Write Like Jane: The Contest

For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors and laugh at them in our turn?

—Jane Austen

Join the esteemable company of Ms. Jane Austen! In the tradition of the Bulwer Lytton Contest and the Bad Hemingway and Bad Faulkner contests, here’s your chance pen a scene of a “classic” novel Jane Austen never wrote.

Not only do we want to continue to collect the best Jane Austen parodies on this blog, we’re collecting the BEST entries in a book that will be published in Fall 2011 by Adams Media AND awarding $250 for the top voted entry!

The contest ends on March 1, 2011, so make like Austen and get your “masterpiece” published – we’re picking over 80 entries!

How is it done?

  • Sharpen your wit, let your imagination run wild, and write a scene (no longer than 800 words, please!).
  • You are free to determine plot, characters, and setting.
  • Our only requirement is that the style must parody Austen.
  • Other rules apply, which you can read about here and below.

What/How do you win?

Our distinguished panelists will then decide which awful scenes to feature (over 80 submissions in total) in a Bad Austen book compilation that will be published in Fall 2011 by Adams Media.

  • The submission posted on the site with the most votes (rated by the number of stars) will receive special recognition in Bad Austen, the book, in addition to being published in the book.
  • The best entry, voted by our panelists, will receive $250 in addition to being published in the book.

What are you waiting for? Register now to get started!

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Official Rules

1. General. By submitting an entry to this contest (the “Contest”), sponsored by F+W Media, Inc. (the “Sponsor”), the entrant acknowledges and agrees to all of these Official Rules.  By entering the Contest, entrants agree to waive any right to claim any ambiguity or error in these Official Rules, or in the Contest itself, and agree to be bound by these Official Rules and by all decisions of the Sponsor, whose decisions are binding and final. Failure to comply with these official rules may result in disqualification from the Contest.

2. The Contest. This is an opportunity to enter your original Jane Austen-based parody into a Contest to win cash, along with the opportunity to be featured in the book, Bad Austen, to be published by the Sponsor. The Sponsor will select from all valid entries to the Contest, at its sole discretion, the eighty winning entries.

3. The Contest Period. The Contest entry period will begin on November 15, 2010, and continue until March 1, 2011. A winner will be selected at the Sponsor’s sole discretion on or about March 15, 2011 from all properly submitted and timely entries received during the Contest Period.

4. Eligibility. The Contest is open to all legal residents of the United States and Canada (except Quebec) ages 18 and older, or of the age of majority in the jurisdiction in which they reside; except employees of the Sponsor, and its respective parent, subsidiary, and affiliate companies, their advertising and promotional agencies, and the immediate families of the foregoing employees. The Contest is void wherever prohibited or restricted by applicable federal, state, or local laws and regulations. The Contest and these Official Rules will be governed, construed, and interpreted under the laws of your country of residence.

5. Entry Fee. THERE IS NO ENTRY FEE FOR THIS CONTEST AND NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER. ANY PURCHASE FROM THE SPONSOR WILL NOT IN ANY WAY AFFECT YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING THE CONTEST.

6. How To Enter. To enter, write a 500-800-word scene that is a parody of Jane Austen’s writing. Possible themes can include, but are not limited to: horror and the supernatural, sex, science fiction, fantasy, romance, and mystery. The scenes may use Austen’s characters or original characters created by you or drawn from real life (e.g., celebrities, sports figures, politicians, etc.). The scenes can parody themes, language, or characters and may be drawn from any of Austen’s novels.

All entries must be made online by fully completing the online entry form at www.badausten.com. Each entrant must be the registered subscriber of the email account from which the entry is made. You may enter as many times as you would like during the Contest period.  All entries must be original and written in the English language.

Entries will be reviewed by the Sponsor before being posted on the website. The volume of entries does not allow us to accept phone calls, e-mails, or other inquiries, or to provide comments or feedback on any entries to the Contest.

Plagiarism in any form will be grounds for automatic disqualification from the Contest. Entrants warrant that they own all intellectual property rights, including copyright, in all submitted entries, and agree to indemnify Sponsor against all claims it may face from third parties in relation to any alleged infringement of intellectual property rights.

