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News & Updates
sweek
Sweek Publishing in India
Have you always dreamt of publishing your own book? We are thrilled to announce the launch of Sweek Publishing in India as over 150,000 users of the reading community at Sweek are from India. That’s right, you can now publish your own book (paperback/e-book) through Amazon, Flipkart and other sales channels.
Sweek Publishing is already live in Europe and thousands of books have been successfully published so we can’t wait to see how many books our Indian writers are about to publish! Read on to learn more about how Sweek Publishing works in India.
So why self-publish your book with Sweek Publishing and not any other platform?
Firstly, it’s free, unlike other self-publishing platforms in India. During the entire process, you only have to pay for an ISBN. Sweek provides you with an ISBN for ₹999. An ISBN (International Standard Business Number) is required if you want to sell your book on sales channels such as Amazon, Flipkart, Google Play Store, Kindle, etc. However, if you want to sell it on the Sweek webshop or on your own site, an ISBN is not required.
You can write and publish on just about anything! Is it a work of fiction? A meme book? A book of quotes or personal anecdotes? A photo book? Whatever you want to write about, we don’t mind. Do you want a matte cover instead of a glossy cover? white paper instead of creamy paper? You also have control over all the specifications of the book.
You earn money per copy sold. Our Indian writers earn an attractive margin of the net sales price. The rest of the money paid by the buyer for your book goes into the printing of the book and a small percentage goes to Sweek Publishing. This means that you can earn a better margin if you are selling an e-book because there are no printing costs involved. Bear in mind that while self-publishing, the writer typically pays the company in order to get their book published. However, this is not the case with Sweek Publishing because we believe that anyone should be able to publish their own book!
We work on a print on demand basis. This means that there is no storage or inventory with your books. The printing of the book begins when someone orders the book. However, you do not have to worry about the delivery of your book because our printing partner has print facilities in Mumbai, Surat and Chennai so we ensure fast delivery within India.
If you want to sell your book to a large audience, we recommend selling your book on Amazon India and on Flipkart. If you want to sell your book worldwide, that is possible as well. Do you want the book just for yourself? As there is no minimum, you can publish just one book or even hundreds, whatever you prefer!
Once you have published your book, selling the book might seem scary. Don’t worry, we have got you covered for the marketing. We have many blog posts explaining different ways to promote and market your book so definitely check them out!
So what are you waiting for? Start Publishing!
To start, you need to create an account on Sweek Publishing. After creating your account, there are a few steps to follow before you are ready to publish. For a detailed step by step guide to the self-publishing process with Sweek Publishing, we recommend checking out this blog post.
If you have any questions about Sweek Publishing in India, leave a comment below. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Sweek Flash Fiction Competition: #MicroPalace
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for our next micro-fiction contest. Another month to give you another opportunity to win 50 USD – and to become a better writer of course. The theme for this round of the Sweek Flash Fiction contest is very mysterious and medieval. Think of king and queens and big royal parties, the contest for May will be #MicroPalace. Write a story that includes the word ‘palace’ and see how creative you can get. What comes to mind when you see the word ‘palace‘?
Last month’s micro-fiction contest was all about the word ‘boat’ and with over a 100 entries we picked a few that really stood out. Check out our social media channels to find out who won. Goodluck in this round and we can’t wait what you come up with!
PLEASE NOTE
- There will be no longer any ‘Best Feedback’ prize. Nevertheless we encourage you to comment on stories and help the Sweek writing community develop as a whole.
- The popularity prize will only be awarded once per writer, for all round. Hence, winning the popularity prize for one micro round will make you ineligible for winning it again.
SUMMARY OF THE CONTEST
- Write 250 words (max.) of prose including the word ”palace” within the story.
- Add tag #MicroPalace – either in the main title of the story, in its description or tag(s) section to take part in the contest.
- It’s international – you can participate no matter where you are from although entries marked as #MicroPalace must be written in English.
- You can participate with this contest even if you have already participated/won previously.
- Opportunities to grow – this is your chance to get discovered and published via Sweek Publishing!
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HOW TO PARTICIPATE
- Download the Sweek app or use our website.
Website: https://sweek.com/
Android app: http://bit.ly/SweekforAndroid
iOS app: http://bit.ly/SweekforiOS - Log in or create an account.
- Click on ‘My stories’ and ‘Start a new story’ to upload your story.
- Tag #MicroPalace in the title, description box or tag(s) section – find this at ‘Story Details’. Then publish your story.
- Lastly, don’t forget to share your story with your friends and family to increase engagement and awareness. You can be smart by sharing it on all your social media channels as well!
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DEADLINE
Open submissions: 1st May – 24th may (23:59 CET)
Winners announcement: 31rd of may
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PRIZES
Also very important to know, what will the prizes be?
The Best Story
- 50$ US
- A special ‘Best Story’ badge to add on your story cover
- Getting published in the Sweek bundle book
- A free copy of the bundle
The Most Original Story
- A special ‘Most Original‘ badge to add on your story cover
- Getting featured on the Sweek ‘featured’ category list
The Most Popular Story
- A special ‘Most Popular’ badge to add on your story cover
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HOW DOES IT WORK?
A step-by-step guide to give you the best writing experience.
- Every round gives you a new word or sentence that you must include in your story. It can be open topic or a specific theme you write about.
- Only prose is accepted.
- You can join the contest at any time, even if you didn’t take part in the previous rounds. The winners and shortlisted authors of the earlier editions are welcome to participate in the following editions.
- You have 3 weeks to write, then the jury members along with the Sweek editorial team will be judging the entries.
- The winners and finalists will be personally contacted through e-mail and will also be announced on our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), blog and e-mail on the day of announcement.
How will be the winners be chosen?
- The ‘Best Story‘ prize will be based on writing style, the plot development of the story, originality, the overall correct use of the English language (including grammar and punctuation) as well as the interpretation of the given prompt.
- The ‘Best Story‘-winner will receice $50 US and will be published in the Sweek Micro Fiction book with all the shortlisted stories via Sweek Self-Publishing.
- The ‘Most Original Story’ must have an unexpected plots twist/ending, present unique insights or be written on a noteworthy topic.
- The ‘Most Popular Story‘ will be determined by the total number of likes.
- The shortlist (excluding The Most Popular Story) will be featured on Sweek and published in a bundle.
- There will be one winner selected in the Best Story category, on in the Most Original category, and one story will be designated as the Most Popular Story. The latter prize awarded per writer, and as such, you cannot win Most Popular Story Twice.
- The shortlist will include 10-20 titles (all will be published in the bundle). If there are enough high-quality stories selected by the jury, the longlist will also be announce. However, the titles on the longlist will not get published in the bundle.
- The next round will be announced on 03/06.
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RULES
Read the guidelines and rules carefully before participating in this contest to prevent misunderstandings.
- You have to be 13 years or older to participate – younger participants need their parents’ permission.
- This is an international contest – which means it’s open to every country, however when submitting your #MicroPalace story, it has to be written in English. (If you participate in another language than English, make sure that you write a correct language-specific tag.)
- The story cannot exceed the maximum of 250 words.
- The story has the #MicroPalace tag included. Either in the main title of the story, the description box or tag(s) section.
- The story must be created by you. Co-writing is accepted, but the prize has to be share. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited and actions may be against those involved.
- The story must be submitted before the deadline. You will be disqualified if you edit your story afterwards.
- You can participate with multiple entries.
- You can participate with any round of the contest at any time.
- The story can be any genre, except not poetry. E.g it can be a combination of young adult, romance, fantasy, science fiction and crime.
- The most popular story is determined by the number of likes on Sweek and needs to meet quality requirements determined by the Sweek team. The deadline for like is 28th of April. Falsification of likes and followers will lead to disqualification. Can only be won once per writer.
- You will be disqualified and deleted for spam comments/messages of your story for promotion (except for a special story dedicated to promotion).
- If the winners do not respond within a period of two weeks, the price will be given to the second place.
- By entering in this contest, you give Sweek the right to publish your story in a book. In case the author object to such, he or she must state in the short description that Sweek cannot publish the story in any way. (print or e-book)
- The cash prize will be transferred via PayPal or by bank transfer in case the winner lives in Europe. (Sweek bears the transfer costs). In special cases, the money will be given via gift card for example if creating a PayPal account is impossible.
- Sweek is not responsible for currency conversion rate at the time of transferring the cash prize.
