Stories That Need to Be Told:
The Contest
Deadline: August 9, 2023
(Book Lovers Day)
CONTEST RULES & SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Category
There is only one category: the Story. There is truth in any story, and the reason you choose to tell a particular story may be the most important story of all. But, before we get too philosophical, here's the point: submissions should tell a story. It doesn't matter if you consider it fiction, nonfiction, or poetry—if it tells a story, it fits.
Prizes
Grand Prize: $1,000 and a 2-year ($100) gift certificate to Duotrope.
Five additional prizes of $200 will be given for stories that excel in the merits of Humor, Passion, Depth, and (any form of) Love. An additional $200 prize will be awarded in a wild card category, to be determined by the entries. We'll call this one the Bonus category. Additionally, winners and Honorable Mentions will be published in and receive a free copy of the annual Stories That Need to Be Told anthology.
Word Limit
10,000 words
Entry Fee
$20 per entry. That includes $20 per poem (because every entry has the potential to win the same cash prizes). There is no limit on the number of times you may enter. If you withdraw your entry as noted below, the entry fee is nonrefundable.
Deadline
August 9, 2023* (by midnight, Pacific time, or as long as the Submission Fairy puts it under our pillow, er, in our inbox, by morning)
Submissions are accepted all year for the next deadline. Note, however, that all entries are read as a group after the deadline, so only submit early if you are okay with waiting until the deadline to hear back.
*If you are mailing in your payment, your emailed entry must still be received by the deadline above and your payment must be postmarked by August 9.
Judging Process & Announcing the Winners
Judging takes place in two rounds. The entries are all read once and given a yes or a no. Because we don't have space limits on this round, our first round of yeses (a.k.a. the semifinalists) can be fairly long. (On average, this usually works out to be approximately the top 30%-33% of entries, and approximately the top 10% are selected for publication.) We will notify entrants when the semifinalists have been posted on the website. From the semifinalists, our cash prize winners are selected, as well as the contributors (a.k.a. Honorable Mentions). Contributors are contacted directly to obtain permission before pieces are published. Once the winner and contributors have been confirmed, they will be posted on the website, approximately two weeks before the release date.
The Anthology
The estimated release date of the Stories That Need to Be Told anthology is October 15, 2023.
Reprints and Simultaneous Submissions
Entries for these contests must be previously unpublished material, including online, and you must own the copyright. Simultaneous submissions are okay, but if your work is accepted elsewhere it is up to you to notify us. In the event you withdraw your submission, the entry fee is nonrefundable.
Eligibility
Friends, family, and past or current clients of TulipTree's founder are not eligible to enter TulipTree contests.
Legal Stuff
By entering the contest you are stating and agreeing that (1) the work is your own original work, (2) no one else owns the rights to publish said work, and (3) if you are one of the winners of a cash prize, you grant TulipTree Publishing, LLC (TulipTree) the right to publish said work, unless you withdraw your work prior to TulipTree's announcement of winners.
TulipTree does not retain rights to your work after we publish it.
How to Format Your Entry
Entries should be in .doc or .docx format (Mac Pages is okay, too, and PDFs are acceptable for poetry only). The title of the document should be the title of your story.
Prose entries should be in standard industry format: 12 pt Times New Roman, double-spaced, 1-inch margins.
Poetry format should be 12 pt TNR, but line spacing and margins are open style.
Please include your name, mailing address, email address, and title on the first pageof your story (no separate cover sheet needed).
How to Enter
Purchase your entry fee via PayPal below or mail your payment (cash or money order only) to TulipTree Publishing, PO Box 133, Seymour, MO 65746. Please note in your submission email that you are paying by mail. Note that even if you mail in your payment, you should still email your submission.
