Fantasy Contest

Baen is holding a fantasy story contest: "Write a short story of no more than 8,000 words. It must be a work of fantasy, though all fantasy genres are open, e.g. epic fantasy, heroic fantasy, sword and sorcery, contemporary fantasy, etc." What they want to see: "Adventure fantasy with heroes you want to root for. Warriors either modern or medieval, who solve problems with their wits or with their sword--and we have nothing against dragons, elves, dwarves, castles under siege, urban fantasy, damsels in distress, or damsels who can’t be bothered to be distressed." What they don't want to see: "Political drama with no action, angst-ridden teens pining over vampire lovers, religious allegory, novel segments, your gaming adventure transcript, anything set in any universe not your own, “it was all a dream” endings, or screenplays." Prizes: "The Grand Prize winner will be published as the featured story on the Baen Books main website and paid at industry-standard rates for professional story submittals. The author will also receive an handsome engraved award and a prize package containing various Baen Books. Second and Third place winners will receive a prize package containing various Baen Books." No reprints, electronic submissions only, see contest page for more details. Deadline: June 30th, 2014.