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News & Updates
writing challenge
Introducing Sweek Weekly Writing Prompts!
Hey Sweekers!
We’re thoroughly enjoying all the great content that you’re posting, and we’re hungry for more! We think it would be fun to jump-start your creativity by putting it to the test in our newest initiative – the Sweekly Writing Prompts! Through these writing prompts, we hope to give to you a weekly dose of inspiration to make your literary voices heard, practice your technical writing skills, and provide the voracious readers of the Sweek community with even more excellent content! Here’s how it’s going to work:
Every week, we will be posting a new writing prompt on our social media channels and as a new chapter of our Sweek Writing Prompts Story on Sweek – these may take the form of phrases, writing assignments, scenarios and more. To participate you just need to publish your story with the #sweekwritingprompt tag – it’s as simple as that! It’s up to you whether you want to publish your stories separately, or as different chapters of one story. Your creativity is what counts!
Are you ready for this challenge? Let’s get started right away! Do you have an idea for the next writing prompt? Comment below and your suggestion might be chosen as the official Sweek Writing Prompt!
WRITING PROMPT WEEK 1
… it reads: “DO NOT MARRY HIM!”
WRITING PROMPT WEEK 2
You’ve just received the bill after a lovely dinner date, when you notice that the waiter has scribbled a message at the bottom of it. It reads: “RUN!”. “What’s the matter?” your date asks…
WRITING PROMPT WEEK 3
You’re a vampire that has become allergic to blood.
WRITING PROMPT WEEK 4
The Allied invasion of Normandy never happened. It is now the present day.
WRITING PROMPT WEEK 5
You get access to a time machine, but you can only use it once. Where would you go and what would you do?
WRITING PROMPT WEEK 6
As global warming continues to melt the ice caps, something is revealed in the thawing landscape of the arctic. Something huge.
WRITING PROMPT WEEK 7
A literature professor realizes that he can talk to the authors of the books he teaches.
WRITING PROMPT WEEK 8
You’re an intergalactic food critic, traveling the galaxy and reviewing its different cuisines. Today, you’re visiting an exciting new planet called “Earth”.
WRITING PROMPT WEEK 9
You’ve left the wizarding world after falling in love with a muggle, and while you do miss magic, these muggles sure have some nifty inventions of their own…
WRITING PROMPT WEEK 10
You’re the Devil’s advocate. Literally. As Satan’s attorney, you have to get him off for all the evil deeds he’s accused of. It’s a demanding job, but you’re very good at it.
WRITING PROMPT WEEK 11
1. St. Petersburg
2. Cappuccino.
Write a story beginning with the first word, and ending with the second one.
WRITING PROMPT WEEK 12
WRITING PROMPT WEEK 13
1. Let’s eat, grandma.
2. Let’s eat grandma.
Write a story connecting these two sentences! (This week’s writing prompt was suggested by @SilverStockings)
Head on over to your Sweek account to get started!
Sweek Flash Fiction Competition: #MicroGame
Participate in the fourth round of the Sweek Flash Fiction contest: #MicroGame!
Make it your chance to show off your creativity and come up with an intriguing and gripping plot to surprise the judges and readers!
The rules are simple: write 250 words max. of fiction revolving around a game. To make sure your work is participating in the competition, tag it with #micrograme (check the step-by-step guidelines below to learn how to do so).
A quick reminder – to promote your microfiction pieces – use either ‘Promote your #MicroGame story!’ on Sweek or ‘Sweek Fan Group‘ on Facebook where you can exchange feedback and gain new readers.
Are you ready? The game is on! Join our challenge until 22/05 to win $50 and get published!
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 #microgame 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:
Submissions open: 1st of May – 22nd of May (23:59 CET)
Winners announcement: 31st of May
Prizes:
The Best Story: $50 cash prize + getting published in the Sweek book + a free copy of the bundle!
The Best Feedback: $15 cash prize.
The Most Popular Story: will be awarded a special badge.
All shortlisted authors will get published in the bundle and will be featured on Sweek.
#MICROGAMEFEEDBACK
How to join?
Step 1. Search for #microgame on Sweek and read a story.
Step 2. Provide feedback/critique in a comment on the story.
Step 3. Add #microgamefeedback at the end of your comment so that we can find it.