- By participating in this contest the user acknowledges that he/she is aware and accept the rules of said contest.
THE JURY MEMBERS
K. Banning Kellum
K. Banning Kellum is a life-long resident of New Orleans, LA. A documentary actor, article writer and horror author, Kellum is best known for his Hyraaq Tobit series of horror stories. A proud husband and father, Kellum credits his love of family and the haunted history of New Orleans as his source of inspiration.
Melanie Faith
Melanie loves flash so much that she wrote a craft book about the genre to inspire fellow writers, In a Flash!: Writing & Publishing Dynamic Flash Prose (Vine Leaves Press), and her next craft book, Poetry Power, will be published (Vine Leaves Press) in late October 2018. In her free time, she loves crossword puzzles and shoe shopping, photography, blogging, and visiting her darling nieces.
FAQ
Answers to all the Frequently Asked Questions.
- WHAT IS THE WORD LIMIT?
250 words max. - CAN I PARTICIPATE WITH MORE THAN ONE ENTRY?
Yes, you can. - IS THE CONTEST AVAILABLE IN OTHER LANGUAGES THAN ENGLISH?
Yes, the contest is running in the following languages: English, Dutch, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian. - HOW DO I ADD A TAG AND EDIT MY STORY?
You need to add it to your Story Details (don’t forget to press Enter on the website).
For each contest, you can edit your story as many times as you want before the deadline. To access your story: log in, go to ‘my stories’ and click on your story. If you want to edit your story title/description, go to the 3-dot menu in your Story Dashboard and click Story Basics; to edit your tags/other story details, go to the 3-dot menu in your story dashboard and select Story Details. - HOW DO I KNOW WHETHER MY STORY IS PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST OR NOT?
If you see the tag on your story page after you searched for it, it is participating. If you are not sure, contact us via Facebook and we can check it for you. - HOW DO I PROMOTE MY STORY?
The absolute best way is to promote your story via your own social media and network. You can also promote it on the Sweek platform (for the official ‘Promote Your Story’ post, created for each round) or share it in the Sweek group on Facebook: Sweek Fan Group. The link to share your story can be found when you search for your story in the search bar and click on it. Here you’ll find the share button on the story info page! - DO I GET A CONFIRMATION OF PARTICIPATING IMMEDIATELY?
No, but if your story is tagged, you are definitely participating. However, if you’d like to know for sure, please ask us. - HOW CAN I SEARCH FOR MY STORY?
The current search is based on the title, the description and the tag. So you can search for either of those. - WHAT IF I CAN’T FIND MY STORY ON SEARCH RIGHT AWAY?
No worries, sometimes it can take a few minutes after publishing to become visible on all the platforms. If you still can’t find your story the next day, please contact us. - WHERE WILL THE WINNERS BE ANNOUNCED?
We will e-mail all the shortlisted authors within 3 days after the announcement, but you can find them first on our Facebook page! - WHEN CAN I EXPECT THE SWEEK MICROFICTION BOOK?
We will bundle the winners and finalists of each round and publish them via Sweek self-publishing (every 3-4 rounds, depending on the number of shortlisted stories). If you do not wish for Sweek to publish your story participating in this competition, please indicate this in the short description of your story.
How to design a book cover
Let’s start by addressing the age-old saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. It’s time to admit that when it comes to books, most of us do actually judge them by their cover. That’s why we at Sweek consider this as one of the most important steps to publishing your own book. Read on to see how you can design your own book cover before you are ready to publish!
Note: This guide is tailored to the Sweek Publishing process. If you want to know more about publishing your own book, we recommend checking out this blog post!
- After you have uploaded your manuscript and provided information about your book, you have to upload the cover design for your book. When you are on the cover design page, you can see how large your cover should be with regard to the number of pages and the size of the book. However, if you are not yet ready to start the publication process, you can easily make a calculation by clicking on this link: https://publish.sweek.com/site/index.php?r=covercalc/index. Also, make sure to check out the specifications (cover size incl. bleed in mm.) You have to upload a file that can be cut off by 3 mm and it is important to know the spine width as well!
- In order to design the cover, we recommend using www.canva.com. Once you have created a free account on Canva, Click on “Create a design” and then “Use custom Dimensions.” Select mm in the pop-up and then enter the format. Always add about 1 mm on both sides. So if it is 319.1 x 241.0mm, it becomes 320 x 242mm. This makes it more spacious and even if a small number of pages is added to your manuscript, your cover is still suitable.
- It’s time to start designing! In step 1 you have looked up the spine width in addition to the size of the cover. Add a plane (“Elements” and then click on the first square) and align it with the top and bottom. For the width, you can calculate your spine width in mm x 4.2 pixels. For example, 3.1 mm x 4.2 pixels = 13.2 pixels. You can make the area smaller until it is 13 pixels wide, Canva just shows this next to the box. No worries, this all works very easily! Then drag the box to the middle, Canva automatically indicates when the box is exactly in the middle. Now you know which part will be the front (right side), the back (left side) and the back (dark grey area)! If you like the grey spine you can keep it, but you can also remove it to have an uninterrupted image from the back of the book to the front.
- You will see “Uploads” in the left bar. Here you can upload your own image or search a free image of Canva by clicking on “search” and typing a relevant keyword. Alternatively, you can find pictures on https://unsplash.com/ that you can use for free. If you click on the image it will automatically appear on the cover. You can then move / mirror / align the photo.
- Click on “Elements” and then “Shapes” to add a surface, choose the colour, and if you wish, adjust the transparency. Of course, you can also choose not to use a text box and simply put the text on the image if it is legible.
- By clicking on “Text” in the right bar you can add the title, author name and flap text. You can also add a text on the back. Here too, you can drag, choose the colour, make text larger or smaller and adjust the font. We notice that a large text often looks better! Make sure you have room for the barcode on the back, bottom right.
- You’re almost done! Go to Download at the top right of the bar. Select “PDF – Print” for the best resolution and then click “Download”.
- Finally, go to your book in Sweek Publishing and upload your design to check if everything fits well. Ensure that all the important information is still visible.
There you go, you have successfully designed your own cover!
How to proofread your book before publishing
Unfortunately, not everyone is able to hire an editor when they self-publish. This means that you will have to proofread your entire book thoroughly before you publish. However, you can use this to your advantage because you have complete control over your work. Here are some tips that may come in handy when you want to proof-read your work!
Grammar and Punctuation:
No one wants to read a book that has grammatical or punctuational errors. If you do not want to go over every word by yourself, we recommend using free tools like Grammarly that identify the errors for you and provide you with the correct usage. This may not always be accurate so don’t rely on it completely.
Proofreading in stages:
The first stage can involve checking the spellings, followed by grammar and then punctuation, etc. Although this is very time-consuming, it helps to improve accuracy.
Proofread a printed copy of your book:
People tend to read differently on screen and on paper. So if you print your manuscript and read it, you might be able to identify errors that you skipped while reading the online version.
Read it out loud:
By reading the book out loud, you might hear something that your eyes missed!
Read it backwards:
You’re probably confused now. Why should I read my book backwards you ask? It’s simple. When you’re reading it backwards, you are not focusing on the flow of the sentence or the content. This makes it easier to spot spelling mistakes.
Spot overused words and phrases:
Sometimes, we tend to overuse certain words and phrases without even noticing. While reading it normally, out loud, or backwards, take notice of such words and phrases!
Fact checking:
Readers are quick to notice factual errors. If your book is fiction, this is not essential but it does affect your credibility. For non-fiction books, make sure to fact check!
Take a break:
If you keep reading the same words over and over again, you might not spot any mistakes. So, take a break, sleep on it, and get back to proofreading after a while.
Ask friends and family to read your work:
You can also have someone else proofread your work. Find someone who is willing to be your harshest critic. Friends and family want to see you succeed and would be willing to spot errors and provide suggestions.
Find proofreaders and ambassadors:
Proofreaders read your manuscript (online or in print) before you officially publish the book and they can provide your story with feedback. Proofreaders can be friends, family or acquaintances, but perhaps even better people who can look at your story objectively. This way you can find proofreaders on Sweek, via a call or via Facebook groups. Be clear about what they get in return. Do they receive a free copy? Or just an eternal thank you? Tip: thank your proofreaders somewhere at the start of or at the end of your book; they will certainly appreciate that!
