$1,000 Contest

We’re launching a big contest in the next two weeks, but I wanted to give you guys a head start. We will be awarding one $1,000 prize for the best video reenactment of my short story, “Five Minutes Alone.” The story can be printed or read here. Or you can listen to me read it here.

The contest will be advertised, but there’s no telling how many people will enter. I think it’s something anyone with a HD camera could create so I encourage everyone to give a shot. The only requirement to enter is read the story and answer the one question survey.

We still need to finalize the selection process, but depending on the number of entries, I’ll probably be the first screener. If it gets past this first round, fans will pick the top seven. I’ll be one of the members of the voting board that will narrow it down to three. I’m hoping to have a special guest help with the final selection but that’s yet to be seen. We also hope to have some cool prizes for second and third place.

Here are some tips to improve chances of winning: The closer you come to capturing the story, the better your odds of getting past my vote. I’d like the dialogue to stay relatively close to what I’ve written, although I’m sure there’s a lot that could be left out.

Any videos submitted before the contest officially starts will be deleted. If you have friends that want to be a filmmaker, etc, let them know about it. We’ll have the contest rules and sample video around the 24th.

And I shouldn’t have to say this, but any video that’s been turned in where anyone is actually being hurt will be deleted. Some people say the story’s a bit brutal. Please don’t feel the need to make your video realistic. No bonus points for grossing me out.