Rhine Mysterious Short Story Contest

Official Rules and Policies

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The Rhine Research Center (hereafter known as Rhine or Sponsor) is looking for short story authors!

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1. Starting May 15, 2019, the competition is open to fiction as well as narrative nonfiction
2. Submissions should be no more than 5, 6 pages (roughly 2,000-2,500 words maximum). Only one submission per application will be accepted, but you can submit more than one application.
3. All submissions must be work that has not been published previously or awarded any prize in a prior contest or competition.
4. Submissions should be in a Microsoft Word format and submitted along with an application at the short story website. ENTRIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT AN APPLICATION AND $20 ENTRY FEE. Include your full name, address, email, phone number and verify your age. Fees and submissions must be received by August 15, 2019.
5. First and second prize will be awarded, see PRIZES description below. The story will be read at the Halloween themed event on October. (Actual monetary prize amounts, based on total submission fees, are undetermined until August 15 deadline.)
6. Open to people 18 years of age or older.
7. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT ENHANCE YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO WIN.

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HOW TO ENTER

Each submission must include:

• A completed application for the contest including your complete contact information.
• A document submitted in MS-Word format of the specified length and on the stated topics.
• A $20 submission fee paid through the website or directly to the Rhine. If you wish to pay directly to the Rhine, send a check to:
  Rhine Research Center
  2741 Campus Walk Ave.
  Bldg. 500
  Durham, NC 27705

 

If you wish to arrange for other payment methods, call the Rhine at: 919-309-4600

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To enter the Rhine Mysterious Short Story Contest, entrants must submit one short story, 2,000 – 2,500 word count, containing one or more of the 5 elements of PSI, listed below:

Telepathy – mind to mind communication through a means other than the normal senses).

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Clairvoyance or Remote Viewing – knowledge of objects, people, or events that are hidden via space or time.  For example, an object hidden in a box in a different room, a photograph sealed in an envelope, an event that is occurring to a loved one who is thousands of miles away, or the characteristics of a room that only existed in the past.

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Precognition – knowledge of an event that has not yet occurred, or information that appears to be transferred from the future into the present.

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PK or Psychokinesis – Mind interacting with matter at a distance.  Mind interactions with living systems (including energetic healing) are sometimes included in this category.

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Survival Studies – The nature of human consciousness and an examination of whether consciousness survives the physical form.  This includes mediumship research, reincarnation, out of body experiences, apparitions, and ghost activities.

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>No vampires, zombies or aliens, please!

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Submissions should be in a Microsoft Word format and submitted along with an application at the short story website. ENTRIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT AN APPLICTION AND $20 ENTRY FEE. Include your full name, address, email, phone number, and verify your age. Fees and submissions must be received by August 10, 2019.

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Contest begins May 15, 2019, story submission deadline August 15, 2019, and Contest ends on or about October 1st, 2019.

All entries must be rated G or PG13.

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Entries will not be returned. By entering the Contest, entrants agree to abide by these rules, and represent and warrant that the entries are their own and original creations, and do not violate or infringe the rights, including, without limitation, copyrights, trademark rights or rights of publicity/privacy, of any third party.

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Entries are void if they are in whole or in part illegible or incomplete. The Rhine assumes no responsibility for late, lost, incomplete, illegible, or misdirected e-mail entries.

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The Rhine is not responsible for technical, hardware or software malfunctions of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incorrect, incomplete, inaccurate, garbled or delayed electronic communications caused by the sender, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Contest which may limit the ability to participate, or by any human error which may occur in the processing of the entries. If for any reason the Contest is not capable of being conducted as described in these rules, The Rhine shall have the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. In the event of a dispute over the identity of an online entrant, entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized holder of the email account.

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JUDGING

On or about August 15, 2019 entries will be judged by a small panel of selected judges, including members and researchers or persons otherwise affiliated with the Rhine.

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Winners will be notified via email and/or telephone on or about October 1st.

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PRIZES

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

In the event that there are an insufficient number of qualified entries or if the Sponsor determines in its absolute discretion that no or too few entries meet the quality standards established to award the prizes, Sponsor reserves the right not to award the prizes.

1. One person will receive first place which will include a cash award of 20% of the proceeds of the contest with a maximum award of $600. The winner will also have the opportunity to read the story at a Halloween themed event at the Rhine. If the author is unable to be present, someone from the Rhine may read the story at the event.
2. One person will receive the second place which will include a cash award of 10% of the proceeds of the contest with a maximum award of $300 The winner will also have the opportunity to read the story at a Halloween themed event at the Rhine. If the author is unable to be present, someone from the Rhine may read the story at the event.
3. One person will receive the third place which will include a Rhine membership and Rhine themed products.

 

ELIGIBILITY

Open to writers worldwide, age 18 or older. Employees of Sponsor as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible to participate in the Contest. Void where prohibited by law. All state and local restrictions apply.

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GENERAL

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All decisions about the qualifications of submissions, the prizes awarded, or the judging process will be made solely by the Rhine and all decisions are final. Any dispute arising from this Contest will be resolved at the sole discretion of the Rhine, and by submitting a story to this contest, the participants agree to all of the conditions of these rules.

1. No cash substitution, transfer, or assignment of prizes is allowed. In the event of unavailability of a prize or prizes, the sponsor may substitute a prize of equal or greater value.
2. All expenses, including taxes (if any), related to receipt and use of prizes are the sole responsibility of the winner.
3. Winners may be required to execute an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release. The affidavit must be returned within fourteen (14) days of notification or winner will forfeit their prize and another winner will be selected. Should the award equal or exceed $600.00, winners shall be required to provide a Social Security Number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number to Sponsor for issuance of a 1099 Form.
4. By accepting a prize the winners grant to the Rhine the right to edit, publish, copy, display and otherwise use their entries in connection with this Contest, including marketing or promotional purposes such as future publications and plays. Winners agree to further allow of use their names, likenesses and biographical information in advertising and promotional materials, without further compensation or permission, except where prohibited by law.
5. By participating in the Contest and/or accepting the prize, entrants release Sponsor from any liability, injury, damages, cost or expense, including reasonable attorney’s fees, arising out of or connected to participation in this Contest or the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prizes.

 

WINNERS

Names of winners will be available on request from the Rhine begining in October.

 

SPONSOR

The Rhine Research Center
2741 Campus Walk Ave.
Bldg. 500
Durham, N.C. 27705
USA

919 309 4600

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CHANGES: 
None.