In addition to making your book better, proofreaders can also become ambassadors. You can also hire additional ambassadors who are not proofers. For example via a registration form on the website or via a message on social media. Make sure you can keep them informed via e-mail (or for example Whatsapp). You can (for example) ask your ambassadors whether they can write reviews online or share your book on social media and through word of mouth
Proofreading does take a lot of time but you can indeed use the above-mentioned steps to make sure that it is less tedious. Once you are done with proofreading, you are ready to self-publish.
Self-publishing is easier than ever with Sweek Publishing. If you want to know more about how this works, check out this blog post.
Self-publishing with Sweek: A step by step guide
Have you always wanted to publish your own book? With Sweek Publishing, self-publishing your own book is easier than ever! Sweek Publishing is already live in the Netherlands, Germany, France, UK, and India. Very soon, we are going to go live in Brazil and Latin America.
We can imagine the process of publishing your book seems daunting and time-consuming at first but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. This blog post will inform you about everything you need to know when it comes to self-publishing with Sweek.
As you’re responsible for the design and the marketing, you have a lot of freedom in self-publishing your book. There are also many other benefits that come with self-publishing, especially with Sweek Publishing. You do not have to find a publishing house that is willing to let you publish your book. Anyone can publish a book for free with Sweek Publishing. There is no minimum order quantity so you can even print just one copy if you prefer. You can also use our platform to publish a photo book, a yearbook, or even a book about your family heritage. We work on a print-on-demand basis so the printing occurs only after the book has been ordered. But don’t worry, this does not slow down the delivery process as we aim to get the book to the reader as soon as possible!
For each copy that you sell, you earn a good profit as well. You can sell via the Sweek webshop, but also via Amazon, Flipkart, iBooks and more! So there’s really nothing to lose, just a new adventure to embark on!
To start with, you have to create your own account on Sweek Publishing. After you have created your own account, follow these 7 simple steps and your book is ready to publish!
General:
After writing your book, you can choose whether you want to publish it as a paperback or as an e-book. Of course, you can choose to publish both, a print book and an e-book. If you have completed the process once, you simply have to copy it and change step 1 alone.
Add the title and subtitle of the book along with some information about yourself. At this point, you can also fill in other specifications such as the size, cover finish (matte or glossy), paper (cream paper or white paper), and the interior colour (B&W or colour).
ISBN:
The next step is to obtain an ISBN. You can skip this step if you want to sell your book on the Sweek webshop or on your own website. However, if you want to sell your book on other sales channels (Amazon, Kindle, iBooks, etc) this step is mandatory.
With Sweek, you can obtain an ISBN for 12.75 euros and we’ll do the registration for you. In some countries, obtaining an ISBN is free and in others, you have to pay a small amount to obtain the ISBN. If you can’t decide whether you want an ISBN or not, you can also continue without ISBN and come back to this step later on!
Manuscript:
It’s time to upload your manuscript. You can upload it in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. Check the book thoroughly before you upload it in order to avoid any mishaps during the publishing process. Check out this blog post for some tips on how you can proofread your book before publishing.
Information:
After you have uploaded the manuscript, you have to provide more details about your book. You can provide the subject, the category, some relevant keywords, and a short and long description for the book. This information helps buyers find your book easily on web shops and search engines.
Cover Design:
Let’s admit that we all judge a book by its cover! And that’s why we think that designing a book cover is the most exciting step in this entire process. You can design the cover by yourself or use the cover designer provided by Sweek on the Cover Design page. Check out this blog post to learn how you can design your own cover.
Pricing:
Hold on, you are almost done! In this step, you get to determine the price of your book. Once you set the retail price, you can see how much profit you would make per copy sold. Set the right price for your audience, you don’t want to set it too low and not earn much profit or set it too high and scare buyers away.
There are certain fixed costs (eg. shipping and printing costs) that come with publishing a book and this can affect your sales margin. Therefore, you can gain a higher profit by selling an e-book. You can also choose which sales channels you would like to sell your book on. What’s more, you don’t have to restrict selling your book to just your country – you can also select which countries you want to sell your book in.
Final Check:
You’re only one step away from self-publishing your own book. In this final step, you can review all the information about your book. If you want to change something, you can go back to the relevant step. If you are satisfied with everything, tick the boxes and press the publish button.
We told you, self-publishing is easier than it seems! Once you have published your book, spread the word to your family and friends so that they can buy your book. We also provide you with some promotion and marketing tools so feel free to use them to expand your audience!
Good luck and don’t hesitate to contact us if there are any problems along the way!
Cine-Books Screenplay Contest
UPDATE: Hi Sweekers! By popular demand, we’ve decided to give you guys another month to finish your screenplays. We realize this is a new format for a lot of you, and that we’re asking for quite a long text compared to what most of you usually write. If you’ve already submitted your screenplay, feel free to edit it until the new deadline, i.e. the 25th of November!
We’re thrilled to introduce the new Cine-Books Screenplay Contest!
Hey Sweekers, we’ve got something really special planned for our next competition! Have you ever wanted to see your story visualized, and watch it play out in front of you – not just in your mind? If so, we think you’ll enjoy this new screenplay contest, which we’re running together with CINE-BOOKS.COM!
Cine-Books specializes in creating Cine-Stories, which is a new type of home entertainment similar to photo-comics, but boasting cinematic quality. It is the budget-friendly alternative to series and films that allows for increasing readers’ exposure to your work and capturing the atmosphere and mood of your writing!
We are looking for screenplays of up to 3,500 words that could be visualized in the Cine-Stories format. This means that your story will be told through digital photos with dialogue – much like a comic book.
The winners will not only have their work made into a Cine-Book, but they’ll also receive free copies of their new visualized story to share with their readers. A fantastic gift for longtime fans and new ones alike. This is a great opportunity for you to tell your story in a unique and accessible format and expand your audience!
Please make sure to read the guidelines on script-writing before you submit your story, as the entries that don’t adhere to these will be disqualified!
This is an example of a Cine-Story, to demonstrate what we are looking for: https://cine-books.com/store/escaping-the-camera
How to write a Cine-Story script
DURATION OF THE SCREENPLAY CONTEST
- Start: 17th of September
- Submissions end: 25th of November
- Shortlist announcement: 8th of December
- Winner announcement 18th of December
❓ HOW TO PARTICIPATE ❓
Step 1: Download the Sweek app or use our website:
Website: https://sweek.com/
Android app: http://bit.ly/SweekforAndroid
iOS app: http://bit.ly/SweekforiOS
Step 2: Create an account or log in
Step 3: Upload your story by going to ‘My stories’ and ‘Start a new story’
Step 4: Publish your story with the tag #cinebooks either in the title, description or tags section (which is part of Story Details).
That’s it, easy-peasy – you’re published! Don’t forget to share with your friends and family to get more fans! You can also promote your screenplay on Sweek or on the Facebook fan page. And of course, don’t forget to adorn your screenplay with a snazzy cover to attract even more readers. If you’re not sure how, or just need a guiding hand, you should check out our tips on how to create a great story cover.
PARTICIPATING LANGUAGES
Only English-language screenplays will be accepted.
PRIZES
Main Prize (for 2 winners selected by a jury):
- Visualization by the professional Cine-Books production team
- Publishing and distribution via Cine-Books’ channels (app and website)
- License to use the official Cine-Books award winner logo to promote your writing
- 500 free copies your Cine-Book story for your friends and fans
Most Popular Story Prize (for 1 winner selected by Sweek users):
- Visualization by the professional Cine-Books production team
- Publishing and distribution via Cine-Books’ channels (app and website)
- License to use the official Cine-Books award winner logo to promote your writing
- 500 free copies of cine-books based on your story for your friends and fans
RULES
- You need to be over the age of 13 to participate.
- We are looking for screenplays of 3,500 or less words in contemporary fiction genres, where the story takes place in a realistic world (thriller, horror, romance, mystery, etc.) and is aimed at the young adult audience.
- Tag your story #cinebooks in the title, tag or description.
- Only stories submitted before November 25th 23:59 CET will be eligible for participation.
- Your screenplay cannot exceed 3,500 words.
- Your screenplay should conform to dramaturgical principles/standards with brief, clear sentences. Note that it will be visualized using high resolution pictures, so you have to follow the rules of script writing (see an example here How to write a Cine-Story script ).
