Last year, Greater & Grander sponsored its first annual Collective Folk Fiction Writing Competition, and we were thrilled to have received 82 submitted works from all over the globe. This was intended to counteract the dangerous superhero narrative that only one special person could save us from all this madness.

In Greater & Grander’s ongoing pursuit of expanding artistic boundaries, we have decided to sponsor a writing contest, open to all, free to enter, and focused on stories of collective action, with the theme of science education.

Check out last year’s winners, here, and download for free.

This is not just about highlighting new and undiscovered authors. This is about shifting paradigms. This is about creating a new genre.

Therefore, we are opening our second annual writing contest for submissions in the new genre, Collective Folk Fiction. This genre focuses on several characteristics.

This year’s requirements include:

• The theme is science education.
• The goal is to have the science lesson, the social-emotional lesson, and the character conflict all tie together. We recommend choosing a science lesson topic, and social-emotional lesson to combine from the hyperlinked lists.
• The science conveyed must be accurate, but may be presented in a funny, fantastical, or science-fiction method.
• This is not a poetry or non-fiction essay competition. We are open to several story formats, including prose, screenplay, stage-play, found-letters format, etc. However, if you submit a work of poetry or non-fiction essay, without a clear narrative story, they will not qualify.
• All stories must be competently written, with little to no spelling errors. Poor structure and bad grammar will be disqualified.
• Recommended length for submissions is 1,500 to 3,000 words. However, there is a required minimum limit of 6 words, and a required maximum limit of 4,663 words.
• Submissions are limited to 1 entry per writer (or per team of writers).

In addition to the above requirements, your story should contain as many of the following. You are not required to include all, but you will be scored, partly, on how many you can include in your submission:

• The story focuses on at least 2 people from different walks of life (age, language, ethnicity, occupation, intersectionality, etc.) coming together to accomplish something.
• Characters (even good ones) should have flaws.
• It would be preferred if you included one or more of the below preferred character archetypes:
  • A wise and all knowing professor with a quirky sense of humor.
  • An enthusiastic and excited engineer.
  • A crafty and capricious prankster, who can solve anything when they put their mind to it.
  • An amicable jokester who loves the adventure of science, but not the hard work.
  • An avid reader who worries about everything that could possibly go wrong.
  • A computer scientist who is compassionate and empathetic, and loves everyone and everything.
• The story and characters reject the “cult of individualism.”
• The story does NOT equate goodness with force. The characters use tactics to succeed that do not include the worship of force, or violence.
• The characters reject the war machine, or overt nationalism, in favor of working together across divides.
• Character’s strengths and weaknesses are NOT determined by their genes, bloodlines, or any discussion similar to eugenics.
• The story focuses on the freedom and equality of all, regardless of power-dynamics.
• The characters should not operate as vigilantes outside the law, unless the representation of the law itself is unjust (Robin Hood, Black Lives Matter, etc.).
• The heroes challenge, not reinforce the status quo.
• It is preferred that the story deals with a progressive theme, including (but not limited to): right to healthcare; right to a decent home; right to the social safety net; right to free education; right to employment for everyone regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.; right to a basic livable income; right to pursue a small business.

You can check out some of our past fiction posts here.

The grand prize winner will receive a $250 cash prize, and be published in Greater & Grander’s 2021 collection of Collective Folk Fiction ebook. The collection of stories will also be available for purchase on Amazon.

Runners up will also be published in Greater & Grander’s 2021 collection of Collective Folk Fiction ebook, and up to 5 authors will receive $50 each. The collection of stories will also be available for purchase on Amazon.

Submissions are open. Deadline for submissions will be Wednesday, December 8th, 2021, at 11:59 pm PST.

Please note, we use Google for our submission page, and Google requires a submitter to have a GMail or Google account for security reasons.

Select submissions will be made into a video vlog for a new science education project coming up.

By submitting your story, you agree to the following main principles:

• You own the copyright and intellectual property of the story you submit;
• You grant Greater & Grander and its assignees and affiliates the right to modify, adapt, and/or edit your story; and
• You grant Greater & Grander and its assignees and affiliates the non-exclusive right to use, publish, and monetize any Contributions that you submit or provide to Greater & Grander.
• You grant Greater & Grander the right to produce your submission into a short science education video.
• You must be at least 18 years of age to enter.

Please note, at this time, the choice of winner will be left solely to the discretion of Greater & Grander.

Schedule

Deadline for entries – Wednesday, December 8th, 2021, at 11:59 pm PST

Evaluation Period – December 9th, 2021 through January 31st, 2022

Possible Edit Requests of Authors – February 1st, 2022 through February 27th, 2022

Winner Announcements – February 28th, 2022

Please sign up to our Mailing List to find out about the competition, or follow us on social media.

Do you have your own thoughts?

Let us know in the comments!

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