Email your entry as an attachment to jennifer@tuliptreepub.com. You will receive a confirmation email when your entry has been received and logged into our system.*
* Two things: (1) Note that these are entered by hand so if you don't get an email confirmation instantly, don't freak out—we're (probably) getting to it. (2) If it's been more than a day or two and you still haven't gotten a confirmation, maybe start freaking out because we either didn't get your entry, our emails are going to your spam folder, or our emails are blocked by your email provider. As we do our crucial communicating through email (i.e., letting you know if you won and confirming your work is still available), you'll want to make sure we're getting through.
Please note that entries must be emailed as attachments (see step 2 above). There will not be an upload page that appears after payment.
PAST WINNERS
2022
GRAND PRIZE: Liv and Let Liv by Julie Esther Fisher
MERIT WINNERS
PASSION: Midnight by Marissa Tian
DEPTH: Dear Dad by Darian Geddis
HUMOR: Seeing Things by Noah Cohen-Greenberg
LOVE: Emotional Support Pig: A Love Story by Matt Landig
BONUS: Do You Remember, Sarah? by Matt Herzfeld
HONORABLE MENTIONS/CONTRIBUTORS
A Memory by Nicole Van Zandt
A Stone at Bexar by James Harmon Clinton
Between Living and Dreaming by Morgan Smith
Burnt Sienna: A Love Story by Hazel Hitchins
Firefight by Kelly Skaggs
Kleiner in the Woods by Ross Berger
Kochma by Diane Allerdyce
On Wings of Song by Mel Konner
(op)pressed by Yennie Jun
Pam Is Freezing by Ryan Murphy
Pennsylvania by Stevie doCarmo
Pretty Fingers by Laurel DiGangi
Surface-to-Surface, Surface-to-Air by Bill Glose
The End of Something by J.C. Scott
The Flying Bicycle Guy by Clynne Morgan Tilton
The Man Side of the Bed by Teresa Burns Gunther
The Old Man by the Side of the Road by J. Stephen Rush
The Sedan of Existence by Andrew Ellis
There’s No Place Like Home by Yolanda G. Wysocki
To (President) IKE by Mary Ann Crowe
Walk It Off by Don Carter
2021
GRAND PRIZE: Don’t You Sweetheart Me by Heather Debling
MERIT WINNERS
HUMOR: Smooth as Silk by Don Carter
LOVE: The Daughter by Monic Ductan
PASSION: The Door by Christianna Soumakis
DEPTH: The Other Woman by Tristan Marajh
BONUS: Evie A.I. by Ross Berger
HONORABLE MENTIONS/CONTRIBUTORS
An Affable Man by Dustin Grinnell
A Requiem in Orange by Nina Marceny
Conka by John Briscoe
Fat-Pickers by Richard Levine
Fishing by Mary Hutchings Reed
Functionally Fine by Jimi Johnson
Gary the Lion by H.N. Wood
Intangible Effects by Lynne Ruelaine Stokes
my body is by Alysa Levi-D’Ancona
My Father’s Sex Doll by Hillary Flynn
My Year as a Chemical Eunuch by Hal Ackerman
Never Forget by Ruth Mota
Obit of a Stranger by Jill Cunningham
On My Way to Coffee at 7:00 AM During
Covid-19 by Elaine Zimmerman
Orange Slices by Eileen Zhang
Origins by Janet Gotkin
Recycled by K. Di Prima
Red Light/Black Zone by Renée Ozburn
Requiem for Five Trees by A.M. Riddle
September 10. The Danish by Bernard Horn
Sleep by Liz Kelner Pozen
The Boy and the Cat by Jane Yi
The New Northwestern Personality and Aptitude
Test by Shawn Soward Bell
The Prisoner by Lynette Benton
The Third Rule of Fight Club by Brook van der Linde
