The top three winners of the contest will receive gift certificates of $200, $100 and $50, respectively, and will read from their works at a celebration at the college on Saturday, November 9. They will be joined by writer CJ Spataro, who will serve as the final judge.

Adults 18 years of age or older who reside in Bucks County may submit a story of up to 15 typewritten pages (double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point). Stories must be previously unpublished, including in online formats. Full rules and access to the online submission system can be found at bucks.edu/short-fiction-contest.

Participants may not be full-time or part-time employees of Bucks County Community College, but working students at the college may participate. A separate competition for high school students will be held in spring 2025.

Spataro directs the MFA in Creative Writing and the MA in Publishing at Rosemont College and is a founding partner of Philadelphia Stories. She is an award-winning short story writer. Her work has appeared in many literary magazines and anthologies, including Taboos and transgressions, Literary review “Iron Horse”, December, seizure And Strictly regulate taboos and transgressionsHer debut novel More strange than true was published in June 2024 by Sagging Meniscus Press.

This event is supported by the Institute of Language and Literature. For further information please contact the competition coordinator Professor Elizabeth Luciano by email at [email protected].