Kentucky Visions
Short Story Contest

Contest Rules

All submissions must have a Kentucky connection. This means the author must be a current or former resident of Kentucky, or have a family member who is currently a resident of Kentucky, or the story must be set in Kentucky.
All submissions must be entirely the creative work of the submitting author.
Only stories that have never been published elsewhere, in print or digital, are eligible.
Stories written with the assistance of any Artificial Intelligence will not be accepted.
Each submission must be written as fiction, even if the events described are true.
The maximum word count (as calculated by Microsoft Word’s counter) is 7,500 words.
There is no minimum word count. Well-written flash fiction is welcome.

Multiple submissions (more than one entry per author) will be accepted, but the submission fee must be paid for each entry.
Simultaneous submissions (stories sent simultaneously to other contests or for publication) will be accepted. Please notify us if the story is accepted for publication before the end of the contest.
By entering the contest, the author grants Bluegrass Writers Coalition Inc. First Publication Rights if the story is selected as a winner or finalist.
The author grants Bluegrass Writers Coalition Inc. the right to use their name and likeness on the corporation’s website, social media, and in publicity outlets.
Each submission must adhere to standard manuscript formatting – 12 point font, double spaced, 1” margins, indent each paragraph, no blank lines between paragraphs. Please see here for an example of a properly formatted entry.
Entries should be submitted in Word or compatible format, and emailed as a file attachment to BWCSSContest@gmail.com. Do not paste your story into the body of the email.
The author’s name must not appear anywhere on the story.
Entries that fail to adhere to these rules will be not be accepted.
Each entry must be accompanied by a $20 entry fee. See How to Enter for instructions on paying the entry fee.
Entry fees are non-refundable.

Questions? Send us a note through the Contact page.