Defy the Dark Contest

This is a great short story contest happening on Figment. Here are the rules and prompt from thier site.

What happens in the dark? Why are things different at night? Maybe
it’s magic, or madness or both. A new anthology coming Summer 2013 from
HarperTeen, Defy the Dark explores those questions and invites you to try your hand at answering them. What’s in it for you? A chance to be published in Defy the Dark, alongside some of your favorite YA authors (including Sarah Rees Brennan, Rachel Hawkins, and Beth Revis).

No sun-drenched, thousand-watt fables here—bring us your things that
go bump in the night, bring us the things that hide in the shadows. Saundra Mitchell, the anthology’s editor, is excited to read your best YA fiction and choose one writer to be a part of the forces that will Defy the Dark.

The contest challenge: Write a story that takes place at night or in the dark. The story can be of any genre: contemporary, paranormal, horror, science fiction, romance, humor, fantasy, etc.

How to Enter:

1. Read the full rules.
2. Create an account on Figment.com.
3. Start a new writing of between 2,000 and 4,000 words.
4. Tag your writing with DefytheDark on the Details tab.
5. Press “Publish Now.”
6. You should receive a pop-up confirmation of your entry, and in about
two hours or so, your piece should appear among the submissions.

Submit your entry by Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Please note: Once your story is submitted, you may not make changes.
As soon as you submit your story (by both publishing it and tagging it
“DefytheDark”), it is considered your final, official entry. Any story
that is changed after it is submitted may be subject to disqualification. The contest is only open to non-professional writers. (For more information, check out the full rules.)

Defy the Dark‘s editor, Saundra Mitchell,
will be reading all the entries and will choose one grand-prize winner,
whose story will be be included in the print edition of Defy the Dark. The
winner will be noted in the book’s table of contents, on the copyright
page, and have a byline on their story. They will also have an
opportunity to give an acknowledgment and will be featured on the Defy the Dark website. The grand-prize winner will receive a $500 cash prize awarded by HarperCollins and five copies of Defy the Dark.

Two additional stories will be selected for publication on the Defy the Dark website. Each of those winners will receive a $250 cash prize and two copies of Defy the Dark.

I don’t know about you, but I’m in!  I’d love for you to read my entry and let me know what you think. Making the book cover was the best part. Gives me a great excuse to use that $40,000 bachelors degree I got >< : )


Here’s a link to my story. Enjoy!http://figment.com/books/400133-Wail-