2019 Veterans Story Contest call for submissions

Who: Veterans or current service members of any branch of the United States military currently living in South Dakota.

What: A story!  New, unpublished material on any aspect of your military experience, recovery or lessons learned. Individuals may submit stories of up to 1,500 words or a 3-5 minute video (videos will be judged solely on content, not production quality). Material can be in any form: poetry, prose, fiction, creative non-fiction, etc. Whatever format you choose to share your story, please be as creative and open as you feel comfortable!  Consider using creative comparisons and vivid sensory details in your submission. Include at least one specific anecdote, a story to dramatize one of your main points, if you are submitting prose.

Written Material: Include a cover page with the author’s name, address, military branch/service dates, and the words “Veterans Story Prize Submission.” In addition to the cover page, submissions may be up to 1,500 words (1-inch margin, single-spaced paragraphs, and 12-point font).

Video Submissions: In first minute of the video include author’s name, address, military branch/service dates, and state the words “Veterans Story Prize Submission.” Videos will be judged on content rather than production quality; however, please attempt to produce the best quality you can, as we will be showing some or all of the videos to the public during our Festival of Books in October.

When: The submission period is May 10, 2019, through Aug. 15, 2019.

Three finalists in each category, written and video, will be invited to the South Dakota Festival of Books for a reading/showing of their work by U.S. Army veteran and author Brian Turner, who will announce the winners and hold a workshop specifically for veterans. The South Dakota Humanities Council will work with the finalists to support their attendance at the Festival event on Oct. 5 in Deadwood. Writers do not need to be available to attend the Festival to submit work; a representative can read the author’s work on the finalist’s behalf. One finalist from each category will be selected as the winner and will receive a cash prize of $500, second place will receive $300, and third will receive $200. In addition, each submission receives one free ticket to Brian Turner’s writing workshop on Oct. 4 in Deadwood.

Send submissions to:
Connie Johnson
Coordinator for Veterans Affairs
Brown Hall Room 134
Brookings, SD 57007
OR media submissions or written digital format as a single PDF to connie.johnson@sdstate.edu
With questions, contact Connie Johnson at the South Dakota State University, connie.johnson@sdstate.edu or 605-688-4700.

Visit Original Source