Step 4. You can participate as many times as you like until 22nd of May 2018. You can take part even if you didn’t write a story on the topic!
How does it work?
- Every round gives you a new word that you must include in your story (open topic) or a specific theme to write about (here: game).
- Only prose is accepted.
- You can join the contest at any time (even if you didn’t take part in the previous rounds). Also, the winners and shortlisted authors of the earlier editions are welcomed to participate in the following editions.
- At the same time the contest is running in the following languages: English, Dutch, German, Turkish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian and Polish.
- You have 3 weeks to write, then the jury members along with the Sweek editorial team will be judging the entries.
- The winners will also be announced via our Social Media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), blog and e-mail on 31/05/2018.
- The jury prize will be based on the writing style, originality and plot development of the story. The most popular story will be determined by the total number of likes.
- Every round you must tag your story with a hashtag that includes the word #micro + the word of that round (here: #microgame).
- The author of the best story will receive $50 and will be published in the Sweek Microfiction book with all the shortlisted stories via Sweek self-publishing.
- There will be one winner in The Best Story category, one person will get The Best Feedback title and one story will be awarded as The Most Popular Story (read more about the prizes below).
- To win in The Best Feedback category you must tag your comments with #microgamefeedback.
- 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 announced. However, the titles on the longlist will not get to the bundle.
- The new round will be announced on 01/06.
GENERAL COMPETITION GUIDELINES
- You need to be 13 years or older to participate. Younger participants need their parents’ permission.
- The contest is international and is open to every country. Nonetheless, your story must be written in English.
- The story cannot exceed 250 words.
- The story doesn’t have to be exclusive (for instance, it can be from your blog) but needs to be newly uploaded on Sweek.
- The story must have the #microgame (in the main title of the story / its description or within the tags section).
- 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. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited and actions may be taken against those involved in plagiarism.
- The story must be submitted and finished before the deadline. Don’t edit your story afterwards – it will lead to your disqualification from the contest.
- You can participate with multiple entries.
- You can join any round of the contest at any time.
- The story can be in any genre, as long as it’s prose, not poetry. 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 likes. Falsification of likes and followers will lead to disqualification. The most popular story needs to meet quality requirements determined by the Sweek team. You can only win one popularity prize as a writer.
- Spam comments/messages with promotion of your story (except for a special story dedicated to promotion) will result in disqualification and possible account deletion if the behavior continues.
- If winners do not respond within a timeframe of two weeks, then the price will be given to the second place.
- By entering in this competition, you give Sweek the right to publish your story in a book. In case the author does not agree, he/she must state in the short description that Sweek cannot publish the story in print.
- The cash prize will be transferred via PayPal (Sweek bears the transfer costs). If the winner is based in Europe, the cash prize will be arranged via a bank transfer. In case there is no option to create a Paypal account, we can arrange the prize via a gift card or a bank transfer for which the costs are split. We’re not responsible for currency conversion rate at the time of transferring the cash prize.
- Participation in this contest means that the user is aware of and accepts the rules of this contest.
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.
WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT
FAQ
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, at the same time there will be flash fiction contest running in the following languages: English, Dutch, German, Turkish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian and Polish.
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. 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 via Facebook 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 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. 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?
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.
Sweek Flash Fiction Competition: #MicroKey
The third round of Sweek Flash Fiction Challenge has the word #key which you have to include your 250 words microfiction.
Last time you had to write a story that revolves around a letter. In this round, you only have to mention the word “key” anywhere within the story. This means that the topic is open and you can write about anything you want.
Below you can read how to participate. Here you can find the general guidelines for the Sweek Flash Fiction Challenge.
Unlock your creativity with #MicroKey! 🗝
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 #microkey 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!
Video tutorial on how to publish a story on Sweek!
Duration:
Submissions open: 1st of April – 22nd of April (23:59 CET)
Winners announcement: 30th of April
Prizes:
The Best Story: $50 cash prize + getting published in the Sweek book + a free copy of the bundle!
The Best Feedback: $15 cash prize.
The Most Popular Story: will be awarded a special badge.
All shortlisted authors will get published in the bundle and will be featured on Sweek.
How does it work?
