Fairy Tale Contest Now Open

Do you love fairy tales? Have you dreamed of writing your own? Now is your chance! In honor of Tell a Fairy Tale Day (Feb. 26th), we’re excited to announce that we’ll be hosting a fairy tale writing contest for the month of February! Here are the details:

Prizes

Winner: $75

2 Runner ups: $25

Final Submission Due Date

You must submit your story by 8 AM MST Wednesday, February 21st to the form below.

Word Count Limit

1000 words (We reserve the right to immediately disqualify any stories over 1000 words)

Announcement of Fairy Tale Contest Winners

We will announce contest winners on the blog on Tell a Fairy Tale Day (Monday, February 26th).

Some Advice on Writing Fairy Tales

Fairy tales can be tricky to write. There aren’t necessarily any “required” rules, but there are some common elements you should consider including.

The protagonist tends to be an ordinary person dealing with fantastical circumstances or beings.
Many fairy tales have a sort of moral, message, or warning in them
Fairy tales, like mythology, sometimes explain an inexplicable natural phenomena
Protagonists often go on quests or break spells.
Magic has a rhyme and reason to it—there are rules and explanations of how it “works.”
Many fairy tales are more plot driven than character driven.
Fairy tales often tell of someone overcoming some sort of injustice
Someone (whether that be the cliche damsel in distress or a family member or a friend) has to be saved from a great evil
Fairy tales often have rich, beautiful descriptions of the setting