Hello friends,
Did you know that April 23rd was UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day? Really! It's a celebration of the joys of reading and literature. Each year since 1995, people of all races, ethnicities, and nationalities have come together to recognize the impact books have had on human culture. April 23rd was chosen for a very specific reason: It is the anniversary of the deaths of some of history's most influential authors, the likes of William Shakespeare, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, and Miguel de Cervantes. Even in the internet age, it's still important to commemorate the deaths of such titanic figures, promote literacy, stand up for equal access to knowledge, and revere creativity. That is what World Book and Copyright Day is about.
Now, what better way is there to celebrate such a holiday than with a classic short story competition? We certainly couldn’t think of anything, so we went ahead and made one! And guess what? You’re invited, no matter what region you call home. The victor and runners-up will be provided with unique Writer of the Year graphics (marked with placings ofc), and hold sole bragging rights (until next year
).Now, we know what you're thinking: "Why the heck are they celebrating a holiday a week late?" To which we’d ask you: is there anything more true to the writing experience than delays? In our personal experience, we'd say no.
Rules:
- Short stories should be centered around this topic: The power of storytelling. Feel free to interpret it as narrowly or broadly as you see fit, let your creativity show!
- Submissions should be DM-ed to SiliconVGC#5439 on Discord, TG-ed to Gemeinschaftsland, or private messaged to Gem on the Europeian Forum.
- Only one story may be submitted per individual.
- All stories must be original work. If any participants are caught plagiarizing, they will be immediately disqualified.
- Stories may not endorse hate speech of any kind that disparages others on the basis of their race, gender, sexuality, religion, country of origin or similar circumstances.
- Stories should endeavor to stay away from excessive profanity.
- Stories must not include erotica.
- As this is a short story competition, submissions must be 1,500 words or less.
Dates/Times
April 30th, 2022, 12:00 AM CST: Submissions open!
May 10th, 2022, 12:00 AM CST: Submissions close & voting begins.
May 13th, 2022, 12:00 AM CST: Voting ends & results/rewards are announced!
If there are any further questions, please, contact Gem via a telegram to his primary nation, Gemeinschaftsland or via a DM to his Discord account, SiliconVGC#5439.
On behalf of the whole Europeian Ministry of Culture, I'd like to wish you all a happy World Book and Copyright Day, and we can't wait to see the amazingly creative stories you all come up with!
P.S. If you want to lend a hand, please upvote the gameside dispatch so it can be visible to more people.
