HNSNA Short Story Contest
The Historical Novel Society North America is thrilled to announce our very first short story contest!
The winning story receives the Grand Prize of $250 plus in-person conference registration (approx. $550 value), and all finalists will be published in HNSNA’s first short story anthology.
Officially, Las Vegas is less than 120 years old, but its history stretches from the first Native Peoples who left their petroglyphs on the red rocks in the desert 10,000 years ago to the mobsters, entertainers, and workers who created the neon extravaganza we know today.
What’s your Las Vegas-based story? Maybe you’ve already written a love story about one of those quickie wedding chapels, or envisioned what life was like for Helen Jane Stewart, the “First Lady of Vegas.” Maybe your thriller-writing imagination is stoked by tales of the US Army’s attempts to deceive Confederate spies in 1864, or you’ve imagined a time travel story about Sammy Davis Jr.’s efforts to end segregation on the Strip.
Your story must be historical, but any subgenre—from biographical to romance to mystery—is acceptable. In fact, we’re hoping to attract a wide range of genres. Your story must take place in Las Vegas or the surrounding areas of Nevada at any point in time up to 1975. You’re limited to 4000 words, and your story may not have been previously published.
Each submission will be reviewed blindly by two members of our review committee, who will select the contest finalists. One grand prize winner will be selected from the finalists by our celebrity judges: Fiona Davis, Eliza Knight, and Heather Webb.
Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of several historical fiction novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including THE STOLEN QUEEN, THE MAGNOLIA PALACE, THE ADDRESS, and THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE, which was a Good Morning America book club pick. Her articles have appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and the Oprah magazine. She first came to New York as an actress, but fell in love with writing after getting a master's degree at Columbia Journalism School. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages and she's based in New York City.
Non-winning finalists will receive an honorarium of $50 and inclusion in the anthology. All finalists will receive a paperback copy of the anthology, be recognized at the conference, and have the opportunity to participate in a special book signing event!
Entry fee is $25.
The contest is open to anyone. Multiple entries are allowed, but no author will have more than one story included in the anthology.
Submissions Open September 1, 2024 and close December 1, 2024
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HNSNA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Proceeds from entry fees and anthology sales will benefit HNSNA’s scholarship fund and diversity initiatives.