All entries must be postmarked no later than May 31, 2006. Winners will be announced no later than July 31, 2006. To receive a winners list ensure that you supply a valid e-mail address or a SASE with valid Canadian postage or an international postage voucher (U.S. stamps do not work in Canada). Provided we continue to receive a sufficient number of high quality entries, by approximately mid October of 2006, Tall Tales Press will publish a high quality paperback book which will include the winning entries. Each of the authors whose story is used in this book will receive a free copy of the book shortly after the book's release date. The author will not incur any furthers cost, however if desired, subsequent books may be purchased by the authors at a reduced, wholesale price.

     Good writing skills are essential to any piece of literary work, but entries to the Hidden Talents Short Story Contest will be judged on much more. We believe that most readers are looking for a story that will entertain them, let them escape their everyday life for a short while and allow them to experience something new or exciting. An author can be a great writer but if he/she is unable to capture the reader's interest they have not succeed in being a great storyteller. Therefore all entries will be judged on storyline, character development, literary skills, and the overall composition.

     We at Tall Tales Press have also decided that we want to continue to nurture the minds of the young writers so once again we have included the Junior Writers section in this year's competition. Entrants in this category will find themselves challenged because we are looking for high quality stories which will be judged in the same manner as the rest of the contest. You are never too young to start writing, so put your pen to paper and let your imagination take you away.

     Our initial plans were to have a contest with no reading fees however, after much deliberation we came to the conclusion that there is a good reason most contests charge a reading fee. It takes a significant amount of time to read through each story we receive and give it the attention it deserves. By charging a reading fee we encourage authors to enter only their best stories as opposed to entering as many stories as possible in hopes of winning a cash prize. At Tall Tales Press we decided that if we had to charge a reading fee, we would keep it as low as possible while making sure the cash prizes were substantial.

     In ending let us say get out there and start writing, have fun doing it and good luck to all who enter. Oh, and please read and follow Contest Guidelines list below and then print and complete your Contest Entry Form.