John Berendt

JUDGE: Bestsellling author John Berendt (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The City of Falling Angels)

The Saints and Sinners GLBT Literary Festivals Second Annual Short Fiction Contest is soliciting original, unpublished short stories between 5,000 and 7,000 words with GLBT content on the broad theme of Saints and Sinners. The contest is open to authors at all stages of their careers and to stories in all genres.

The entry fee is $15 per story. There is no limit on the number of stories each author may enter. One grand prize of $250 and two second place prizes of $50 will be awarded. In addition, the top stories will be published in an anthology from QueerMojo, an imprint of Rebel Satori Press. There will also be a book release party held during the 9th annual Saints and Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans May 12-15, 2011. The deadline for the receipt of manuscripts is November 1, 2010.

Registration: There is a $15 fee for every play submitted. Participants can enter more then once. Click here to open and print the registration form in your browser. Note: you cannot complete this form online; you must print it and return the completed paper form with each of your submissions. This requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader version 3.0 or above.

Prizes: The winning entry will receive complimentary registration to the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival and a stipend of $250. The winning play from our fifth annual contest will also be produced by the Marigny Theatre Corporation and will premiere the weekend of the 9th annual Saints and Sinners Literary Festival in May 12-15, 2011.

Finalists: The finalists’ names and titles will be announced on the Saints and Sinners website.

Dates: Deadline for submission is December 31st yearly. (Entries postmarked later than December 31st will not be considered) The winner will be announced in March of the following year.

Entry Fees: Participants can make more than one submission. There is a $15 entry fee per submission to cover administrative costs such as copying, postage, judging, etc.

Contest Guidelines: Previously produced full-length plays will be considered as long as they have not been produced in the greater New Orleans area. Characters should be kept to a minimum—preferably 5 or under. Staging should be simple or adaptable to a small stage.

Correspondence: If you would like to verify that your submission was received, please consider using the tracking service that is offered by the U.S. postal service, or send a self-addressed postcard with your submission. Postcards will take longer to process. DO NOT send manuscripts certified mail or signature required.

Judging: Judges come from all over the country, and all entries are judged anonymously. Please send two title pages with the text: one with the play’s title only, another with all author information unattached. Plays must be typed. Please do not append professional resumes or biographies to your entry: the judges only consider manuscript quality. We regret that we are unable to return manuscripts. Please make sure to keep a copy of your entry for future use.

Contact: For questions or further information concerning the full-length play contest, contact Saints and Sinners Literary Festival at saintandsinnola@aol.com

Please Note: The Saints and Sinners Literary Festival reserves the right to publish all winning contest entries in special edition Festival anthologies and/or collections if appropriate. Mail your entry, check, and registration form to:

Saints and Sinners Play Contest
938 Lafayette St.
Suite 514
New Orleans, LA 70113

All submissions requiring an entry fee should have checks payable to:
The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival.

Purchase Membership Online
Download mail-in form

As the festival enters its 9nth year, we would like to ask for your support. As many of you already know, Saints and Sinners is currently completely organized by unpaid volunteers. It is truly a labor of love as all of the work is done without monetary compensation. Our fundraising goal would allow us to hire a much-needed, part-time office assistant to help with the pre-conference administrative work, and pay for general operating expenses to produce the event, venue rental, printing, advertising, etc. Additionally, donations would also go towards providing registration scholarships for individuals who otherwise might not be able to afford to register for the event.

With all of the problems and difficulties currently facing the LGBTQ publishing community, the role the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival plays in helping to support and connect our community of authors and publishers is needed more than ever. Please help to ensure the festival not only continues, but grows by becoming a premiere affiliate of our new Archangel Membership program. Follow the instructions below to become an “Archangel” or to make a general donation. If you prefer to mail in a donation at this time, please print the mail-in form, complete it and mail it in with your check made out to: TWNOLF: Saints and Sinners event and send to:

Saints and Sinners Literary Festival
Attention: Paul Willis
938 Lafayette Street, #514
New Orleans, LA 70113