Hear ye! Hear ye!

To all internet denizens, trolls, and guys wearing fire bat costumes, theres a short story writing contest. The prize package is a flight out to Blizz HQ, some free grub, and your very own frostmourne sword!

This is a link to the Blizzard's 2010 writing contest:

http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/community/contests/writing2010/

TurbulentTurtle

Canada230 Posts

June 25 2010 15:46 GMT

I can be Savior now, because he also has a Frostmourne sword, right?

Plexa

Aotearoa39261 Posts

June 25 2010 15:54 GMT

riptide got this ez!

besiger

Croatia2452 Posts

June 25 2010 16:03 GMT

hm, might get in on this, never actually written anything before, but I would like to try for fun.

Zergneedsfood

United States10671 Posts

June 25 2010 16:07 GMT

Hm....should be interesting....I have a few ideas in my head.

[UoN]Sentinel

United States11320 Posts

June 27 2010 14:37 GMT

A flight to Blizz HQ is free... do you have to pay for the return trip?

Etherone

United States1898 Posts

June 27 2010 14:51 GMT

On June 26 2010 00:54 Plexa wrote:
riptide got this ez!

unless the developers are in to kinky homosexual fan fics, then DH has this in the bag

CharlieMurphy

United States22895 Posts

June 27 2010 15:40 GMT

op doesn't have enough details imo

FAQ
Q: My story is too long or too short. Is that a problem?
A: No story may be shorter than 2,500 words or longer than 7,500 words. Most word processors have a word-count feature that can tell you your story's length. To avoid disqualification, we encourage all entrants to ensure that their stories' word counts are within the acceptable range.

Q: English is not my native language. Is that an issue?
A: No, as long as the story is well-written and grammatically sound. If you're unsure of your abilities in the English language, we encourage you to find someone with good knowledge of grammar to copy edit your story.

Q: So if I'm a native English speaker, I'm in the clear?
A: Maybe, but we highly encourage all of you to copy edit your stories just the same. Although you can do this yourself, it's recommended that you ask for help from someone you know who is well-versed in the rules of the English language.

Q: Does my entry have to have a title? Can I just call it "Untitled"?
A: Every story must have a title. And no, "Untitled" does not count as a title.

Q: My story is more of a poem or free-flowing parade of thought. Is that okay?
A: This is a contest for short fictional stories; poems or other non-structured entries are extremely unlikely to win. Look at last year's winners for guidance.

Q: My entry is more of a moment-by-moment account of what my character does in-game. Is that okay?
A: We're looking for complete literary works of short fiction based on the Warcraft, StarCraft, or Diablo franchise. Accounts of in-game events or works that detail game mechanics are not literary fiction. Again, we highly encourage you to take a look at last year's winners for guidance.

Q: I'd like to add some stylistic touches like a nice font or a cool background image. Any ideas?
A: We urge you to stay away from these sorts of artistic elements altogether. Your primary focus should be on making your text as easy to read as possible, so we advise you to stick with plain fonts and white backgrounds.

Q: Are .PDF, .RTF, or other file formats accepted this year? Can I mail you a musty tome?
A: We require that all submissions be in .DOC format. If you do not have Microsoft Word, there are a number of other free utilities that can convert a text file into .DOC format. Tomes, no matter the quality or quantity of must they contain, will not be accepted as valid contest entries.

Award Categories
Grand Prize: The grand prize winner will receive a trip to Blizzard's headquarters in southern California, where you'll meet and eat with the Blizzard writing staff. You'll also receive your choice of a Diablo III "OVERTHROWN" barbarian diorama or a Frostmourne sword.

Runners-up: Seven runners-up will each receive a prize package of the Diablo Archive, the Warcraft Archive, the StarCraft Archive, and the Warcraft: War of the Ancients Archive, all signed by Chris Metzen, the cover artists, and Blizzard's writing staff.

Prizes kinda suck tbh

Deadlyhazard

United States1177 Posts

June 29 2010 12:31 GMT

Would've loved to enter this, but I don't have a translator to put it into Spanish.

edit: I'm an idiot. Didn't see the English version.

snotboogie

Australia3550 Posts

June 29 2010 13:39 GMT

#10

Sweet! I can't write well but I've been looking for an excuse to improve my skills. Definitely getting in on this.

danieldrsa

Brazil523 Posts

July 05 2010 17:51 GMT

#11

Theres also a Latin America contest where you need to write in Spanish or Portuguese.

The prizes are different (worst imo):
Grand Prize: One StarCraft II:Wings of Liberty Collector's Edition box signed by the StarCraft II development team plus one Heaven's Devils novel and The StarCraft Archive.

Runners-up: Two runners up will receive a StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Collector's Edition box signed by the StarCraft II development team.

Cool to have a dev team signed copy, but who dont prefer to meet them personally?

besiger

Croatia2452 Posts

July 05 2010 17:54 GMT

#12

they wont let me compete

my heart is broken.

KurtistheTurtle

United States1966 Posts

July 06 2010 03:13 GMT

#13

thanks for posting this. never woulda heard about it. I'm totally entering this and choosing that frostmourne if I win

Rayzorblade

United States1172 Posts

July 06 2010 03:15 GMT

#14

Think I'll actually try to write something for this. Thanks for the info!

Endurethetoothache

United States51 Posts

July 06 2010 03:30 GMT

#15

Sounds like a good contest (even though I'm not sure how cool the prize is--guess I'm a little more materialistic).

Divinek

Canada4045 Posts

July 06 2010 03:32 GMT

#16

i remember how awesome the drawing contest was

not

Melancholia

United States717 Posts

July 06 2010 03:38 GMT

#17

Hmmm...this would be easier if I had any ideas for a story.

KurtistheTurtle

United States1966 Posts

July 06 2010 03:53 GMT

#18

Just read last years entry. Holy shit, I'm gonna have to bring my a-game

KurtistheTurtle

United States1966 Posts

July 06 2010 04:02 GMT

#19

from the rules:

THIS CONTEST IS OPEN ONLY TO RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, SINGAPORE, FRANCE, BELGIUM, UNITED KINGDOM, LUXEMBOURG, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND, SWEDEN, FINLAND, DENMARK, NORWAY, SPAIN, IRELAND, RUSSIA, THE NETHERLANDS, SOUTH KOREA, TAIWAN, HONG KONG AND MACAU WHICH ARE: (i) OVER THE AGE OF MAJORITY IN THEIR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH THAT THE ENTRANT SUBMITS AN ESSAY IN ACCODANCE WITH THESE RULES TO SPONSOR TO ENTER THE CONTEST; AND (ii) WHO ARE NOT RESIDENTS OF THE STATES OF NORTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, CONNECTICUT, OR MARYLYAND IN THE UNITED STATES; THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC, CANADA; OR RESIDENTS OF THE AUSTRALIAN STATES OF VICTORIA, QUEENSLAND OR THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY ("ENTRANTS")

Kashmir

New Zealand178 Posts

July 06 2010 09:18 GMT

#20

Won't be entering this myself but definitely look forward to reading the shortlist after the contest finishes. Some of the entries were amazing last year.