
Micki Findlay
Vancouver IslandArtist
Author / Freelance Writer, Columnist, Poet / Photographer / Multimedia Designer
50-WORD MEMOIR CONTEST

What is a 50-Word Memoir?
A 50-Word Memoir is a bite-sized, true-life story written in no more and no less than 50 words.
It can be written in either story or poetic form. Your choice. But it can’t be just a jumble of words. It must have some structure, a theme and a purpose.
WANT TO SEE A FEW EXAMPLES OF 50-WORD MEMOIR STORIES? CLICK HERE.

WHY A CONTEST?
It provides inspiration to write succinctly and effectively in just a few words.
It will provide a space (on this site) for the longlisted and shortlisted writers to show off their best work.
If there are enough entries, I hope to create a book with a collection of the best stories. That means the long-listed and short-listed submissions would be published with their bios.
It adds significant credibility to your writer's bio to include the words, 'Award-Winning'!

IS THERE A FEE?
Yes, but a very small one. My paltry fee of $10 USD will help pay for the prize money and help compensate the judges' time and my website expenses. Prize money will be doled out via PayPal so participants outside Canada must be able to receive payment via PayPal)
For $10 USD, you may enter up to 5 Stories, all in one document. Titles are not required. Should you choose to add a title, it will be counted as part of your 50 words. If you wish to submit more stories, you will need to pay another $10 USD for up to 5 stories. If you only want to send 1, 2, 3 or 4 stories, it is still $10 per submission. To Pay, click HERE.
WHY USD FUNDS?
US Currency is recognized worldwide, so I guess you could say it's more inclusive.
SEE CONTEST RULES BELOW
CONTEST RULES & REQUIREMENTS
I know... rules, right?
But rules we must have as they make the work on our end so much easier. So please make sure you read everything to ad nauseam before submitting because we would hate to disqualify anyone because of one mistake! If you are confused about anything, feel free to contact us HERE.
* Submitted stories must be 50 words each. No more, No less. We use Microsoft Word for the word count.
* Hyphenated words are counted as one word.
* Titles are not necessary but if you decide to include one, it will count toward your word count.
* You may send up to 5 stories per submission - all on one document. You may enter more than once but only up to 5 stories per submission/document. Click HERE to submit your stories after reading all the rules.
* Fee is $10 USD per Submission. If you decide to send less than 5 stories, the fee is still $10 per submission. Payment must be sent before stories are submitted. Payment can be made on the same page.
* If you live outside Canada, you must be able to accept money via PayPal to receive prize money.
* Submissions will be accepted from July 1st to 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time on August 8th, 2023.
* Submissions can be in any 12 pt font as long as the words are easy to read. No fancy fonts, please.
* Please make sure your NAME IS ON YOUR DOCUMENT and that it MATCHES THE NAME you have entered on the submission form so as to avoid any confusion.
*Absolutely no AI-generated pieces are allowed and, if detected, they will be disqualified.
* Depending on how many entries we receive, we may not be able to contact you if have not made the long or shortlists. If your story has made the long or shortlists, you will be notified in September 2023.
*If your piece has been published on a blog or a social media post only, it will be accepted. If it has been published in a magazine, book (online or in print), or website, then it will not be accepted. If in doubt, feel free to contact us.
*A panel of seasoned writers/authors has been assigned to choose the longlisted and shortlisted entries and, finally, the winner.
*TIP: Consider adopting the 'Show Don't Tell' writing 'rule'. You can find examples of this online. Writer and Playwright, Anton Chekhov, defined it this way, "Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on the broken glass."
Good luck and happy writing!
TO SUBMIT YOUR STORIES & TO PAY, CLICK HERE.