- Only English-language short stories/screenplays will be accepted.
- The story doesn’t have to be exclusive.
- You can participate with multiple entries. There is no limit per person.
- After the deadline, the jury will choose a shortlist of 10 finalists and announce them on the 8th of December.The Most Popular Screenplay Prize is determined by the number of likes given by the 7th of December 23:59 CEST. Falsification of likes and followers will lead to disqualification. Only the 10 finalists compete for this prize.
- Winners and finalists can use the official Cine-Books award winner logo, Cine-Books award user’s choice winner logo and Cine-Books award finalist logo to promote their writing.
- If the winner of the screenplay contest does not respond within a week, the prize will be given to the next participant.
- The submitted work must be created by you.
- The winners transfer the copyrights to CINE-BOOKS Entertainment for the production and distribution worldwide of various types of cine-book editions: photo-story, cinematic story, film. In case the winner is a minor, a written consent of one of the parents or other authorized legal representative to execution of the agreement and transfer of intellectual property rights to CINE-BOOKS is required. The writer will keep the rights to the TV or movie adaptations.
- Participation in the screenplay contest means that the user is aware of and accepts the contest rules.
Head on over to Sweek to get started!
THE JURY
The screenplays will be judged by the Cine-Books production team. The jury can choose 0 to 2 stories as winners. One winner will be chosen during the voting period by Sweek users.
UN Water of United Nations Acknowledges Sweek Writing Projects!
Written by Sweek Keeper: Chinthaka Nanayakkara
Unbelievable, huh? Check this link: UN World Water Day talks about Sweek Writing Projects You will see that I am not kidding! 🙂
Thanking Sweek in an official e-mail for its active engagement in the World Water Day campaign, UN Water of United Nations has expressed their confidence that Sweek’s “blogs and events would certainly be an inspiration to others” who are interested in the World Water Day which is due 22nd March 2018.
UN Water of United Nations further requested Sweek to “share photos from the preparations and activities” informing, “we will do our best to repost/tweet. Please make sure to include the official hashtag #WorldWaterDay so other organizations may easily find you and support you in your cause”
As one of its Brand Ambassadors, I take this opportunity to offer my heartfelt thanks to the United Nation’s World Water Day Team who promptly responded to my emails, welcoming me to “download and use all the resources available on the website, as long as following the guidelines”
This achievement would not have been possible without the kind cooperation and efficient coordination displayed by Ms. Veronika Kartovenko, Sabine van der Plas and Marta Palczewska who helped me a lot in putting up the official Sweek blog post on Water, Forest, Metrology and Happiness. Thanks very much!
Special thanks go to following Sweekers who sent me their stories with immediate effect since there was an urgent need to write them anew – owing to the fresh theme ‘NATURE FOR WATER’ ushered in by the United Nation’s World Water Day Team.
1. Arya Ashok Dixit – Heaven on Earth
2. Gigi De Grau – Water is Alive
3. Ryder Black – Epitome of Elegance, Lake Eufala
4. Olivia Werapermall – Perpetual Water Spring
5. Abhineet Agarwal – Mula River
6. Tania Mckenzie – The Source Of Life
7. John Alwinson – Colorless Honey, The Kaveri
8. Sanvedna – In Search of the Lost Springs
9. Toshiba – A Neglected Pond
Check my YouTube video that promotes these stories!
For all those enthusiastic Sweekers who are interested in my next writing project, be on the look out! Highly likely it would take place focusing on June 30th the International Asteroid day. If you are interested drop me a ‘hi’ at my well-known e-mail address – writesupp@gmail.com! Will be happy to respond!
Happy Sweeking, everyone! 🙂
Source: World Water Day Official
Sweek flash fiction competition: #MicroLight!
Are you capable of saying a lot in a little? Welcome to the Sweek MicroFiction Challenge! Write a short story of 200 words max, incorporating the word ‘light’ and win $50 as well as get published in the Sweek Microfiction book!
In each round, you need to incorporate a given word in an original and creative way (you micro fiction doesn’t have to be about that word, the word just needs to be somewhere in the story). The word of this fourth round is LIGHT. Join now!
How to participate:
Step 1: Download the Sweek app or use our website:
Website: https://sweek.com/
Android app: http://bit.ly/SweekforAndroid
iOS app: http://bit.ly/SweekforiOS
Step 2: Create an account or log in
Step 3: Upload your story by going to ‘My stories’ and ‘Start a new story’
Step 4: Publish your story with the tag #Microlight either in the title, description or tags section (which is a part of Story Details) and description.
That’s it! Don’t forget to share with your friends and family to get more readers!
Duration:
Submission open: 21st of September – 13th of October
Winner announcement: 19th of October
Prizes:
Best Microfiction: $50 + getting published in the Sweek Microfiction book
Most Popular Microfiction: $50 + getting published in the Sweek Microfiction book
Top 10 best stories (shortlist): Featured on Sweek for 3 weeks
COMPETITION GUIDELINES
- The story must be tagged with #Microlight in order to join the contest. Word limit: maximum 200 words
- Variation of the word is allowed, as long as the word ‘light‘ is fully in the variation (e.g. the word lightbulb is allowed)
- You can join any round of the challenge (so you can participate in the fourth round if you didn’t join any previous rounds)
- The story doesn’t have to be exclusive but needs to be newly uploaded on Sweek
- The story must be written in English
- The story must be submitted and finished before the deadline: 13/10/2017, 23:59 CET
- You can participate with multiple entries
- The story can be any genre, as long as the word ‘light’ appears in the story. It can be a combination of e.g. young adult, romance, fantasy, science fiction and crime
- Most Popular Story is determined by the number of followers (all the allowed languages are participating). The deadline for the followers count is 18/09/17, 23:59 CET.
- By entering in this competition, you give Sweek the right to publish your story in a self-published book. The author keeps all the rights. In case the author does not agree, he/she must state in the short description that Sweek cannot publish the story in print
Want to know more about our monthly MicroFiction Competition in general? Check out this blog post!
THE JURY
Julian Tunru
Julian Tunru is the author of the Dav Iven historical fiction series, creator of The Nearly Complete Guide to Writing Your Novel, and self-confessed semicolon enthusiast.
K. Banning Kellum
K. Banning Kellum is a life-long resident of New Orleans, LA. A documentary actor, article writer and horror author, Kellum is best known for his Hyraaq Tobit series of horror stories. A proud husband and father, Kellum credits his love of family and the haunted history of New Orleans as his source of inspiration.
Amie Mcnee
Amie Mcnee is a writer from Sydney, Australia. She has just completed her first manuscript, a y/a fantasy and is mid way through her next work in progress, a historical fiction novel. Amie blogs about the ups and downs of the creative life, and reveals the tears, smiles and occasional breakdowns on her Instagram @inspiredtowrite.
Sweek flash fiction competition: #MicroDream!
UPDATE!
Thank you for participating in the #MicroDream writing contest! We were more than impressed with the creative entries we received for this contest and your great writing skills!
This is the list of the finalists:
Red Rose – KKush
https://sweek.com/read/61/1500497476
Those Dog’s Days – Wayomi
https://sweek.com/read/65575/1400000162
What Dreams Do Dreamers See at Night? – Shahzoda Vareberg
https://sweek.com/read/66475/1400000162
The River’s Love – Titas
https://sweek.com/read/63413/1400000162
RECURRENT (#MicroDream) – T. S. Garrett
https://sweek.com/read/63869/1400000162
#Microdream – EJCallahan
https://sweek.com/read/2/1600529593
The King – Srivalli Rekha
https://sweek.com/read/64516/1400000162
The Colorful Graveyard – FlaneursFootsteps
https://sweek.com/read/65381/1400000162
Nightmare #MicroDream – Dylan Connors
https://sweek.com/read/65941/1400000162
The Best Drug – Swatilekha Roy
https://sweek.com/read/68255/1400000162
And here are the winners!
The jury prize, best English story: Covet Thy Neighbour – Zsak Keziah
https://sweek.com/read/63630/1400000162
The popularity prize: Tribute – Pooja03
https://www.sweek.com/read/350/2000459800
Congratulations to the winners and finalists – your stories are now featured on Sweek! Thank you all for giving us the pleasure of reading these unbelievable flash fiction. Keep on writing!
You can already participate in the next round: #MicroLight.