- Every round gives you a new word (here the word is: “key”) that you must include in your story (open topic) or a specific theme to 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). Also, the winners and shortlisted authors of the earlier editions are welcomed to participate in the following editions.
- At the same time the contest is running in the following languages: English, Dutch, German, Turkish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian and Polish.
- You have 3 weeks to write, then the jury members along with the Sweek editorial team will be judging the entries.
- The winners will also be announced via our Social Media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), blog and e-mail on 30/04/2018.
- The jury prize will be based on the writing style, originality and plot development of the story. The most popular story will be determined by the total number of likes (deadline for the likes count: 29/04 at 23:59 CET).
- Every round you must tag your story with a hashtag that includes the word #micro + the word of that round (here: #microkey).
- The author of the best story will receive $50 and will be published in the Sweek Microfiction book with all the shortlisted stories via Sweek self-publishing.
- There will be one winner in The Best Story category, one person will get The Best Feedback title and one story will be awarded as The Most Popular Story (read more about the prizes below).
- To win in The Best Feedback category you must tag your comments with #microkeyfeedback.
- 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 announced. However, the titles on the longlist will not get to the bundle.
- The new round will be announced on 01/05.
GENERAL COMPETITION GUIDELINES
- You need to be 13 years or older to participate. Younger participants need their parents’ permission.
- The contest is international and is open to every country. Nonetheless, your story must be written in English.
- The story cannot exceed 250 words.
- The story doesn’t have to be exclusive (for instance, it can be from your blog) but needs to be newly uploaded on Sweek.
- The story must have the #microkey (in the main title of the story / its description or within the tags section).
- 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. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited and actions may be taken against those involved in plagiarism.
- The story must be submitted and finished before the deadline. Don’t edit your story afterwards – it will lead to your disqualification from the contest.
- You can participate with multiple entries.
- You can join any round of the contest at any time.
- The story can be in any genre, as long as it’s prose, not poetry. 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 likes. Falsification of likes and followers will lead to disqualification. The most popular story needs to meet quality requirements determined by the Sweek team. You can only win one popularity prize as a writer.
- Spam comments/messages with promotion of your story (except for a special story dedicated to promotion) will result in disqualification and possible account deletion if the behavior continues.
- If winners do not respond within a timeframe of two weeks, then the price will be given to the second place.
- By entering in this competition, you give Sweek the right to publish your story in a book. In case the author does not agree, he/she must state in the short description that Sweek cannot publish the story in print.
- The cash prize will be transferred via PayPal (Sweek bears the transfer costs). If the winner is based in Europe, the cash prize will be arranged via a bank transfer. In case there is no option to create a Paypal account, we can arrange the prize via a gift card or a bank transfer for which the costs are split. We’re not responsible for currency conversion rate at the time of transferring the cash prize.
- Participation in this contest means that the user is aware of and accepts the rules of this contest.
#MICROKEYFEEDBACK
How to join?
Step 1. Search for #microkey on Sweek and read a story.
Step 2. Provide feedback/critique in a comment on the story.
Step 3. Add #microkeyfeedback at the end of your comment so that we can find it.
Step 4. You can participate as many times as you like until 22nd of April 2018. You can take part even if you didn’t write a story on the topic!
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.
The Most Popular Story – Janki Hemani – “The Magic Key”
The Best Feedback – Toshiba Patel, @toshiba
SHORTLIST
Chellperry – “The Secrets We Keep #Microkey”
zparkles – “Illusion #Microkey”
Shahzoda Vareberg – “The Art of Listening”
I. E. Kneverday – “Codebreaker”
C.M. Ross – “I Failed Her”
Crina Stanciu – “Music – Microkey”
KMathison – “Finding the Key”
Aveek Dutta – “The Last Adieu”
C.M. Ross – “I Found You”
FAQ
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, at the same time there will be flash fiction contest running in the following languages: English, Dutch, German, Turkish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian and Polish.
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. 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 via Facebook 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 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. 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?
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.
Sweek Flash Fiction Competition: #MicroLetter
Sweekers, if you participated in the previous rounds of Sweek microfiction contest, please keep in mind that this time the rules have changed. As we stated in the general guidelines: one month we give you a specific word to include in your story (last time it was: #microheart) and then in the following one – we give you the topic.
In this round you have to write your flash fiction about a letter.
