Now accepting entries for 2008 Thoroughbred Times Fiction Writing Contest

Click here for contest rules

THOROUGHBRED TIMES announced on Wednesday that it is sponsoring its Eighth Biennial Fiction Contest. Open to both professional and amateur writers, the fiction contest awards the winner $800 and their work will be published in a weekly edition of THOROUGHBRED TIMES in the spring of 2008.

The contest is designed to encourage fiction writing about Thoroughbred racing and to recognize outstanding work. The authors of the second- and third-place selections will receive $400 and $250, respectively, and their works will be published in the weekly magazine.

The work of fiction can pertain to any aspect of the Thoroughbred industry and must be 5,000 words or less. Entries must be submitted by December 31, 2007, and sent to THOROUGHBRED TIMES, Fiction Contest, P.O. Box 8237, Lexington, KY 40533.

This spring, Thoroughbred Times will publish Thoroughbred Tales, an Anthology of Fiction from THOROUGHBRED TIMES. The book is a collection of the best fiction from the first seven editions of the contest and contains 18 short stories.

“Root Doctor,” a story about the lessons a young man learns from a veteran horseman while working on a Thoroughbred farm, was awarded first place in the Seventh Biennial Fiction Contest. The story was written by Scott T. Hutchison of Gilford, New Hampshire, who is the contest’s first two-time winner. Hutchison earned an honorable mention for his submission to the inaugural contest in 1993 and won the ’98 contest with his entry, “Teaser.”

“Root Doctor” appeared in the March 18, 2006, issue of THOROUGHBRED TIMES, a weekly newsmagazine based in Lexington, Kentucky, that covers Thoroughbred racing.

The 2006 contest drew a total of 118 entries from writers in 30 states, three Canadian provinces, Australia, Bulgaria, England, Ireland, and Spain.

The first THOROUGHBRED TIMES Fiction Contest winner, The Hanging in the Foaling Barn, by Susan Starr Richards, won an O. Henry Award in 1994. The O. Henry Awards is an annual collection of the year’s best short stories published in American and Canadian magazines and written by American or Canadian authors.

The Fiction Contest was created by THOROUGHBRED TIMES Editor Mark Simon and his wife, Mary, an Eclipse Award-winning contributing editor to the magazine, to encourage and recognize outstanding fiction written about the Thoroughbred industry. The first contest was held in 1993, and the competition also honored winners in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006.

You can read each of the previous winning stories by clicking on the link below:

2006 Winner: Root Doctor, by Scott T. Hutchison
2004 Winner: Arlen Gone, by Kevin Harrington
2002 Winner: It Can Happen Here, by Catherine Dupree
2000 Winner: The Painting, by Alan P. Henry
1998 Winner: Teaser, by Scott T. Hutchison
1996 Winner: The Passing of the Torch, by Avalyn Hunter
1993 Winner: The Hanging in the Foaling Barn, by Susan Starr Richards

Contest rules

Deadline to enter: December 31, 2007

1) Entry must be fiction and pertain to an aspect of the Thoroughbred industry.

2) Entry must be original material. Previously published work is not eligible. Entry submitted to a previous Thoroughbred Times Fiction Contest is not eligible.

3) Entry must be a maximum of 5,000 words, typed or computer-printed, and double-spaced on 8 1/2” x 11” white paper. Entry that exceeds word count is not eligible.

4) Each author may submit only one entry.

5) Author acknowledges that he or she solely owns the work and that the work does not violate or infringe on any copyright agreements and does not contain any libelous material.

6) Each entry must be accompanied by a cover sheet that lists title of entry, author’s name, mailing address, e-mail address (if available), and daytime telephone number. Do not include author’s name and contact information on individual pages of entry.

7) Entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2007.

8) Send your entry to Thoroughbred Times Fiction Contest, P.O. Box 8237, Lexington, KY 40533-8237. For overnight packages and those that require a return receipt acknowledgment, send your entry to: Thoroughbred Times Fiction Contest, 2008 Mercer Road, Lexington, KY 40511.

9) E-mailed entries will be accepted and should be sent to fiction@thoroughbredtimes.com. Entry should be in a Microsoft Word document and sent as an attachment to the e-mail.

10) No fax entries will be accepted.

11) Thoroughbred Times will acknowledge receipt of entries via e-mail or mail.

12) Entries will be judged by an editorial panel selected by the editors of Thoroughbred Times. Decision of the judges is final.

13) By submitting an entry to the Fiction Contest, the author acknowledges that Thoroughbred Times is hereby awarded the first North American publication rights, and compensation to the author will be as outlined below. Thoroughbred Times reserves the right to publish any and all Fiction Contest entries in Thoroughbred Times.

14) First-place winner will receive $800 and the work will be published in Thoroughbred Times. Second-place winner will receive $400 and the work will be published in Thoroughbred Times. Third-place winner will receive $250 and the work will be published in Thoroughbred Times. Any Honorable Mention winners that are published will receive a cash prize.

15) Entries will not be returned.

16) Employees of and/or regular contributors to Thoroughbred Times are not eligible.

17) To obtain the results of the contest, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Thoroughbred Times Fiction Contest Results, P.O. Box 8237, Lexington, KY 40533.  For more information, contact Tom Law at (859) 260-9800 ext.125 or fiction@thoroughbredtimes.com.