Found in a Bottle is a themed monthly fiction contest held by What Weekly Magazine. The contest’s name is a direct reference to Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “MS. Found in a Bottle” which was first published by the Baltimore Sunday Visiter – a weekly periodical that was founded in Baltimore (1832). Poe’s submission was awarded a fifty dollar prize and was selected on the basis of having, “vigorous and poetical imagination, a rich style, a fertile invention, and varied and curious learning.” These highlighted qualities are the traits that any submitted story should possess, and the reward for excellent writing will be a fifty dollar prize.  This prize is sponsored by our wonderful friends and contributors at Places and Spaces.

July’s Theme: Breaking the Law

Please consult additional submission guidelines below:

Adhere to the theme! Submitted stories that are off topic will be rejected on the basis of the writer demonstrating a failure in reading comprehension. This month’s them is Futuristic Foods.

Deadline: June 30th

Size matters. We don’t care about how long and satisfying your story is. At Found in a Bottle  we’re in the market for short, capable fiction (2-3 pages, double spaced, size 12 font)

Content. We exercise the right to stop reading your story at any point. If, for some reason, you elected to spend your three pages detailing how Batman saved your wedlock child from a machine designed to reincarnate the penises of dead presidents, we ask that you don’t send it to us.

Grammar. Punctuation is important. Very few writers are able to get away with publishing stories that are void of grammar. If your story reads like a five year old describing what they want for Christmas, we ask that you don’t submit said story. We don’t have the time/interest in editing your work.

You. One submission per person for each theme. If your story has been published you will not be eligible to win another month’s contest. We’re looking for Maryland residents only! With each submission please provide the following: name, address, phone number, and other necessary contact information. Your story should be sent via an email attachment (MS Word).

Feedback. There will be no feedback given to submissions. Only winners will be contacted.