7. Sponsor Use of Entrant Information. By submitting an entry to the Contest, entrants agree that the Sponsor and its respective employees may contact the entrant via email with information about the Sponsor’s products and with other promotional messages. If at any time, you do not wish to receive these materials in the future, please use the unsubscribe procedures contained in the email message.

8. Selection of Winners. The Sponsor will select eighty Contest winners at the Sponsor’s sole discretion, and shall be based upon the Sponsor’s judgment of the originality of the entry coupled with the adherence to the writing style, tone, and themes of Jane Austen’s novels. Contestants are strongly urged to carefully study Austen’s writing style and vocabulary in order to achieve the most successful parody of her work.

This selection will take place on or about March 15, 2011 and the Contest winners shall be promptly notified. The  Sponsor’s selection of the Contest winners is absolute and final. The odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received and the quality of such entries. If any prize notification is undeliverable, or in the event of non-compliance with any of these Contest rules, the prize will be forfeited, and an alternate winner will be selected from the remaining eligible entries.

Each winning entry may be published in any medium by the Sponsor without any additional compensation to winner. Entries cannot be acknowledged or returned and become the property of Sponsor upon receipt.  For stories not selected for publication, any and all rights to those stories will revert to the entrant, effective April 1, 2011.

9. Prizes. The first place winner will receive a check in the amount of Two Hundred Fifty United States Dollars ($250.00 USD) and Contest winner’s story will also be featured in the upcoming book, Bad Austen, to be published by the Sponsor. The First Place winner will also receive two (2) copies of the finished book with a retail value of Twenty Three Dollars and Ninety Cents ($23.90).

Additionally, the Publisher shall select seventy-nine (79) runner-up winners whose stories will also appear in the upcoming book, Bad Austen, to be published by the Sponsor. The runner up winners will receive two (2) copies of the finished book with a retail value of Twenty Three Dollars and Ninety Cents ($23.90).

All winners will be required to sign a Contributor Agreement within ten (10) days from the date it was sent, or another winner may be selected. The Contributor Agreement will grant exclusive permission for the Sponsor to publish the entry in all languages in any and all forms/media whether now known or hereafter invented and to exercise and grant to third parties any rights to the Work, throughout the world, for the full term of copyright.

No transfer or substitution of prizes except at Sponsor’s sole discretion. The value of any substituted prizes will be equal to or greater than that of the originally announced prizes. The non-cash portion of the prizes cannot be exchanged for cash. Transfer of the prize is prohibited. All taxes and all other expenses, costs, or fees associated with the acceptance of the prize are the sole responsibility of the Contest winners.

10. Publicity Release. If your entry is selected as a Contest winner, you agree that Sponsor may at its sole discretion use your name, photograph, and likeness for advertising, promotional, and other purposes in any media without further approval or compensation, except as may be prohibited by law. The winners’ names will be released to any participant who requests it in writing.

11. Reserved Rights. If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, tampering, unauthorized intervention, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of the Sponsor, the Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, modify or suspend the Contest. In the event that the Contest is cancelled or indefinitely suspended, the Contest winners will be selected from all entries received up to the time of the cancellation or suspension and all prizes will be awarded.

The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it believes has tampered with the entry process. The Sponsor, and its respective employees assume no responsibility for any error, omission, deletion, defect, or unauthorized access to the Contest entries. The Sponsor and its respective employees are not responsible for technical, hardware or software malfunctions of any kind, or failed, incorrect, incomplete, inaccurate, garbled, or delayed electronic communications caused by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Contest or by any human error which may occur in the processing of the entries in this Contest.

12. Winner Announcement. For the names of the winners of the Contest, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: F+W Media, Inc., BadAustin.com Contest, 57 Littlefield St., Avon, MA  02322.

13. Release and Limitation of Liability. By entering the Contest, entrants release and hold harmless the Sponsor and its respective employees from any and all losses, damages, rights, claims, and actions of any kind arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participation in the Contest, including without limitation any claims based on publicity rights and/or invasion of privacy. In no event will the Sponsor or its employees be responsible or liable for any damages or losses of any kind, including without limitation direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages, arising out of any aspect of participation in the Contest.

14. Comments and Questions. Any comments or questions with regard to this Contest can be submitted by email to: info@badausten.com or by regular mail to F+W Media, Inc., BadAustin.com Contest, 57 Littlefield St., Avon, MA 02322.