——
Are you capable of saying a lot in a little? Welcome to the Sweek MicroFiction Challenge! Write a short story of 200 words max, incorporating the word ‘dream’ and win $50 as well as get published in the Sweek Microfiction book!
In each round, you need to incorporate a given word in an original and creative way (you micro fiction doesn’t have to be about that word, the word just needs to be somewhere in the story). The word of this third round is DREAM. Join now!
How to participate:
Step 1: Download the Sweek app or use our website:
Website: https://sweek.com/
Android app: http://bit.ly/SweekforAndroid
iOS app: http://bit.ly/SweekforiOS
Step 2: Create an account or log in
Step 3: Upload your story by going to ‘My stories’ and ‘Start a new story’
Step 4: Publish your story with the tag #Microdream either in the title, description or tags section (which is a part of Story Details) and description.
That’s it! Don’t forget to share with your friends and family to get more readers!
Duration:
Submission open: 31st of August – 17th of September
Winner announcement: 21st of September
Prizes:
Best Microfiction: $50 + getting published in the Sweek Microfiction book
Most Popular Microfiction: $50 + getting published in the Sweek Microfiction book
Top 10 best stories (shortlist): Featured on Sweek for 3 weeks
COMPETITION GUIDELINES
- The story must be tagged with #Microdream in order to join the contest. Word limit: maximum 200 words
- You can join any round of the challenge (so you can participate in the third round if you didn’t join any previous rounds)
- The story doesn’t have to be exclusive but needs to be newly uploaded on Sweek
- The story must be written in English
- The story must be submitted and finished before the deadline: 17/09/2017, 23:59 CET
- You can participate with multiple entries
- The story can be any genre, as long as the word ‘dream’ appears in the story. It can be a combination of e.g. young adult, romance, fantasy, science fiction and crime
- Most Popular Story is determined by the number of followers (all the allowed languages are participating). The deadline for the followers count is 20/09/17, 23:59 CET.
- By entering in this competition, you give Sweek the right to publish your story in a self-published book. In case the author does not agree, he/she must state in the short description that Sweek cannot publish the story in print
Want to know more about our monthly MicroFiction Competition in general? Check out this blog post!
THE JURY
Julian Tunru
Julian Tunru is the author of the Dav Iven historical fiction series, creator of The Nearly Complete Guide to Writing Your Novel, and self-confessed semicolon enthusiast.
K. Banning Kellum
K. Banning Kellum is a life-long resident of New Orleans, LA. A documentary actor, article writer and horror author, Kellum is best known for his Hyraaq Tobit series of horror stories. A proud husband and father, Kellum credits his love of family and the haunted history of New Orleans as his source of inspiration.
Amie Mcnee
Amie Mcnee is a writer from Sydney, Australia. She has just completed her first manuscript, a y/a fantasy and is mid way through her next work in progress, a historical fiction novel. Amie blogs about the ups and downs of the creative life, and reveals the tears, smiles and occasional breakdowns on her Instagram @inspiredtowrite.
Sweek Microfiction Competition: #MicroBook!
Are you capable of saying a lot in a little? Welcome to the Sweek MicroFiction Challenge! Write a short story of 200 words max, incorporating the word ‘book’ and win any course you’d like from Masterclass as well as get published in the Sweek Microfiction book!
In each round, you need to incorporate a given word in an original and creative way. The word of this second round is BOOK. Join now!
How to participate:
Step 1: Download the Sweek app or use our website:
Website: https://sweek.com/
Android app: http://bit.ly/SweekforAndroid
iOS app: http://bit.ly/SweekforiOS
Step 2: Create an account or log in
Step 3: Upload your story by going to ‘My stories’ and ‘Start a new story’
Step 4: Publish your story with the tag #MicroBook either in the title, description or tags section (which is a part of Story Details) and description.
That’s it! Don’t forget to share with your friends and family to get more readers!
Duration:
Submission open: 10th of August – 27th of August
Winner announcement: 31st of August
Prizes:
Best Microfiction: Masterclass gift card for the class of your choice (We can definitely recommend checking out their writing courses, one of them is given by James Patterson!) + getting published in the Sweek Microfiction book
Most Popular Microfiction: Masterclass gift card for the class of your choice + getting published in the Sweek Microfiction book
Top 10 best stories (shortlist): Digital certificate
COMPETITION GUIDELINES
- The story must be tagged with #MicroBook in order to join the contest. Word limit: maximum 200 words
- The story doesn’t have to be exclusive but needs to be newly uploaded on Sweek
- The story must be written in English.
- The story must be submitted and finished before the deadline: 27/08/2017, 23:59 CET
- You can participate with multiple entries
- The story can be any genre, as long as the word ‘book’ appears in the story. It can be a combination of e.g. young adult, romance, fantasy, science fiction and crime
- Most Popular Story is determined by the number of followers (all the allowed languages are participating). The deadline for the followers count is 30/08/17, 23:59 CET.
- By entering in this competition, you give Sweek the right to publish your story in a self-published book. In case the author does not agree, he/she must state in the short description that Sweek cannot publish the story in print
Want to know more about our monthly MicroFiction Competition in general? Check out this blog post!
THE JURY
Julian Tunru
Julian Tunru is the author of the Dav Iven historical fiction series, creator of The Nearly Complete Guide to Writing Your Novel, and self-confessed semicolon enthusiast.
K. Banning Kellum
K. Banning Kellum is a life-long resident of New Orleans, LA. A documentary actor, article writer and horror author, Kellum is best known for his Hyraaq Tobit series of horror stories. A proud husband and father, Kellum credits his love of family and the haunted history of New Orleans as his source of inspiration.
Amie Mcnee
Amie Mcnee is a writer from Sydney, Australia. She has just completed her first manuscript, a y/a fantasy and is mid way through her next work in progress, a historical fiction novel. Amie blogs about the ups and downs of the creative life, and reveals the tears, smiles and occasional breakdowns on her Instagram @inspiredtowrite.
Sweek Microfiction Competition: #MicroCoffee!
Are you capable of saying a lot in a little? Welcome to the Sweek MicroFiction Challenge! Write a short story of 200 words max, incorporating the word ‘coffee’ and win any course you’d like from Masterclass as well as get published in the Sweek Microfiction book!
In each round, you need to incorporate a given word in an original and creative way. The word of this first round is COFFEE. Coffee is one of the main sources of inspiration for many writers. Do you have what it takes to write compelling flashfiction? Join now!
How to participate:
Step 1: Download the Sweek app or use our website:
Website: https://sweek.com/
Android app: http://bit.ly/SweekforAndroid
iOS app: http://bit.ly/SweekforiOS
Step 2: Create an account or log in
Step 3: Upload your story by going to ‘My stories’ and ‘Start a new story’
Step 4: Publish your story with the tag #MicroCoffee either in the title, description or tags section (which is a part of Story Details) and description.
That’s it! Don’t forget to share with your friends and family to get more readers!
Duration:
Submission open: 20th of July – 6th of August
Winner announcement: 10th of August
Prizes:
Best Microfiction: Masterclass giftcard for the class of your choice (We can definitely recommend checking out their writing courses, one of them is given by James Patterson!)
Most Popular Microfiction: Masterclass giftcard for the class of your choice
Top 10 best stories (shortlist): Digital certificate
COMPETITION GUIDELINES
- The story must be tagged with #MicroCoffee in order to join the contest. Word limit: maximum 200 words
- The story doesn’t have to be exclusive but needs to be newly uploaded on Sweek
- The story must be written in English.
- The story must be submitted and finished before the deadline: 06/08/2017, 23:59 CET
- You can participate with multiple entries
- The story can be any genre, as long as the word coffee appears in the story. It can be a combination of e.g. young adult, romance, fantasy, science fiction and crime
- Most Popular Story is determined by the number of followers (all the allowed languages are participating). The deadline for the followers count is 09/08/17, 23:59 CET.
- By entering in this competition, you give Sweek the right to publish your story in a self-published book. In case the author does not agree, he/she must state in the short description that Sweek cannot publish the story in print
Want to know more about our monthly MicroFiction Competition in general? Check out this blog post!
THE JURY
Julian Tunru
Julian Tunru is the author of the Dav Iven historical fiction series, creator of The Nearly Complete Guide to Writing Your Novel, and self-confessed semicolon enthusiast.
