Writing Contest 2k16

TMCContest2k16

Salam!

In our introduction, we promised that there would be a few competitions/contests related to writing. Well here we are, as promised, to hold the very first competition of @TheMuslimCommunity and we're super excited!

If you're interested and do not have time, it's still super easy to participate because the process is simple and the topic has huge scope and we'll accept as many entries as we can get; so go ahead and start writing –

THE TOPIC:

--- Write anything that ends with "...and the moment had passed" ---

This means that you can write anything ranging from poetry, scripts, essays or short stories. However, while there is great scope, there are certain rules for your piece of writing:

It must be related to Islam in some way – make Muslim characters, talk about religion, do whatever; it's up to you but please do remember that the theme is Islam!

Your piece of writing should be under 1000 words (a few more or less can surely be excused!) – it can be shorter but not too short especially when dealing with stories or essays. A story/essay under 250 words will either not be accepted or marked with very low points.

Your grammar/spelling is important; poor use of language makes anything unattractive. For most of you, English may not be your first language so there is some leverage – the weightage for grammar is considerably less than creativity. But still, try to run it through grammar/spelling checks and edit your piece, we don't mind.

Your story must be in English. If you still wish to participate though I hardly doubt that, run it through the Google Translator and mention that you have because the translator tends to be a little inefficient at some points.

Your piece cannot be an excerpt from your novel.

THE MARKING CRITERIA:

We will not be announcing all of your points (except for the winners) but if you wish to know, you can PM us. You will be marked as follows:

10 points for creativity

5 points for grammar

3 points for relevance

2 bonus points

Bonus points are easy to get – all you have to do is submit within the deadline or use any Qur'anic or Hadith references in your piece. You can use them in between your poetry or as an introduction for your story. These are just examples; use them however you want. But make sure they are relevant and correct – these are the words of Allah and the Prophet (ﷺ), so please make sure you're respectful! Also, just a reminder that references are not important as long as you submit within the deadline. If you do not and don't add the reference, you are most likely to lose 2 points, which could be the difference between a first and second position.

THE ENTERING PROCESS:

Entering the competition is pretty easy. As soon as you have written your piece, post it on Wattpad – post it as an individual book and not inside another book – and do the following:

Put the tag #TMCContest2k16.

Dedicate the chapter to @TheMuslimCommunity

In your chapter, before you start the story, mention our individual names (both of them) @Breathing_Ink and @SomerHeart so that we can easily read it from our individual accounts.

Mention the word count at the start of your piece.

All of the above should be followed as your piece will otherwise be disqualified.

THE DEADLINE:

The deadline is 30th August, 2016 GMT+5. However, there is some leniency – we will accept your entries till 3rd September, 2016, no later than that. But do remember that submitting after the 3rd will lose you bonus points – though, fret not, you can always add references and earn bonus points. (look under the marking criteria for detail on bonus points)

The results will be announced sometime between 15th to 20th September – this will be subject to the number of entries.

THE JUDGES:

That would be the two of us, of course – @Breathing_Ink and @SomerHeart. We will try, in sha Allah, to be fair and we will not be biased, no matter what.

THE PRIZES:

For the Winner:

A promotion on our twitter account (It's called @muslimswattpad, check it out! It's where updates on the contest will be posted)

You will be featured in our individual profiles.

You will be featured in @TheMuslimCommunity profile.

The story will be posted in this book, and our Muslims On Wattpad book.

If you're up for an interview and want to be featured in our Interviews book, then why not? Though, that is a choice – entirely up to you.

And lastly, but not the least; votes on every chapter of all of your stories plus a follow – how cool is that?!

For the Runners-up:

There will be a second and a third prize:

A promotion on our individual profiles,

A promotion on @TheMuslimCommunity profile,

Your piece will be posted in this book,

Votes on every chapter of your story (only one of them, you get to choose which one).

Second prize will get a follow and third will not, to keep the difference.

In case of two people ending up with second position for example, then the third position holder will be cancelled out and both of the second position holders will get a follow plus the listed prizes.

So, that's a wrap – I hope you guys are just as excited as I am. (I am going weeee in my mind, to be honest.) But anyway, I want you all to know that we want this contest to be a success and we cannot do this without your entries; so grab a cup of tea (or coffee or soda or whatever it is that y'all drink...) and start writing!

If you want to stay updated on the contest and the entries we're reading/marking, we'll be tweeting on /muslimswattpad, which is our twitter account. Moreover, if you have any queries, comment below or tweet to us and we'll reply soon, Insha Allah. Ti

P.S. If you have a problem with the rules or the deadline, comment below. We have no problem extending the deadline but not by too much, of course.

Signing out,

Jazakumullahu khair,

Rida & Zikra.