#Arkalypse

Are you aware of the story of Noah’s Ark? Let us refresh your memory! 

“The Lord commanded Noah to build an ark in which his family and “every living thing of all flesh” (Genesis 6:19) were saved from the Flood. Floodwater destroyed the wicked and all creatures that lived on the land except those in the ark. When the flood water receded, Noah and his family exited the ark. The Lord gave them commandments and established with them the covenant He had made with Enoch.”  (Ref: https://bit.ly/3Xw4ssy)

With July we welcome the Monsoon and with it the renewal of nature and all living beings. But what happens if the rain doesn’t stop? What if the pleasant drizzle turns into a messy downpour and the downpour to a dangerous deluge? What would you (or your characters) do? Would you build a Noah’s Ark? Do you have the skills to survive? Intrigued? Well, so are we! 

This July we want you to create a watery apocalypse with your words! Weave an apocalyptic fiction using any blend of genres, narratives and characters that feature a doomsday caused by water. It could be flash floods, cloudburst floods, thunderstorm floods, or even tsunamis. The story should be set in the present times or in the future. 

Take inspiration from the showers outside and create a wrenchingly fascinating story!

• Weave a tale in a genre of your choice. (Head on to the thread of this post on our FB Group for an enlightening discussion, if any.) 
• Send in your entries to penmagica@gmail.com as an attachment in a word document (.doc/.docx) along with a 2-3 line bio (not required if previously sent) and a cover picture for your story (optional).
• The subject of your mail should be “Entry for #Arkalypse″ (compulsory).
• Along with your entry please send a suggested cover for your story (LANDSCAPE ONLY, as direct attachment, and no watermark, please). Use pixabay.com, pexels.com or unsplash.com to source lovely covers. In case your story is unaccompanied by a cover or is of poor quality, it will delay the publishing process.

Rules:

1. The submitted story must be between 2500-4500 words (each). Entries lower than or exceeding the word limit will stand disqualified for the event. (Penmancy Tip: Use https://wordcounter.io/ to check your word count.)
2. There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit- though only the first one of them will be eligible for the contest.
3. Previously published or plagiarised works will not be considered for contention. The writer of such content stands to be disqualified for the next Penmancy event.
4. Stories found to have been shared on another writing platform or blog before the declaration of results stand disqualified from the event. Kindly check the Terms of Use for details.
5. In case a story is received after the submission deadline, it shall be considered as a guest entry and shall not qualify for the contest.

Winning criteria:

• The winner will be chosen on the basis of the judges’ scores (out of 10)
  • plot/story/creativity (15 points)
  • language/grammar (10 points)
  • narrative voice & content (9 points)
  • emotional impact, (8 points)
  • characterisation (8 points)

• The entries adjudged by a panel of judges and event organisers shall be binding. Judges’ scores to be deemed final and may not be contested or sought from the Penmancy team.
• All writers are required to read and comment on 5 stories other than their own and encourage their fellow writers with valuable and constructive inputs. Comments like ‘nice’, ‘good work’, ‘brilliant piece’, etc., do not provide the necessary critique and are not helpful to anyone.
• Only stories that garnered and average score/rating of 7.5 and above, as aggregated on judges’ scores, shall be eligible for winning.
• Contest Duration
  • The submission for the contest is open from July 1 to July 31, 2023
  • Results for the event shall be shared on August 7, 2023, at 8:00 pm

Top three winners will receive a copy of the book ‘The Kamin’s Daughter’ by Nithya Sashi.

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For questions related to the rules and criteria, please write to us at penmagica@gmail.com