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If this FAQ does not answer your questions, or if you’re just more comfortable conversing with a real person, please feel free to address any queries to Michael Matheson at fomsscontest@gmail.com.
If you are looking for information on the prizes awarded to the winners and finalists of the Friends of the Merril Short Story Contest please see the Prizes page, or the Prizes and Payment section of the Contest Rules page.
The following FAQ reflects the changes made to the contest for the 2012-2013 contest year.
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Q. Why run the contest?
A. The Friends of the Merril Collection are running the contest to raise awareness of, and funds for, the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy, which is a special collection of the Toronto Public Library system. The Friends of the Merril Collection already do this through sponsoring author readings, book launches and other related events, as well as the publication of an outreach publication called Sol Rising. Now, we have expanded our efforts to include an annual short story contest, both to allow us to get talented people some exposure (and a financial boost in the bargain) and to continue our aim of sponsoring the Merril Collection in the process.
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Q. Who is the contest open to?
A. The contest is open to applicants of all nationalities, without restriction. If you are not age of majority in your place of residence you must obtain the permission of a parent or legal guardian to enter.
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Q. Who is the contest not open to?
A. Contest staff are disallowed from entering the competition. Also, in our inaugural year we had a strict policy against any story our judges had ever had a hand in being submitted. However, we forgot entirely that four of the five Final Panel Judges work with/run short fiction markets. And given that several of the judges are engaged in writers’ groups or workshops we’ve decided not to penalize the authors of those stories by disallowing them from submitting that work. Instead, in any instance where any of our judges comes across a story they had a hand in crafting/editing, that judge(s) will be asked to recuse themselves from voting for that story. Any other conflicts of interest will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
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Q. What do you mean by “speculative fiction”?
A. Science fiction, fantasy or horror, as well as genres like magic realism, slipstream or fabulism, etc. If you’re still not sure whether your submission would be appropriate, please query us at fomsscontest@gmail.com.
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Q. My story contains explicit/adult content. Is it still an eligible entry?
A. As we are no longer publishing the winning stories there are currently no restrictions on content or subject matter. Send whatever you want (as long as it meets our other guidelines) and we’ll read it.
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Q. Will you accept a reprint entry?
A. We only accept original, previously unpublished entries. We will, however, accept a story that originally appeared in another language and has been translated into English before being submitted to the contest.
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Q. What is the maximum word count for entries?
A. 5,000 words.
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Q. How many entries can I submit?
A. There is no longer any restriction on the number of stories you may submit, but each entry must be accompanied by a separate entry fee.
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Q. How can I submit my story?
A. You can either submit your story as a hard copy (either by mail or by physically dropping it off) to:
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The Friends of the Merril Collection Short Story Contest
c/o The Merril Collection, Toronto Public Library
239 College Street, 3rd floor, Toronto, ON, M5T 1R5
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OR you can submit an electronic copy (attached .doc, .docx, or .rtf files only please) by e-mail to fomsscontest@gmail.com.
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Q. What do you need in the attached cover letter?
A. We’ll need your name and contact info (mailing address, telephone number and email address), as well as your story title and word count. If you paid your entry fee online we’ll also need to see your PayPal Transaction ID (it’s 17 characters long and composed of letters and numbers) so we can confirm payment.
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Q. Do you confirm receipt of my entry?
A. We try to confirm receipt of entries within one week’s time (by e-mail). If you don’t hear from us within two weeks you should send a query to fomsscontest@gmail.com in case your entry got lost in transmission. Please use the words “Query: Receipt – Story Title” in your Subject line.
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Q. What is the deadline for submission?
A. All entries must be in no later than 11:59 p.m. EST, February 15, 2013. If you submit a hard copy of your entry you’ll need to send it at least a week before the contest closes to make sure we get it in time.
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Q. When should I pay the entry fee for my submission?
A. We would advise you to pay the entry fee before you submit your story since we can’t start reading your submission until we can acknowledge you’ve paid the attendant fee. Please be sure, even if you don’t pay your entry fee up front, that you do pay it before the contest closes, or else we won’t be able to consider your story as an eligible entry.
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Q. I don’t have a PayPal account. Can I use their system anyway?
A. Yes, you don’t need to have a PayPal account to use their system.
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Q. Do I have to use PayPal to pay my entry fee?
A. If you are paying electronically, then yes. If you entered with a hard copy submission you can include either a cash payment or a cheque inside the envelope/package with your submission.
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Q. Do I need to manually convert my entry fee to Canadian currency?
A. If you pay by PayPal, their system will automatically perform the appropriate currency conversion for you.
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Q. I know there are scam contests out there. How does one tell them apart from real contests?
A. It’s not always easy, but websites like SFWA’s Writer Beware, and Moira Allen’s article “Writing Contests: When Winners Are Losers” are a good starting point for keeping an eye out for false or misleading contests. Also, websites like Ralan and Duotrope keep regularly updated information on contests, and vet them before they approve a listing, so they’re good places to look for safe contests to enter.
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Q. How do I know that the Friends of the Merril Short Story Contest is on the up and up?
A. 11 reasons (one more than last year, and a couple of points are slightly different from last year since we’re no longer publishing the winning stories). 1. Our prize amounts are fixed and guaranteed, regardless of how many entries we get. 2. We’re upfront about the fact that this is not only a contest, but a method of exposure and fundraising for a group that actively aids and promotes a special collection of the Toronto Public Library system. 3. We have a clearly defined number of winners. 4. We don’t claim any rights to your stories, period. 5. The contest is run by a library Friends group tied to an internationally respected Canadian special collection of the Toronto Public Library system. 6. You don’t have to come to us or go chasing us to receive your prize money – we’ll either get it to you via cheque or PayPal, whatever’s easier for you. 7. You don’t have to purchase any kind of publication, membership, or other item or service to claim any part of your prize. 8. We perform blind judging to avoid showing favouritism to “name authors”. 9. We list the contest judges on our website to ensure a sense of transparency in the adjudication process. 10. We’re now in our second year of running the contest so we’ve got experience under our belt. We know what we can do and what we can’t, and we’re not making promises we can’t keep. 11. If you have questions or concerns we have real people you can contact – either Lorna Toolis of the Merril Collection at ltoolis@torontopubliclibrary.ca, or Michael Matheson at fomsscontest@gmail.com.
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