The second annual Bucks County Short Fiction Contest is underway! It started in the fall of 2016 as Professor Elizabeth Luciano’s sabbatical project, it was first run in the fall of 2017.  Since Bucks County already has a poetry contest, the short fiction contest was created to give fiction writers a chance to showcase their work.

According to Luciano, the two contests complement each other well. “It was a real diversity of work submitted,” said Luciano, referring to the 60 plus submissions the contest received its first year, which was much more successful than expected. The contest was originally funded through the Strategic Grant, which is good for one year only. However, due to its popularity, it is now funded through the Bucks Language and Literature Department.

When asked how she found this contest beneficial to Bucks, freshman Jennifer Abele said: “It forces people to revive creativity and display their talent. [It shows] that people have similar lives, but, at the same time, somehow different.”

“If you feel a desire to be creative, send it in,” encouraged Luciano. “We would love to give you a voice.”

In order to enter the contest, writers must be a resident of Bucks County over the age of 18, out of high school, and not be a full-time or part-time employee of Bucks County Community College. All submissions must be received no later than noon on Thursday, Oct 25, 2018.

Luciano reviews all of the submissions before she selects the top six works that will then go on to a local ‘celebrity’ judge, picked by Luciano. This year, the final six submissions will be judged by Philadelphia author Elizabeth LaBan. She is the author of several books, including the young adult novel, The Tragedy Paper and the novel The Restaurant Critic’s Wife. LaBan will pick the top three finalists.

The finalists will be notified by the Director of the Bucks Short Fiction Contest within a few weeks of the contest closing date. The first place finalist will receive a $200 honorarium, the second place finalist will receive a $100 honorarium, and the third place finalist will receive a $50 honorarium.

A reception will be held in the Orangery on Dec. 2, 2018 from 2:30-4pm. The three finalist will be able to read their piece, and LaBan has been offered the opportunity to either read a piece of hers or give a speech.

When asked if she was interested in continuing the contest, Luciano said: “As long as the community is interested, I am interested.”

For more information on the contest and where to submit go to the Language and Literature department page at Bucks.edu or email Professor Luciano at [email protected].