Short Story Contest for Youth
2020 California Zoroastrian Center
Short Story Contest
Results of 2020 Short Story Contest (Ages 13-18 years)
It is a pleasure to announce this year’s Short Story Contest top three entries.
Our greatest gratitude to our sponsors for their support, our wonderful judges who gave their time and care in evaluating the essays and short stories. Mr. Par viz Mano0chehri , our web master, Ms. Parmida Behmardi for designing our flyer, and all the wonderful teachers and Zoroastrian organizations who helped in supporting this contest.
Please look for the top three entries of both contests in Chehreh Nama magazine and FEZANA Journal.
Topic: “Write a story in which a Zoroastrian relies upon the teachings of the faith to help them resolve a challenging situation or achieve a goal.”
Sponsored by: Ms. Catherine Linka, author of “A Clawed and Feathered Spell” and her new highly praised release “What I Want You to See”.
Endorsed by: California Zoroastrian Center in Los Angeles
Supported by: Chehreh Nama Magazine and FEZANA Journal
First Place: Ms. Azadeh Hormozdiari from Tarzana, CA with the short story title: “The Bumpy Road to Happiness”
Second Place: Ms. Farnaz Behdinan from Northridge, CA with the short story title: “Writing Destiny”
Third Place: Mr. Pouya Monokchian from Corona, CA with the short story title: “Cyrus and the Greedy Leader”
Prizes: First place will receive $300, second place $200, and third place $100. Each of the three top contestants will receive a signed copy of Ms.Catherine Linka’s “A Clawed and Feathered Spell”.
Congratulations to all the participants as all the entries were amazing. Thank you all for your support.
2021 Short Story Contest topic and age group will be announced before fall of 2020.
Wishing you health and joy,
Artemis Javanshir
Essay/Short Story Contests Organizer
Topic
“Write a story in which a Zoroastrian relies upon the teachings of the faith to help them resolve a challenging situation or achieve a goal.”"
All stories begin with characters who desire something, but who face obstacles to getting what they want. Sometimes the obstacles are weaknesses inside the characters and other times the obstacles are forces outside the characters. Characters use their knowledge, will, beliefs and talents to try to overcome those obstacles. Because of their struggles, they are changed by their experiences.
Guidelines
Short Story are accepted from June 1, 2019 to the deadline of 23:59 on Feb 5, 2020.
Short Story must be 1500--3000 words in English. MS Words format only.
The contestant must be 13-18 years of age at any given point in time between June 1, 2019 and Feb 5, 2020. Please see FAQ for examples.
IMPORTANT
To submit your Short Story, you must go to online submission section and follow the required steps or email your Short Story to zessayentry@yahoo.com along with your
1)full name, 2)email address, 3)phone number, 4)mailing address, 5)gender, and 6)birthdate.
Confirmation of receipt of story will be in the form of an email within 48 hours of submission.
Deadline
Entries must be received via email no later than Jan 15, 2020 (23:59 pacific time).
Awards
First Place: Certificate and prize of $300
Second Place: Certificate and prize of $200
Third Place: Certificate and prize of $100
* All prize winners will be announced on March 15, 2020 on this website.
* Certificates and prizes will be mailed to the winners on March 20, 2020.
* Additional awards will be given if applicable.
* All three winners will get a signed copy of “A Clawed and Feathered Spell”
For further inquiries concerning the Short Story Contest for Youth, please contact zessayentry@yahoo.com.
By submitting you agree for short story Contest organizer to publish your short story in any desired form.
Supported by
Chehreh Nama Magazine & FEZANA JOURNAL
Endorsed by
The CALIFORNIA ZOROASTRIAN CENTER IN LOS ANGELES
Sponsored by
Ms. Catherine Linka
Special thanks to
Our Judges & Ms. Parmida Behmardi for designing our flyers
-
Are there any exceptions to the age limit for participating in the contest?No. You must be 14, 15, 16, or 17 years old at any given point in time between September 1, 2018 and January 15, 2019. For example if you turn 18 on September 2, 2019, you will be eligible to participate since you were 17 at one point between September 1st and January 15th. For the same reason, if you turn 14 on January 15th, you will be eligible to participate.
-
Is there a fee for participating in this contest?No. The contest is free of charge.
-
Do I have to be Zoroastrian or American to join the contest?No, all nationalities and all beliefs are welcome to participate.
-
How are the essays evaluated?Once received, a number will be assigned to the essay instead of the contestant’s name in order to avoid any bias on the part of the judges. Then the essay will be emailed to the judges with the number identifying each sent essay. The judges will rate the essays as follows: 35% for originality and how much thought was put into the essay. 35% for how relevant the essay is to the topic and to Zarathushtra’s teachings (in the Gathas). 30% for how well was the essay written (organization/development of idea/clarity/style), for a total of 100 points.
-
What happens if two or more of the essay finalists have the same score?The essay finalists with the same score, will be submitted to two judges different from original judges for new scoring.
-
Who will be judging the essays?Our judges are knowledgable and experienced individuals in Zoroastrian religion and the main concepts in the Gathas. Judges’ names will be provided upon request.
-
Do I need a cover page for my essay submitted on line?Cover page is not needed, however, please provide your full name, phone number, email address, mailing address, birthdate in the email when you submit your essay to essayentry@yahoo.com
-
Can I give any title to my essay?Yes, you can give your essay an original title as long as the content is in line with the topic.
-
Is there a specific format for the essay (font style, size, line space, etc.)?"There are no particular rules regarding formatting. However, your essay file should be submitted in either MS Word(DOC/DOCX) or PDF format.
-
Can I quote from books or websites? If so, where should I write the reference?"If you use quotations, please include the reference at the bottom of the essay. The reference should not be included in the word count.
-
Can I add photos, images, or my biography to my essay?"No. Please send your essay only.
-
Can I submit more than one essay?No.
-
I did not receive a confirmation email after submitting my essay. How can I make sure that my essay has been successfully submitted and received?If you have not received a confirmation email within 24 hours of submission of your essay, please contact us at: zessayentry@yahoo.com
-
Who can I contact for further questions?Please email any questions or concerns to zessayentry@yahoo.com