The Rules*

• Open to all registered members of Capricon 24.
• Each entry must consist of a single sentence, but you may submit as many entries as you wish.
• Sentences may be of any length (though you go beyond 50 or 60 words at your peril), and entries must be "original" (as it were) and preferably unpublished (or not widely published prior to submission), or, at least, plagarized from someplace the judges won't recognize.
• There are no set categories. That said, all entries should include a category which you yourself create. There will be a winner for "best category" as well as best sentence..
• It is preferred that entries are submitted via the form provided on our web site however, if for some reason this does not work for you, the following alternatives are available:
  
  Surface mail entries should be submitted on index cards, the sentence on one side and the entrant's name, address, and phone number on the other. Submit to:
  
  Dark and Stormy Night Contest
  Capricon 24
  P.O. Box 60085
  Chicago, IL 60660
  
  Email entries should be in the body of the message, NOT in an attachment. Please submit one entry per e-mail. Send all-e mail entries to: planet@capricon.org

The official deadline for submission via the web site or e-mail is January 26. Entries submitted by postal mail should be sure to arrive a week prior to that. After that date, we've all be at the convention and will not be checking for any further entries. Judging will happen after the first full night of no sleep, as we have determined that this contest is best undertaken in a state of sleep deprivation.

The Judges' decisions are final, and will be completely arbitrary, if not downright capricious. Some of us like atrocious puns (you take your chances). Bribery may or may not work, but feel free to attempt it. (The Judges especially like dark chocolate)

The esteemed judges are:
Tracey Callison
Eloise Mason (nee Beltz-Decker)
Moshe Yudkowsky

*we say rules, but really, if you make an especially good case for something we're always open to suggestions. So, one might say that they're more in the nature of guidelines**

**except for the one sentence thing. That, we're firm on.