Time for Love by Joseph J. Ridgway
Tornado by Carrie Vestal Gilman
Wilma Tells About Louie by Marjorie Saiser
2020
GRAND PRIZE: Red Bluff by Michael Pearce
MERIT WINNERS
LOVE: Bruised by Ron L. Dowell
HUMOR: My Life of Crime by Jim Gish
DEPTH: Muzzles by Doug Marrin
PASSION: Scales by Mario René Padilla
BONUS: Wilful Damages by Alan Whelan
HONORABLE MENTIONS/CONTRIBUTORS
A Midsummer 2020 Night’s Dream by Laura Holman
Blue Boy by Theo Johnston
Bolsonaro Eats Too Much Cheese by Andrew W. Jones
Fearful Child by Kimberly A. Werner
Football with Leatherman by Ross Berger
Green in My Face by Oak Morse
Learning to Count by Elizabeth Argelia Leonard
Like the Sun in Winter by Lesley Bannatyne
Lost and Found by Arthur M. Doweyko
On Sawyer Mountain by Erica G. Craig
Required Debauchery by Thomas Darlington
Short Synopsis of a Life by Marina Datthyn
Stuck on a Stranded Dog by Howard Isaac Williams
Synchronicity by Geoffrey K. Graves
Tarzan in Decline by Richard D. Key
Test Flight by Emily Nichol
The Bells of St. James by Holly C. Tabor
The Brown Bag by Karen Gregory
The Dog Days of College by Jacob Wratten
The Dog in the Desert by Stephanie Anderson
The Glass Blower by R.C. Goodwin
The Whole Artichoke, Stem and All by Sharon E. Svendsen
The Whole Story of the Girl Who Talked to Fish by Meli Broderick Eaton
Yusuf’s Wedding Celebration by Rosie Cohan
2019
GRAND PRIZE: Messenger of God by Morgan Smith
MERIT PRIZES
HUMOR: Now I Can Do Anything I Have to Do by William Snyder Jr.
LOVE: Penelope for His Thoughts by Lorraine Devon Wilke
DEPTH: Neanderthals by Michael Keane
PASSION: Ask and Ye Shall Receive by Michele E. Reisinger
BONUS: Whistle Stop by KT Sparks
HONORABLE MENTIONS/CONTRIBUTORS
A Mix Tape Odyssey by Doug Bost
About Apples by Margarite Landry
Angels in the Dark by Jane Shoenfeld
Arranged Love by Joseph Ridgway
Assisted Living by Benjamin Keyworth
Curtainwall by Brenna Williams
Fire by Faith Shearin
Frog Hunt by Mario René Padilla
My Body Is 2 Bodies by Jay Eddy
My Mother’s Lesson by Karen Gregory
Old Time Religion by Mark Chesnut
Seven by Lisa M. Novak
Shock Treatment by Malcolm R. Campbell
Sundowning by Audrey DiPlacido
The Detective by Olivia Nalder
The Good Samaritan by Doug Hagley
The Spider God by Cailyn Brown
Tourists by Lyle Stiles
Underdogs by Robert J. Begiebing
Vestiges by Morell E. Mullins
2018
GRAND PRIZE: Just So by Lish Troha
MERIT PRIZES
PASSION: Pablo Neruda and the Caffeinated Madness of Love by Chris Morgan
DEPTH: Jimmy's Fish Market by Pearly D. Keller
HUMOR: Eunice Buys a Doll by Jim Gish
LOVE: A Good and Simple Meal by M. B. McLatchey
BONUS: A Thousand Kisses Deep by Deborah L. Levine
HONORABLE MENTIONS/CONTRIBUTORS
A Vague Recollection by Erica Stisser
A Woman of a Certain Hue by Shanteé Felix
At the Falling-Off Point by Roxy Runyan
Bead by Bead by EA Luetkemeyer
Chasing Dragons by Lynette Benton
Confrontation and Cojones by Mario René Padilla
Country Poor by Katrina Hawley
Coven by Samantha Barron
Fetching the Payroll by P. Jo Anne Burgh
Fruit Punch by Jake Teeny
Get Off Track by Timothy Scahill
Hello and Goodbye by Robert Pope
Hope Walker by Jamer
Interview with Kalief Browder by Alex Greenberg
Life on the Road without Any Brakes by Don Carter