K. Banning Kellum
K. Banning Kellum is a life-long resident of New Orleans, LA. A documentary actor, article writer and horror author, Kellum is best known for his Hyraaq Tobit series of horror stories. A proud husband and father, Kellum credits his love of family and the haunted history of New Orleans as his source of inspiration.
Amie Mcnee
Amie Mcnee is a writer from Sydney, Australia. She has just completed her first manuscript, a y/a fantasy and is mid way through her next work in progress, a historical fiction novel. Amie blogs about the ups and downs of the creative life, and reveals the tears, smiles and occasional breakdowns on her Instagram @inspiredtowrite.
The winners of #Unbelievabletales contest!
Julian from The Nearly Complete Guide to Writing Your Novel and the Sweek editorial team were very impressed by the creative and original entries we received for this competition! Dragons, wolves, dystopian worlds, life and death and undiscovered creatures – you name it! Without further ado, we present to you the shortlist and the winners of our UnbelievableTales contest!
Top 10 shortlisted stories:
Lana and the Wolves – E.A.Maharajah
https://www.sweek.com/#/read/9/1700413937
Stay in touch with me – baileyonbway
https://www.sweek.com/#/read/11/1300397955
Incomplete – Rachel Wollaston
https://www.sweek.com/#/read/43295/1400000162
A bewitching Hero – Crina Stanciu
https://www.sweek.com/#/read/39740/1400000162
Venator – the_legend_that_is
https://www.sweek.com/#/read/1/1400410976
Closure by Matthew Maloney – matthatter
https://www.sweek.com/#/read/1/1700394381
The beginning – Sharvari Narendra (Official)
https://www.sweek.com/#/read/132/2000209689
The Eighth Day – ddonohue78
https://www.sweek.com/#/read/42387/1400000162
When You Studied Birds – Fiona Skye
https://www.sweek.com/#/read/44187/1400000162
Under Dews – Manisha Sahoo
https://www.sweek.com/#/read/44511/1400000162
The grand winners are…
The jury prizes:
Incomplete – Rachel Wollaston (Best English story)
https://www.sweek.com/#/read/43295/1400000162
Het galgenmaal – Eric van Berkel(Best Dutch story)
https://sweek.com/#/read/39512/1400000162
The crowd prize:
Past – sangrita
https://sweek.com/#/read/19/2200380317
Thank you all for giving us the pleasure of reading these unbelievable tales! Up for a new challenge? Submit your #Goexplore story until the 10th of August and win a GoPro Hero, or €150 in cash!
FAQ: How to join #GoExplore writing contest on Sweek
WHAT IS SWEEK?
Sweek is a global platform for reading, writing and sharing stories. All over the world. For free. We are located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and have an international team from all over the world ?
DO I NEED TO DOWNLOAD THE APP?
You can use the app or the web version, it is up to you. There is slightly more functionality present on our app version currently though. For example, receiving notifications when you have a new comment on your story!
Website: https://sweek.com/
Android app: http://bit.ly/SweekforAndroid
iOS app: http://bit.ly/SweekforiOS
HOW DO I PUBLISH A STORY?
Step 1: Download the Sweek app or use our website
Step 2: Create an account or log in
Step 3: Go to ‘My stories’ and then click on ‘New story’. Create a chapter and write or copy in your story.
Step 4: Publish your work and fill in the tag #GoExplore in your Story Details (if you are using the website, do not forget to press Enter!). Finalize by ‘Publish’ – your story is now published and part of the writing contest!
WHAT IS THE WORD LIMIT?
3000 words max (can be of course less;))
WHEN IS THE DEADLINE?
10/08, 23:59 CET
WHAT IS THE PRIZE?
You can choose between GoPro Hero camera or an equivalent cash amount of €150
CAN I PARTICIPATE WITH MORE THAN ONE ENTRY?
Yes
IS POETRY ALLOWED?
Yes
HOW DO I ADD A TAG AND EDIT MY STORY?
You need to add it to your Story Details (dont forget to press Enter on the website).
For each contest you can edit your story as many times as you want before the deadline. To access your story: log in, go to ‘my stories’ and click on your story. To edit your story title/description, go to the 3dot menu in your Story Dashboard and click Story Basics; to edit your tags/other story details, go to the 3dot menu in your story dashboard and select Story Details
HOW DO I KNOW WHETHER MY STORY IS PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST OR NOT?
If you see the tag on your story page after you searched for it, it is participating. If you are not sure, contact us and we can check it for you ?
HOW DO I PROMOTE MY STORY?
Best way is to promote your story via your own social media and network. You can also promote it in Sweek fanpage https://www.facebook.com/groups/306066656501682/ or here https://sweek.com/#/read/45278/1400000162. You can find the link to share your story when you search for your story in the search bar and click on it. Here you’ll find the share button on the story info page!
DO I GET A CONFIRMATION OF PARTICIPATING IMMEDIATELY?
No, but if your story is tagged, you are surely participating. However, if you’d like to know for sure you are participating, please ask us ?
HOW CAN I SEARCH FOR MY STORY?
Current search is based on the title, description and the tag. So you can search for either of those.
WHAT IF I CAN’T FIND MY STORY ON SEARCH RIGHT AWAY?
No worries, sometimes it can take a few minutes after publishing to become visible on all the platforms. If you still can’t find your story the next day, please contact us.
FAQ: How to participate in #IndiaCollegeClash writing contest
What is Sweek?
Sweek is a global platform for reading, writing and sharing stories. All over the world. For free. We are located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and have an international team from all over the world 🙂
Do I need to download the app?
You can use the app or the web version, it is up to you. There is slightly more functionality present on our app version currently though. For example, receiving notifications when you have a new comment on your story!
Website: https://sweek.com/
Android app: http://bit.ly/SweekforAndroid
iOS app: http://bit.ly/SweekforiOS
How do I publish a story?
Step 1: Download the Sweek app or use our website
Step 2: Create an account or log in
Step 3: Go to ‘My stories’ and then click on ‘New story’. Create a chapter and write or copy in your story.
Step 4: Publish your work and fill in the tag #IndiaCollegeClash in your Story Details (if you are using the website, do not forget to press Enter!). Finalize by ‘Publish’ – your story is now published and part of the writing contest! If you are an entry from an ambassador, put the tags specified by him/her. If you want your college to have a chance of winning the best college title, add the college abbreviation tag as well.
Where can I find all the details of the contest (word limit, deadline etc.)?
https://blog.sweek.com/sweek-student-writing-competition/
Can I participate with more than one entry?
Yes
Is poetry allowed?
Yes
Is Hindi allowed?
Yes
How do I add a tag and edit my story?
You need to add it to your Story Details (dont forget to press Enter on the website). You can either use #IndiaCollegeClash or just IndiaCollegeClash (both are fine). If you are an entry from an ambassador, put the exact tag specified by him/her.
For each contest you can edit your story as many times as you want before the deadline. To access your story: log in, go to ‘my stories’ and click on your story. To edit your story title/description, go to the 3dot menu in your Story Dashboard and click Story Basics; to edit your tags/other story details, go to the 3dot menu in your story dashboard and select Story Details
How do I know whether my story is participating in the contest or not?
If you see the tag on your story page after you searched for it, it is participating. If you are not sure, contact us and we can check it for you 🙂
How do I promote my story?
Best way is to promote your story via your own social media and network. You can also promote it in Sweek fanpage https://www.facebook.com/groups/306066656501682/ or here https://sweek.com/#/read/43452/1400000162. You can find the link to share your story when you search for your story in the search bar and click on it. Here you’ll find the share button on the story info page!
Do I get a confirmation of participating immediately?
No, but if your story is tagged, you are surely participating. However, if you’d like to know for sure you are participating, please ask us 🙂
How can I search for my story?
Current search is based on the title, description and the tag. So you can search for either of those.
What if I can’t find my story on search right away?
No worries, sometimes it can take a few minutes after publishing to become visible on all the platforms. If you still can’t find your story the next day, please contact us.
When is the deadline?
31/07, 23:59 CET
P.S.You can join the event on Facebook to get timely reminders! https://www.facebook.com/events/767759323384592/
Sweek writing competition: #GoExplore!
Do you know how to put your adventures into words or have you always imagined yourself exploring the world? Write your #GoExplore story in less than 3,000 words and win a GoPro Hero camera to get your adventures on camera, or alternatively €150!
