVE by January 31, 2024. Mail to: The Brucedale Press P.O. Box 2259, Port Elgin ON, N0H2C0

Quite often, we receive late entries, which are neither sent to the judge, nor returned to the sender. Please read all the rules again before you begin.
Starting with a D…sentence, means you will need to go through to Z, then continue through A and B, so that your ending sentence starts with C. Take time to check you have 26 sentences. Unforeseen road closures or blizzards can happen, so we suggest you post your entries early in January. Very likely you’ll want to read the winning stories; please use your entry form to send an extra $10.00($2 off the regular price) for a one-year subscription to The Leaf, mailed anywhere in Canada. The winning stories appear in the Spring edition of The Leaf.

Writers of all ages are welcome to enter; those under 18 years need a parent or responsible adult to sign, confirming the originality of the story. X is the toughest letter, so try to make it fit smoothly. You might surprise yourself. Zany or serious, stories in all genres are welcome. After all, we’ve had winners that were clearly fantasy. Biographic or real-life stories can also work.

Challenging yourself to fit a prescribed form can be a useful exercise of your writing muscles, and we’re happy to help you keep them in shape.

*For payment by E-transfer Type ACROSTIC in the ‘note’ section, and send a payment of $6.00 for each entry to help cover the processing cost to info@brucedalepress.ca – For contest plus Leaf subscription, send $16.00

Dreaming of success might just come true for you!

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Rules: Only entries which conform to the rules will be judged.

1. Contest is open to any writer. Entrants under the age of 18 must have a parent or responsible adult sign their entry form.

2. Stories entered must be original, unpublished work created by the entrant, not previously entered in this contest.

3. Stories may not be longer than 26 sentences. The first sentence must begin Dreaming of success…. Following sentences must begin with words in the order of the English alphabet, ending with a C sentence {Dreaming of success, E, F – through Z, followed by A, B and last sentence starting with C}. Any subject or theme is acceptable, provided there is no profanity, obscenity, ageism, racism or sexism.

4. Entries must be typed or computer-printed on one side only of 8.5 x 11 white paper. Please use a plain font, and do not add any graphics or other embellishments.

5. Send TWO copies of each story, with the entry form attached to one copy. The writer’s name must NOT appear on the pages of the story.

6. Entry fee is $5.00 for each story. Cheques or money orders are the safest way to send fees through the mail. Please make them payable to The Brucedale Press. NOTE – If you are also subscribing to The Leaf at the special entrant’s cost of $10, you may use e-transfer, VISA or MasterCard for your payment. See below for instructions.

7. Entries must be received by postal mail only no later than January 31, 2024. The Brucedale Press accepts no responsibility for entries lost or delayed in the mail. No entries will be returned unless a self-addressed envelope with proper Canadian postage (or IRC) is provided by the entrant.
Mail to: The Brucedale Press, P.O. Box 2259, Port Elgin, ON N0H2C0

8. Winners will be announced and published in the spring 2024 issue of The Leaf. Copyright remains with the creators.
First prize Twenty-five per cent of the entry fees. Second prize Fifteen per cent of the entry fees. Third prize Ten per cent of the entry fees. The judge may award up to three honourable mentions.
Prizes will be mailed to the addresses on winners’ entry forms. Prizes may be withheld if, in the opinion of the judge, not enough suitable entries are received. During the judging process, the judge will not know who the writers are. The judge’s decisions are final.

Authors of all published stories will receive a one-year subscription [two issues] to The Leaf.

————————————————entry form————————————————-

I have read the rules of The Brucedale Press Acrostic Story Contest and agree to be bound by them.

Name ……………………………………………………………………… phone ………………………………..

Address …………………………………………………………..……………… e-mail ………………………………..

I confirm that I am the creator of the entry/ies, and that no entry is previously published or submitted to this contest.

I wish to subscribe to The Leaf at entrant’s price of $10.00/year [two issues] ………………

Entry/subscription paid by cheque …… money order ……. Payable to The Brucedale Press

For entry plus subscription ONLY send please charge my VISA/MasterCard, expiry date no sooner than 03/24 OR I will send fee + subcription cost by e-transfer .

Card #………………………………………………….. expiry date………………………….

Name on card ………………………………….. 3-digit code from back of card ………………

Signature

(Signature of parent/responsible adult if entrant is under 18 years of age)