Million Writers Award Explained

Million Writers Award was a short story literary award presented annually by storySouth[1] [2] from 2003 to 2016.[3] [4] It honored the best online short stories. The award was structured to be egalitarian allowing for anyone to nominate a story including readers, authors, editors and publishers; prize money was donated by readers and writers; and the winners were selected by public vote from a short-list of entries selected by judges.[5]

Overview

The Million Writers Award was founded by author Jason Sanford in 2003 at a time when the literary establishment "didn't believe online magazines were legitimate places to publish fiction," seeing it as a fad.[6] Sanford set out to honor and highlight online only publications and stories with the award.[6]

Stories eligible for the award include those first published in online literary journals, magazines, and e-zines that have an editorial process.[7] The award had a variable cash prize, in 2011 for example it was $600 for the winner, $200 for the runner-up and $100 for third place.[8] Prize money was raised through donations from writers, editors and readers and thus fluctuates each year.[8] Anyone could nominate up to one story, while editors and publishers can nominate three stories. Stories must be at least 1000 words.[8]

The award became one of the premier online literary awards and was named a Hot Site by USA Today.[9] The award was profiled in a six-page feature interview with editor Jason Sanford in the 2005 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market[10] and mentioned in The 100 Best Trends, 2006: Emerging Developments You Can't Afford to Ignore as an example of the emerging online literary movement.[11]

In 2012 Spotlight Publishing released two anthologies of stories from the Million Writers Award, with one focused on literary stories and the other on science fiction and fantasy stories.[12] [13] [1]

Winners

Previous winners.[14]

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Starred review of Million Writers Award: The Best Online Science Fiction and Fantasy . Publishers Weekly. July 11, 2012.
  2. "Congratulations to the storySouth Million Writers Award Nominees!" Tor.com, Oct 17, 2014.
  3. Web site: Million Writers Awards . . Million Writers . May 28, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140528121601/http://www.storysouth.com/millionwriters.html . May 28, 2014 . dead .
  4. Web site: Million Writers Award: more than 100 top short stories . Carolyn . Kellogg . The Los Angeles Times . April 23, 2009 . May 28, 2014.
  5. "Million Writers Award Winners," Locus Magazine, August 17, 2012.
  6. "Rank and slush pile: Is There a Literary Magazine Hierarchy?" by Timothy Schaffert, Poets & Writers Magazine, May-June 2009, Volume 37, Issue 3.
  7. Web site: Introduction to the 2012 Million Writers Award . Jason Sanford.com . May 28, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140222144336/http://www.jasonsanford.com/jason/2012/03/introduction-to-the-2012-million-writers-award.html . February 22, 2014 .
  8. Web site: 2012 Million Writers Award Rules . Jason Sanford.com . May 28, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140204040223/http://www.jasonsanford.com/jason/2012/03/2012-million-writers-award-rules.html . February 4, 2014 .
  9. Web site: WebGuide: Hot Sites. . March 9, 2004 . May 28, 2014.
  10. "Personal Views: Jason Sanford On the Million Writers Award" by Mary Cox, 2005 Novel and Short Story Writer's Market Writer's Digest Books, 2004, p. 23.
  11. The 100 Best Trends, 2006: Emerging Developments You Can't Afford to Ignore by George Ochoa and Melinda Corey, Adams Media Corporation, 2005, p. 55.
  12. Web site: Spotlight Publishing . Million Writers Award: The Best Online Science Fiction and Fantasy . May 28, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140529052826/http://spotlight-publishing.com/million-writers-award-the-best-online-science-fiction-and-fantasy . May 29, 2014 .
  13. Web site: Million Writers Award: The Best New Online Voices . Spotlight Publishing . May 28, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140529052654/http://spotlight-publishing.com/million-writers-award-the-best-new-online-voices . May 29, 2014 .
  14. Web site: The storySouth Million Writers Award . May 5, 2013 . storysouth.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20130510174428/http://www.storysouth.com/millionwriters.html . May 10, 2013 . dead .
  15. Web site: The Top Ten Online Stories of 2003. May 5, 2013. storySouth.

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