Adventures make incredible tales – from Jules Verne’s classics to the modern travel stories we see today; they allow you to explore the world through the eyes of someone else. Adventures are exciting – whether they are about travelling, summer love, extreme sports, starting a new job, an unexpected turn of the day or something breathtaking in a fantasy world your protagonist lives in.
STEP-BY-STEP ON HOW TO JOIN
Step 1: Download the Sweek app or use our website:
Website: https://sweek.com/
Android app: http://bit.ly/SweekforAndroid
iOS app: http://bit.ly/SweekforiOS
Step 2: Create an account or log in
Step 3: Upload your story by going to ‘My stories’ and ‘Start a new story’
Step 4: Publish your story with the tag #GoExplore in the tags section in Story Details
That’s it! Don’t forget to share with your friends and family to get more readers 😉
Read our FAQ to get answers to most of the questions you may have;)
DURATION
Submissions open: 26th of June – 10th of August
Winners announcement: 31st of August
PRIZES
Best English story [jury]: GoPro Hero camera (or €150 in cash)
Most popular story [most followers]: GoPro Hero camera (or €150 in cash)
Best feedback x 2 [jury]: €20 cash
Top 10 English stories (shortlist): featured on Sweek for 3 weeks + digital certificate
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
- You need to be 14 years or older to participate. Younger participants need their parents’ permission.
- The story must be tagged #GoExplore in story details
- Word limit: maximum 3,000 words
- The story doesn’t have to be exclusive, but needs to be newly uploaded on Sweek
- The story is written in English, German, Dutch or Portuguese
- The story must be created by you. You can also write with a friend if you want to, but in case you win, the prize will be shared.
- The story must be submitted and finished before the deadline: 10/08/2017, 23:59 CET
- You can participate with multiple entries
- The story can be any genre, as long as it is related to the topic. It can be a combination of e.g. young adult, romance, fantasy, science fiction, crime and it can have the form of both prose and poetry.
- Crowd prize is determined by the number of followers (all the allowed languages are participating). The deadline for the followers count is: 29/08/17, 23:59 CET. Falsification of followers will lead to a warning, followed by immediate disqualification if the behavior continues.
We cannot wait to read about your adventures!
#GOFEEDBACK
#GoFeedback is open for all #GoExplore stories! Help your fellow writers get even better! The 2 best critiques will receive €20 each. How to join?
Step 1. Search for #GoExplore on Sweek and read a story
Step 2. Provide feedback/critique in a comment on the story
Step 3. Add #GoFeedback at the end of your comment so that we can find it
Step 4. You can participate as many times as you like until August 29th. You can participate even if you didn’t write a story on the topic!
Don’t hesitate to contact us via support@sweek.com for any questions!
Sweek student writing competition!
*The winners: https://blog.sweek.com/announcing-winners-indiacollegeclash-writing-competition/*
Dutch company Sweek is looking for young talented writers! Do you want to win cash prizes to cover a part of your tuition, take a weekend break from studying or treat your family to a great dinner? Start writing now and get a chance to win over ₹35,000 in cash in our student writing competiton! As long as your story is less than 3,000 words, you can write in any genre and on any topic: a thrilling mystery, a breathtaking fantasy, or an epic love story!
HOW TO JOIN IN 5 STEPS?
Step 1: You must be registered to a college in India. If you graduated any time in 2017, you can still participate ?
Step 2: Download the Sweek app or use our website
Website: https://sweek.com/
Android app: http://bit.ly/SweekforAndroid
iOS app: http://bit.ly/SweekforiOS
Step 3: Create an account or log in
Step 4: Go to ‘My stories’ and then click on ‘New story’. Create a chapter and write or copy in your story.
Step 5: Publish your work and fill in the tag #IndiaCollegeClash in your story details. Finalize by ‘Publish’ – your story is now published and part of the writing contest! If you would like your college to win the best college award (so not mandatory!), put the abbreviation of your college in the tags section, or write the university and college full name in the short description of your story.
RULES & REGULATIONS
- Your story needs to be written in English or Hindi
- The story must be tagged #IndiaCollegeClash in the story details
- Word limit: maximum 3,000 words
- The story doesn’t have to be new or exclusive (so it can be a story from an existing blog for instance), but needs to be newly uploaded on Sweek
- The story must be created by you
- The story must be submitted and finished before the deadline: 31/07/17, 23:59
- You can participate with multiple entries
- It can be a combination of e.g. young adult, romance, fantasy, science fiction, crime and it can have the form of both prose and poetry
PRIZES
Jury prizes
Jury 1st choice award: ₹10,000 cash + printed certificate
Jury 2nd choice award: ₹5,000 cash + printed certificate
Jury 3rd choice award: ₹2,500 cash + printed certificate
Jury 4th – 10th choice: printed certificate
Best college award: ₹5,000 cash + all entries get a printed participation certificate
Community prizes
Most popular story award: ₹5,000 cash
Most active reader award: ₹2,500 cash
Best feedback award: ₹2,500 cash
Best cover design award: ₹2,500 cash
Predict the winner award: ₹2,500 cash
*Find the rules regarding the prizes below
DURATION
Participation: June 20th – July 31st
Winner announcement: August 22nd
Good luck! For any questions, don’t hesitate to comment below or contact us via support@sweek.com. Sweek is based in the Netherlands, Europe.
*EXTRA INFORMATION*
JURY
Your story will be read by these expert jury members and the Sweek editorial team.
Pragya Sharma is a blogger, book reviewer, and clinical psychologist. Find out more via ReviewingShelf.
Avnika Gupta is a Spoken Word Artist and street theater artist. Check out her Facebook page!
We’re sure you don’t want to miss the deadline, so join the Facebook event to get timely reminders!
PARTNER CLUBS
Although any student and literary club can join for this contest, our official partners are great literary clubs who help us make this competition possible. Introducing:
Literary Committee, LNMIIT. Visit them on Facebook!
KalamKaar: the Literary Society of DDUC. Check them out on Facebook!
Literary & Debating Club | NIT Calicut. Follow them on Facebook!
University Debating & Literary Club – AMU. Read more on Facebook!
PRIZE EXPLANATIONS
Best college award goes to the college with the highest total score. The score is based on number of entries multiplied by the average score of the stories on a scale of 1 to 5, given by the jury. If the college has a literary club, they will be awarded the prize. If not, the college will be contacted.
Most popular story award goes to the story with the highest number of followers. The deadline for the followers count is: 15/08/17, 23:59. Falsification of followers will lead to a warning, followed by immediate disqualification if the behavior continues.
Most active reader award goes to the reader that gave the most likes, follows and comments on any Sweek story. Be sure to add #IndiaCollegeClash in your profile ‘about’ section to let us know you want to participate. You don’t need to have written a story yourself to participate. The deadline for the activity count is 15/08/17, 23:59
Best feedback award goes to person who gave the most useful feedback to a story that participates in the #IndiaCollegeClash competition. Simply add #IndiaCollegeClash to the end of your comment to have the jury read your comment. You don’t need to have written a story yourself to participate. The deadline for writing your comment is 15/08/17, 23:59.
Best cover design award goes to the most beautiful and original cover. For participation you need to upload the cover on Instagram and add in description #indiacollegeclash and tag @sweekstories. The winner will be selected by the Sweek team together with the Sweek Keepers.
* The cash amount will be transferred via paypal or to a bank account with a valid IBAN and BIC code. The transfer fee will be paid by Sweek, but is not responsible for the conversion rate from Euro to a local currency the receiving bank uses. In case of non-availability of either, a gift card to a webshop can be considered. The printed certificates for the top 10 will be personalized and sent to their home address. The certificates for the college award will be sent to one address of the literary society or university and are not personalized.
Sweek writing competition: India College Clash
*The winners: https://blog.sweek.com/announcing-winners-indiacollegeclash-writing-competition/*
Dutch company Sweek is looking for young talented writers! Do you want to win cash prizes to cover a part of your tuition, take a weekend break from studying or treat your family to a great dinner? Start writing now and get a chance to win over ₹35,000 in cash in our student writing competition! As long as your story is less than 3,000 words, you can write in any genre and on any topic: a thrilling mystery, a breathtaking fantasy, or an epic love story!
HOW TO JOIN IN 5 STEPS?
Step 1: You must be registered to a college in India. If you graduated any time in 2017, you can still participate ?