Nonspeaking by Isabelle Jay
One-Eyed in Juarez by Morgan Smith
Pre-Glow of the Neo-Apocalypse by Genevra Levinson
Rubbing the Chips by Pat Anthony
Soviet Skatepark by Jonan Pilet
Stretch Marks by Simone Martel
Swim by Eric Roe
The Things My Afro Knows by AE Wynter
The Toll by Simone Kern
Toes Touching Sand by Courtney Lee Hall
Turn Right at the Tree House by Avy Harris
Vignette between Now and Morning by Kai Mawougbe
Where to Be by C. Witzling
2017
GRAND PRIZE: Mary's Story by Georgia Baddley
MERIT PRIZES
PASSION: Le Château Possoniere by Mario René Padilla
DEPTH: No Superhero by Lisa Poff
HUMOR: Beats by Jon Shorr
LOVE: Annotated Love Letter by Alexander Joseph
BONUS: Run Amok by Laura Eddy
HONORABLE MENTIONS/CONTRIBUTORS
A Bus Poem, Cameron Moore
A Monster’s Eulogy, Rekha Rangan
An Inconvenient Death, Gabriella Buckner
Daddy's Tears, Jacob Paul Patchen
Dangerous Fish Days, Robert Hambling Davis
Dear Demeter, Audrey Larkin
Disrupting History, Mariya Taher
Eight Steps Down, Steven Fromm
Freddy, Julie Dearborn
Getting Our Flickers, Nick Swartz
Heroes, Calvin Hennick
I Told You Not to Move, Allison Flom
Jay, Will Schick
Lovers Last Journey, Bob Blake
Naturally, Mika Hunter
Pobrecito, Nina Joy Silver
Strato-Christmas '66, Jimmy Searles
The Corner of My Heart, Victoria Sylvander
2016
GRAND PRIZE: Mending by Enid Harlow
MERIT PRIZES
HUMOR: Alumni by Michael Fischer
PASSION: Mr. Thoughtful by Christopher Spencer
LOVE: A Very Special Occasion by Ana Maria Owusu
DEPTH: Ictal Life (A Song for Epilepsy) by Brandon Ellis
HONORABLE MENTIONS/CONTRIBUTORS
A Baseball Lesson by Mark J. Rogovin
A Beer in Bastille by Kenneth John Holt
A Place You Love by Lones Seiber
Alumni by Michael Fischer
An Adulterous Meeting by Jeremy King
Brave by Stephanie L. Harper
Bunny Swung the Axe at Charlie by Harry Beach
Chucky’s in Tucson by Brant Vickers
Closing the Door by Marianna Crane
Confession by Patricia Hawley
Dreams and Other Sleights of Hand by Michelle Perez
How to Live the Rest of Your Life in 100 Days by Elias Renaud
It Seems Like It Should by Kerime B. Toksu
Keeper of the Gate by Mario René Padilla
My Father Wants I Should Know by Jean Ende
Solitary Grace by Beka Tuitasi
The Cure by Cynthia Walker
The Randall Knife by Morgan Smith
Ties That Bind by Michael Twist
Tumors Humors by Beverley Catlett
When I Find You Close by Amy S. Lerman
2015
1st place: Africa Weeping by Jerry Eckert, posthumous
2nd place: Love Underground by Andrew Jack Foster
3rd place: These Are the Things by Chris Connolly
HONORABLE MENTIONS/CONTRIBUTORS
Labor Day by Darla Klein
Meant to Be by Monica Vickers
This Is for Keeps by Molly Steen
So Many Rivers by Sandra McGarry
Peas and Queues by Richard Key
My Dad, Sandy, and the Tri-Pacer by William J. McIlwain
Kinky and Gruen by Diane Simkin
You can find the 2015 stories in the Winter issue of TulipTree Review.
Like Rocking Kittens to Sleep
Enter to be a part of this year's anthology! The 2017 collection won a CIPA Evvy Award, and the 2016 and 2019 anthologies were
finalists for a Colorado Book Award.
Stories change us.
Scroll down to see all of our past winners.
This contest is sponsored by Duotrope.
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