A letter might bring you an exciting or heart-breaking news. It can also strengthen readers’ bond with the characters of your story (you probably remember the letters in the “The Sorrows of Young Werther” about his failed romance) or add some flavour to the plot itself.
Your story, your approach! Show us that you can say a lot in a little by writing your #Microletter story with 250 words of prose!
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 #microletter 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:
Submissions open: 1st of March – 22nd of March (23:59 CET)
Winners announcement: 30th of March
Prizes:
The Best Story: $50 cash prize + getting published in the Sweek book + a free copy of the bundle!
The Best Feedback: $15 cash prize.
The Most Popular Story: will be awarded a special badge.
All shortlisted authors will get published in the bundle and will be featured on Sweek.
How does it work?
- Every round gives you a new word that you must include in your story (open topic) or a specific theme to write about (here: letter).
- Only prose is accepted.
- You can join the contest at any time (even if you didn’t take part in the previous rounds). Also, the winners and shortlisted authors of the earlier editions are welcomed to participate in the following editions.
- At the same time the contest is running in the following languages: English, Dutch, German, Turkish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian and Polish.
- You have 3 weeks to write, then the jury members along with the Sweek editorial team will be judging the entries.
- The winners will also be announced via our Social Media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), blog and e-mail on 30/03/2018.
- The jury prize will be based on the writing style, originality and plot development of the story. The most popular story will be determined by the total number of likes.
- Every round you must tag your story with a hashtag that includes the word #micro + the word of that round (here: #microletter).
- The author of the best story will receive $50 and will be published in the Sweek Microfiction book with all the shortlisted stories via Sweek self-publishing.
- There will be one winner in The Best Story category, one person will get The Best Feedback title and one story will be awarded as The Most Popular Story (read more about the prizes below).
- To win in The Best Feedback category you must tag your comments with #microletterfeedback.
- 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 announced. However, the titles on the longlist will not get to the bundle.
- The new round will be announced on 01/04.
GENERAL COMPETITION GUIDELINES
- You need to be 13 years or older to participate. Younger participants need their parents’ permission.
- The contest is international and is open to every country. Nonetheless, your story must be written in English.
- The story cannot exceed 250 words.
- The story doesn’t have to be exclusive (for instance, it can be from your blog) but needs to be newly uploaded on Sweek.
- The story must have the #microletter (in the main title of the story / its description or within the tags section).
- 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. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited and actions may be taken against those involved in plagiarism.
- The story must be submitted and finished before the deadline. Don’t edit your story afterwards – it will lead to your disqualification from the contest.
- You can participate with multiple entries.
- You can join any round of the contest at any time.
- The story can be in any genre, as long as it’s prose, not poetry. 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 likes. Falsification of likes and followers will lead to disqualification. The most popular story needs to meet quality requirements determined by the Sweek team. You can only win one popularity prize as a writer.
- Spam comments/messages with promotion of your story (except for a special story dedicated to promotion) will result in disqualification and possible account deletion if the behavior continues.
- If winners do not respond within a timeframe of two weeks, then the price will be given to the second place.
- By entering in this competition, you give Sweek the right to publish your story in a book. In case the author does not agree, he/she must state in the short description that Sweek cannot publish the story in print.
- The cash prize will be transferred via PayPal (Sweek bears the transfer costs). If the winner is based in Europe, the cash prize will be arranged via a bank transfer. In case there is no option to create a Paypal account, we can arrange the prize via a gift card or a bank transfer for which the costs are split. We’re not responsible for currency conversion rate at the time of transferring the cash prize.
- Participation in this contest means that the user is aware of and accepts the rules of this contest.
#MICROLETTERFEEDBACK
How to join?
Step 1. Search for #microletter on Sweek and read a story.
Step 2. Provide feedback/critique in a comment on the story.
Step 3. Add #microletterfeedback at the end of your comment so that we can find it.
Step 4. You can participate as many times as you like until 22nd of March 2018. You can take part even if you didn’t write a story on the topic!
WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT
WINNERS
The Best Story – Olinda Braganza – “Your Wish is My Command!”
The Best Feedback – Rinandharu
The Most Popular Story – Veronika Faith – “I invite.”
