- Contest opens: February 10, 2020
- Contest closes: March 10, 2020 at 11:59 pm
- Winner announced: April 3, 2020 at Hack for a Cause in Eugene
- Prize: $1000 and publication in the 15th Night story project
- No entry fee
- Open to residents of Oregon
- Sponsored by 15th Night, City of Eugene, Turell Group, and Wordcrafters in Eugene
BRIEF STORY DETAILS
For this contest, you write a Choose Your Own Path Story based on the experiences of a young teen facing homelessness in the Eugene/Springfield area. The story will use real-life resources and scenarios to create a path of choices that youth may face (both positive and negative) and what they result in. (See Story Elements page for more specific details.)
The winning story will be the basis of an online game for 8th graders to learn about the challenges and choices of living on the streets, and what resources are available to help them get off the streets (or even better, stay off them in the first place).
15th Night is an organisation dedicated to helping homeless youth. They try to get youth off the street before they’ve been out 2 weeks. After the 15th night, youth tend to become chronically homeless.
RULES:
- Max 25000 words
- Story will be written in Second Person, present tense (placing the reader as the “main character” as though they are experiencing the story unfold as they read it and make choices to direct the story)
- At least 5 possible endings
- Follow the Story Elements & Goals
- Be set in the Eugene/Springfield area and use real agencies and resources (see Story Elements for lists)
- The longest story path should take no more than 15 minutes to read
- Text for each frame or “scene/narrative chunk: should be no more than 300 words. (Keep in mind younger readers will be more engaged with shorter frames)
- Submissions must include both the story with frames (scenes) clearly numbered or categorised and a story map of the process through the story (see this super-cool Atlas Obscura article or this simple flow chart resource for examples)
- Stories must be received by March 10, 2020 at 11:59 pm PST
- Entrants must be residents of Oregon
- Employees of sponsoring organisations and their relations are not eligible to enter.
- Submissions must be the original, unpublished work of the author(s) (Sorry, we cannot accept fan fiction or submissions based on novels, movies, video games, or other media that are under copyright.)
- Co-authors are permitted; prize will be split between/among co-authors
- By entering the contest, you are agreeing to have your work—should it be the winning entry—used for the 15th Night Choose Your Own Path story project and associated curriculum
- By entering the contest, you are agreeing to have your work—should it be the winning entry—go through a formal editorial process prior to publication for the 15th Night Choose Your Own Path story project with your active participation (expected Spring and Summer of 2020)
- Winner(s) will receive one half of prize ($500) at announcement of winner on April 3, 2020. The other half ($500) will be paid on publication (expected Fall of 2020)
What is a Choose Your Own Path Story?
Like the popular Choose Your Own Adventure series, these stories place the reader as the main character navigating through the story. When the reader reaches a decision point, they get to decide which path or direction the story takes.
Each “page” of narrative is called a frame. Typically each frame ends in a decision with at least two choices (and no more than four choices) that takes the reader to another part of the story depending on what they choose. Some paths through the story may be long, some may be very short.