Short Stories submitted to the contest will be judged based on the following criteria:
- Idea/Impact/Overall Story
- Beginning (catches reader’s interest/plot problem introduced)
- Middle (holds readers interest/story builds toward climax)
- Ending (climax is satisfying & makes sense)
- Characters (interesting, believable, reader cares about them)
- Plot (interesting, unique, makes sense)
- Setting (reader transported to the time and place)
- Use of Language (vocabulary, narrative style, & figurative language)
- Format/Mechanics (free of errors, solid English mechanics, but break the rules for effect-such as in dialog)
- Mood (story evokes emotion in the reader)
In the event of a tie, an additional rating for Theme will be used to select the winner.