Just got this media release and I’ve decided to chop it up and post it verbatim. If you enter, please post your story in the comments section of this blog! Cheers, Tim:

Microfiction: Text Message Writing Competition
text message. it’s the new short story.

A mobile phone and email account in Newcastle, NSW are currently working
overtime receiving the creative writing efforts of young writers from around
Australia.

ONEFIFTY is an innovative writing competition conceived by the Hunter
Writers’ Centre. This unusual project requires young writers (aged under 30)
to submit microfiction via a text message or email.

“Microfiction” is a short story that is usually around 250 words, however,
the ONEFIFTY project pushes young writers’ skills and imagination by having
a limit of 150 words or less for email entries, and 150 characters for text
entries.

“We have had hundreds of entries from all over the country and the range of
styles we have seen submitted has been fantastic. The ability of some of
these young writers is just amazing – instead of seeing the word count as a
limitation they have embraced the idea as a challenge,” says Micky
Pinkerton, Project Coordinator.

ONEFIFTY was established in 2006 with seed funding from the Australia
Council for the Arts. Since then 3 e-zines of selected entries have been
published and over 60 young writers, aged between 12 and 29, have been paid
for their stories.

“ONEFIFTY has received a lot of support from creative writing and
communication departments in universities and TAFEs, and school teachers
have been using ONEFIFTY as a assignment for their students,” continues Ms
Pinkerton. “There have been days when the mobile beeps all the ways through
recess and lunchtime as high school students send in their SMS stories!”

In addition to the potential for young writers to learn valuable
self-editing skills via ONEFIFTY, the project organizers see the
remuneration of e-zine contributors as its key premise.

“So many writers, and young writers especially, produce work for free for
magazines,” says Ms Pinkerton. “It’s reasonable to argue that this has led
to a situation where the work of writers is continually undervalued and the
most extreme conclusion of this can be seen in the current writers strike in
the US affecting Hollywood movies and TV shows. By paying writers as young
as 12 we hope to also instill a sense of financial worth to what they do and
not just a creative pride.”

ONEFIFTY is open to all writers aged under 30, living anywhere in Australia.
Submission for e-zine 4 close 31st January, 2008.

check out the website for more info and previous e-zines www.onefifty.com.au

Micro stories of 150 words or less can be submitted email to
story@onefifty.com.au

Micro Mini Stories of 150 characters or less (including spaces and
punctuation) via SMS to 0403 274 203.