Calling all authors! The story competition of the Heroes Dutch Comic Con is starting again! Organized by the American Book Center in collaboration with publisher Zilverspoor, this story competition is the time to display your writing skills. Do you have an idea for an amazing story bouncing around in your head, then quickly grab your pen or keyboard and enter the writing contest!
“You will meet many foes, some open, and some disguised; and you may find friends upon your way when you least look for it.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring
- The theme for this edition of the of the Fantastic Stories competition is ‘Friends & Foes’.
Every hero needs a good villain…and friends who will help them along the way of their quest. The interaction between the protagonist and antagonist can create the most wonderful stories. Think of Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty, Batman and the Joker or Katniss Everdeen and President Snow.
However people are social animals en everyone needs friends. Think of Pippin and Merry in The Lord of the Rings or Doctor Watson and Sherlock Holmes.
We are looking for stories that examines the relationship between friends and foes. When is someone an enemy? What makes a friend a friend? And when does someone stop being a friend and becomes an enemy…or when does a foe become your friend?
A few points you can think about while writing a story about this theme. How does the interaction between friends and foes influences:
• Folklore and Myths
• Family and Strangers
• Technology and Innovation
• Wealth and poverty
• Cooperation and Conflict
• Ideas about Groups
• Ideas about Identity
Course of the Fantastic Stories Competition
Submission period: from June 26th till August 31th
From June 26th till August 31th you may submit your story. You can upload your story via the upload link on this website. The upload link will come online a few days before June 26th.
In September the jury will select five finalists from all the submitted stories. On Tuesday the 10th October the five finalists will be announced. You can read their stories on this website from October 10th till the 25th of October. During that time the audience can vote on the best story. The winner will be announced at the Heroes Dutch Comic Con Winter edition in the Jaarbeurs Utrecht in November
The five stories will be collected in the Fantastic Stories 2023 book.This book will be printed with Betty The Book Machine at the American Book Center in Amsterdam
All five finalist will receive an weekendticket for the Heroes Dutch Comic Con 2023 winter edition and will also receive two copies of the Fantastic Stories 2023 book. The winner will receive gift certificates of the American Book Center worth €150!
Rules Story Competition:
- All genres are allowed (scifi, fantasy, horror, YA, etc, etc) as long as the story contains a fantastic element and it fits the theme of Friends & Foes
Stories have a maximum of 5000 words. - Fan-fiction about characters or franchises that have copyright on them are not allowed. ( So no stories about Gandalf, Zelda, Batman or Harry Potter Quidditch for example)
- Stories may be written in English as well as in Dutch/
- Stories need to be submitted and uploaded in Word Document format.
- By submitting a story you agree that your story might be selected for the Fantastic Stories 2023 story collection. This book will be printed on Betty the Bookmachine at the American Book Center in Amsterdam, and after the award ceremony will be available for sale at the ABC. All other rights remain with the author self.
