Let the creative sparks fly. We’re looking for unpublished short-short fiction by local writers — original, captivating stories that are told in about a page or less. That’s right: Your story is limited to between 25 and 500 words.

Here’s how to get started: Choose one or more of the above items (on display now at the Valentine Richmond History Center) as a springboard for telling your story. Your allusion can be literal or loose, just make it inspired! And short.

We invite amateurs and professionals alike to submit up to five works. Winning entries will be published in Style Weekly May 14 and online at www.styleweekly.com. Authors of the winning entries will also be invited to read their stories as part of a Style Weekly fiction party in their honor at The Valentine Richmond History Center Tuesday evening, May 13.

Rules:

1. Authors must live in the Greater Richmond area (the cities of Richmond, Petersburg and Colonial Heights, the counties of Chesterfield, Henrico, Hanover, Goochland, and the towns of Ashland and Powhatan).

2. Authors may enter up to five entries, each between 25 and 500 words.

3. Stories must be previously unpublished. By submitting their entries, writers agree that Style Weekly has the right of first publication of their story. (The author may publish the story elsewhere following publication in Style Weekly.)

4. Entries must be submitted electronically to fiction@styleweekly.com no later than Tuesday, April 1, at noon.

5. Entries must follow submission guidelines, below.

Submission Guidelines:

1. Stories must be e-mailed to fiction@styleweekly.com.

2. Please include all of your entries (up to five) within the body of the e-mail.

3. Also, include your name, address, daytime telephone number and word count at the end of the story.

4. Please write “Fiction Contest” and your name in the subject line of the e-mail.

Winners:

Winning entries will be chosen for quality and cleverness of writing within the very short, “flash fiction” format of 25-500 words.

Grand Prize: One writer will receive $300, publication in the Style Weekly Fiction Issue and a reading at the Valentine Richmond History Center.

Runners-Up: Three runners-up will each receive $100, publication in the Style Weekly Fiction Issue and a reading at the Valentine Richmond History Center.

Additional Winners: Other stories may be chosen for publication in the Style Weekly Fiction Issue.