FULL SHORTLIST
“Mud” by Mark Groenen [English]
“Through the window” by Arya Ashok Dixit
“Your Wish is My Command!” by Olinda Braganza
“A Boy Named Love” by Christina Li
“The Letter #MicroLetter” by MelissaNeubert
“Number 57 #microletter” by Kathryn Evans
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.
Louise Blackwick 
Louise Blackwick is a next-generation fiction writer, author of several experimental novels and short stories. Blackwick is particularly known as the writer of the Vivian Amberville book series, a bestselling philosophical fantasy saga about a girl whose thoughts can control and reshape reality.
FAQ
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, at the same time there will be flash fiction contest running in the following languages: English, Dutch, German, Turkish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian and Polish.
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. 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 via Facebook 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 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. 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?
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.
Sweek Flash Fiction Competition: #MicroHeart
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Sweek and write a piece of flash fiction including the word “heart” in your story!
Show emotions, write on romantic feelings, unconditional love, heartbreak – your story, your approach! Speak from your heart… and create your #microheart flash fiction! 💓 Let us feel the love in the air!
If you don’t really feel Valentine’s vibes, feel free to use satire 😉 or anything else (your story doesn’t have to be about anything specific as long as the word “heart” is included in it). The new rules (see the post with general info) allow you to write 250 words of prose.
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 #microheart 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:
Submissions open: 1st of February – 22nd of February (23:59 CET)
Winners announcement: 28th of February
Prizes:
The Best Story: $50 cash prize + getting published in the Sweek book + a free copy of the bundle!
The Best Feedback: $15 cash prize.
The Most Popular Story: will be featured on Sweek and will be awarded a special badge.
All shortlisted authors will get published in the bundle and will be featured on Sweek.
How does it work?
- Every round gives you a new word (here the word is: “heart”) that you must include in your story (open topic) or a specific theme to 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). Also, the winners and shortlisted authors of the earlier editions are welcomed to participate in the following editions.
- At the same time the contest is running in the following languages: English, Dutch, German, Turkish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian and Polish.
- You have 3 weeks to write, then the jury members along with the Sweek editorial team will be judging the entries.
- The winners will also be announced via our Social Media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), blog and e-mail on 28/02/2018.
- The jury prize will be based on the writing style, originality and plot development of the story. The most popular story will be determined by the total number of likes.
- Every round you must tag your story with a hashtag that includes the word #micro + the word of that round (here: #microheart).
- The author of the best story will receive $50 and will be published in the Sweek Microfiction book with all the shortlisted stories via Sweek self-publishing.
- There will be one winner in The Best Story category, one person will get The Best Feedback title and one story will be awarded as The Most Popular Story (read more about the prizes below).
- To win in The Best Feedback category you must tag your comments with #microheartfeedback.
- 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 announced. However, the titles on the longlist will not get to the bundle.
- The new round will be announced on 01/03.
GENERAL COMPETITION GUIDELINES
- You need to be 13 years or older to participate. Younger participants need their parents’ permission.
- The contest is international and is open to every country. Nonetheless, your story must be written in English.
- The story cannot exceed 250 words.
- The story doesn’t have to be exclusive (for instance, it can be from your blog) but needs to be newly uploaded on Sweek.
- The story must have the #microheart (in the main title of the story / its description or within the tags section).
- 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. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited and actions may be taken against those involved in plagiarism.
- The story must be submitted and finished before the deadline. Don’t edit your story afterwards – it will lead to your disqualification from the contest.
- You can participate with multiple entries.
- You can join any round of the contest at any time.
- The story can be in any genre, as long as it’s prose, not poetry. 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 likes. Falsification of likes and followers will lead to disqualification. The most popular story needs to meet quality requirements determined by the Sweek team. You can only win one popularity prize as a writer.
- Spam comments/messages with promotion of your story (except for a special story dedicated to promotion) will result in disqualification and possible account deletion if the behavior continues.
- If winners do not respond within a timeframe of two weeks, then the price will be given to the second place.
- By entering in this competition, you give Sweek the right to publish your story in a book. In case the author does not agree, he/she must state in the short description that Sweek cannot publish the story in print.