Step 2: Download the Sweek app or use our website
Website: https://sweek.com/
Android app: http://bit.ly/SweekforAndroid
iOS app: http://bit.ly/SweekforiOS
Step 3: Create an account or log in
Step 4: Go to ‘My stories’ and then click on ‘New story’. Create a chapter and write or copy in your story.
Step 5: Publish your work and fill in the tag #IndiaCollegeClash in your story details. Finalize by ‘Publish’ – your story is now published and part of the writing contest! If you would like your college to win the best college award (so not mandatory!), put the abbreviation of your college in the tags section, or write the university and college full name in the short description of your story.
PRIZES
Upload your story on Sweek with the hashtag #IndiaCollegeClash and get a chance to win prizes below!
Jury prizes
Jury 1st choice award: ₹10,000 cash + printed certificate
Jury 2nd choice award: ₹5,000 cash + printed certificate
Jury 3rd choice award: ₹2,500 cash + printed certificate
Jury 4th – 10th choice: printed certificate
Best college award: ₹5,000 cash + all entries get a printed participation certificate
Community prizes
Most popular story award: ₹5,000 cash
Most active reader award: ₹2,500 cash
Best feedback award: ₹2,500 cash
Best cover design award: ₹2,500 cash
Predict the winner award: ₹2,500 cash
DURATION
Participation: June 20th – July 31st
Winner announcement: August 22nd
RULES & REGULATIONS
- You must be registered to a college in India. If you’re a prize winner, you need to be able to hand over a proof of enrollment. If you graduated any time in 2017, you can still participate 🙂
- Your story needs to be written in English or Hindi
- The story must be tagged #IndiaCollegeClash in the story details
- Word limit: maximum 3,000 words
- The story doesn’t have to be new or exclusive (so it can be a story from an existing blog for instance), but needs to be newly uploaded on Sweek and the story didn’t participate in previous Sweek competitions
- The story must be created by you
- The story must be submitted and finished before the deadline: 31/07/17, 23:59
- You can participate with multiple entries
- It can be a combination of e.g. young adult, romance, fantasy, science fiction, crime and it can have the form of both prose and poetry
Good luck, Sweekers!
*EXTRA INFORMATION*
Sweek is based in the Netherlands, Europe.
JURY
Your story will be read by these expert jury members and the Sweek editorial team.
Pragya Sharma is a blogger, book reviewer, and clinical psychologist. Find out more via ReviewingShelf.
Avnika Gupta is a Spoken Word Artist and street theater artist. Check out her Facebook page!
PARTNER CLUBS
Although any student and literary club can join for this contest, our official partners are great literary clubs who help us make this competition possible. Introducing:
Literary Committee, LNMIIT. Visit them on Facebook!
KalamKaar: the Literary Society of DDUC. Check them out on Facebook!
Literary & Debating Club | NIT Calicut. Follow them on Facebook!
University Debating & Literary Club – AMU. Read more on Facebook!
PRIZE EXPLANATIONS
Best college award goes to the college with the highest total score. The score is based on number of entries multiplied by the average score of the stories on a scale of 1 to 5, given by the jury. If the college has a literary club, they will be awarded the prize. If not, the college will be contacted.
Most popular story award goes to the story with the highest number of followers. The deadline for the followers count is: 15/08/17, 23:59. Falsification of followers will lead to a warning, followed by immediate disqualification if the behavior continues.
Most active reader award goes to the reader that gave the most likes, follows and comments on any Sweek story. Be sure to add #IndiaCollegeClash in your profile ‘about’ section to let us know you want to participate. You don’t need to have written a story yourself to participate. The deadline for the activity count is 15/08/17, 23:59
Best feedback award goes to person who gave the most useful feedback to a story that participates in the #IndiaCollegeClash competition. Simply add #IndiaCollegeClash to the end of your comment to have the jury read your comment. You don’t need to have written a story yourself to participate. The deadline for writing your comment is 15/08/17, 23:59.
Best cover design award goes to the most beautiful and original cover. For participation you need to upload the cover on Instagram and add in description #indiacollegeclash and tag @sweekstories. The winner will be selected by the Sweek team together with the Sweek Keepers.
* The cash amount will be transferred via paypal or to a bank account with a valid IBAN and BIC code. The transfer fee will be paid by Sweek, but is not responsible for the conversion rate from Euro to a local currency the receiving bank uses. In case of non-availability of either, a gift card to a webshop can be considered. The printed certificates for the top 10 will be personalized and sent to their home address. The certificates for the college award will be sent to one address of the literary society or university and are not personalized.
Announcing the winners of #Tomorrow contest!
The moment you’ve all been waiting for: the winners of our #Tomorrow competition! CONGRATULATIONS!
Once again it was an incredibly hard to choose the winners, but here we are:
Grand prize: Tomorrow – Theng
https://sweek.com/#/read/26915/1400000162
Best English story: The Day Tomorrow Fell in Love – Shahzoda Vareberg
https://sweek.com/#/read/33528/1400000162
Most popular story: Tudo é futuro – Blue
https://sweek.com/#/read/102/2100290144
Best Dutch story: Als de tuin klaar is – AmyGreren
https://sweek.com/#/read/31076/1400000162
Best Portuguese story: Amanhã Talvez Seja Tarde – Cesar de Alencar
https://sweek.com/#/read/31007/1400000162
Best German story: Wenn ich morgen noch lebe… – Farbtupfer
https://sweek.com/#/read/17/1100319797
Best Polish story: Cywilizacja 2.0 – Alpha
https://sweek.com/#/read/27178/1400000162
Thank you all for participating and sharing your stories! Keep on Sweeking and don’t forget to check out our new contests!
Sweek writing competition: #Storytellers
Here at Sweek we believe that everyone has a story to tell and that to be human means to tell stories. In the end, this is why we created Sweek 😉 We invite all of you to share your best story with the world! But this time, we have a different challenge! Can you say a lot in a little? Submit your short story in 500 words or less to our new Sweek writing competition and get a chance to win awesome prizes. The rest is up to you: prose or poetry, fiction or nonfiction!
DURATION
29th of May – 25th of June 2nd of July [extended]
PRIZES
Impress our jury to win the following prizes:
Grand prize [jury prize]: cash prize worth €75
Most popular story [crowd prize]: cash prize worth €75
Next to these prize winners, we’ll select top stories to be featured on Sweek for 3 weeks. The winners will be announced on the 18th of July on the blog, social media and via email.
* The cash amount will be transferred to a bank account with a valid BIC code. The transfer fee will be paid by Sweek, but is not responsible for the conversion rate from Euro to a local currency the receiving bank uses. In case of non-availability of a bank account, a solution using Paypal or gift card to Amazon can be considered.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
- You need to be 14 years or older to participate. Younger participants need their parents’ permission.
- The story must be tagged #storytellers in story details
- Word limit: maximum 500 words
- The story doesn’t have to be exclusive, but needs to be newly uploaded on Sweek (so old stories cannot participate)
- The story didn’t participate in previous Sweek competitions
- The story is written in English
- The story must be created by you. You can also write with a friend if you want to, but in case you win, the prize will be shared. It’s just one prize per story
- The story must be submitted and finished before the deadline: 02/07/17, 23:59 CET
- You can participate with multiple entries, as long as they all meet our guidelines
- The story can be both fiction and nonfiction. Any genre, as long as it is related to the topic. It can be a combination of e.g. young adult, romance, fantasy, science fiction, crime and it can have the form of both prose and poetry.
- Crowd prize is determined by the number of followers. The deadline for the followers count is: 17/07/17, 23:59 CET. Falsification of followers will lead to a warning, followed by immediate disqualification if the behavior continues.
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDELINES ON HOW TO JOIN
Step 1: Download the Sweek app
Step 2: Sign up, click on “My stories” and then “Start a new story”
Step 3: Fill in the title of the story. You can also add an image and write a description (optional)
Step 4: Click on “Add a new chapter.” Then provide a chapter title and write your story in not more than 500 words
Step 5: Click Publish. Put the tag #storytellers in the tags section (on the web version do not forget to press Enter). Also fill in the story category and hit Publish again. Your story is now published!
You can also use Sweek on your desktop computer/laptop
That’s it!
Tips for submitting your story
Especially for this contest, we have prepared Sweek tips on how to write a compelling micro story!
https://sweek.com/#/read/36993/1400000162
Good luck, Sweekers!