The entry deadline for the Tenth Biennial Thoroughbred Times Fiction Contest is fast approaching and writers interested in participating need to submit their works by December 31.
The fiction contest awards the winner $600 and their work will be published in a weekly edition of Thoroughbred Times in the spring of 2012.
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 $300 and $200, 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, and sent to Thoroughbred Times, Fiction Contest, P.O. Box 8237, Lexington, KY 40533. Entries also can be submitted via e-mail to: fiction@thoroughbredtimes.com.
In 2007, Thoroughbred Times published 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.
“Whirlaway,” a story about the sometimes strained and estranged relationship between a mother and daughter, received first place in the Ninth Biennial Fiction Contest. Mara Dabrishus of Pittsburgh, a first-time participant in the contest, authored the winning entry.
The 2010 contest attracted 62 entries from writers in 26 states, two Canadian provinces, Australia, Greece, Rwanda, and Tasmania.
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. Winners of previous Fiction Contests can be read by visiting the magazine’s website at www.thoroughbredtimes.com and clicking on the link titled Fiction Contest.
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, 2006, and 2008.
For additional contest rules or more information about the Fiction Contest, go to the Thoroughbred Times Website:
or call Tom Law at Thoroughbred Times, (859) 260-9800, ext. 7125, or e-mail at fiction@thoroughbredtimes.com.
About Thoroughbred Times Co.
The leader in racing and breeding coverage, Thoroughbred Times is a weekly newsmagazine published for Thoroughbred horsemen, owners, breeders, trainers, and racing enthusiasts worldwide. Thoroughbred Times Co. Inc. also the Buyer’s Guides used by those buying horses at public auctions, an annual Auction Review, the daily electronic newsletter Thoroughbred Times TODAY, and maintains a comprehensive website at www.thoroughbredtimes.com.