- The cash prize will be transferred via PayPal (Sweek bears the transfer costs). If the winner is based in Europe, the cash prize will be arranged via a bank transfer. In case there is no option to create a Paypal account, we can arrange the prize via a gift card or a bank transfer for which the costs are split. We’re not responsible for currency conversion rate at the time of transferring the cash prize.
- Participation in this contest means that the user is aware of and accepts the rules of this contest.
#MICROHEARTFEEDBACK
How to join?
Step 1. Search for #microheart on Sweek and read a story.
Step 2. Provide feedback/critique in a comment on the story.
Step 3. Add #microheartfeedback at the end of your comment so that we can find it.
Step 4. You can participate as many times as you like until 22nd of February 2018. You can take part even if you didn’t write a story on the topic!
WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT
WINNERS
The Best Story – “Weep for Adonais” by Allyssa Kidd
The Best Feedback – Swatilekha Roy
The Most Popular Story – “Life bond” by Harshita Nagar
We received so many great stories, from romantic and touching to gripping and blood-curdling ones.
Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors and the winners!
FULL SHORTLIST
– “Hold On For” by MeMistressNicola
– “Letter From the Land of Flamingoes” by Sreeparna
– “My Wayward Son” by Laura Van De Steene
– “I Wear My Heart On My Sleeve” by Rachel Wollaston
– “Listening To The Rain (#MicroHeart entry)” by NikiJads
– “Cupid’s Mistake” by miss_peerless
– “A haunting tale of love” by Pineapple
– “A World Away” by Christina Li
– “Weep for Adonais” – Allyssa Kidd
– “Science versus Romance” – T. S. Garrett
– “Small Mercies” by Christina Li
– “#MicroHeart The Refugee Camp” by Sharvari Narendra (Official)
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.
Louise Blackwick
Louise Blackwick is a next-generation fiction writer, author of several experimental novels and short stories. Blackwick is particularly known as the writer of the Vivian Amberville book series, a bestselling philosophical fantasy saga about a girl whose thoughts can control and reshape reality.
FAQ
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, at the same time there will be flash fiction contest running in the following languages: English, Dutch, German, Turkish, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian and Polish.
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. 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 via Facebook 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 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. 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?
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.
Sweek #ScareMe Challenge
Ghosts, Monsters, Wizards, Vampires,
This is what Sweek #ScareMe desires!
If Friday the 13th left you any courage,
Celebrate Halloween
With our new writing challenge!
Would you like to participate in our challenge and scare other Sweekers? Write a story of 1,000 words max. in a genre that is linked to Halloween (horror, crime, thriller, fantasy and sci-fi) between this Friday 13th and the 3rd of November.
Share it with your fellow writers and if your story gets at least 10 followers – you’ll be awarded with the special Sweek Halloween 2017 Challenge Badge!
The ten scariest stories, with the most number of followers per language, will be read by the Sweek Team and three of them will be featured on our social media channels as well as on the Sweek platform.
Finally, the author of our favourite story will receive a mug with his/her very own scary quote on it and the winning story will also be featured on Sweek. 🙂
? Prizes:
Best story (all languages): Mug with a quote from your scary story and featured on Sweek, Social Media channels.
10 most popular stories (per language): will be read by the Sweek team and three of them will be featured on our platform and social media channels.
All participants with more than 10 followers: will receive a special Halloween badge.
? Duration:
Submission open: Friday 13th to November 3rd
Winner announcement: 15th of November
? COMPETITION GUIDELINES
- The story must be tagged with #ScareMe in order to join the contest.
- Word limit: 1,000 words (can be less).
- The story doesn’t have to be exclusive but needs to be newly uploaded on Sweek
- The story must be written in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Dutch or German.
- The story must be submitted and finished before the deadline: 3/11/2017, 23:59 CET.
- You can participate with multiple entries.
- Stories of all genres will be accepted, with a special focus on horror, crime & thriller, Fantasy and Sci-Fi.
- The ten favourite stories will be determined by the number of followers (all the allowed languages are participating). The deadline for the followers’ count is 13/11/17, 23:59 CET.
? 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 #ScareMe either in the title, description or in the tags section of the Story Details (don’t forget to press enter to save it! 🙂 )
Step 5: Get ten friends to like your story to get our special Halloween 2017 badge
→ Here you have a step-by-step guide on how to upload your story: CLICK