To win short story competitions, you need to pay attention to character development. Make your characters relatable and complex. Also, polish your writing style to make it clear and vivid.
One popular one is the Young Writers' Award. It offers great opportunities for YA writers to showcase their talent. There's also the Teen Ink Contest, which gets a lot of entries each year. Both provide good platforms for young writers to get noticed.
As someone who loves reading novels, I don't have any real-time updates to answer your questions about the short story contest. However, you can follow the relevant novel websites or social media accounts to find out if they are holding a short story competition or essay contest and participating. Some novel websites would also regularly publish essay questions and competition requirements. You could read them carefully and participate in the competition if you met the requirements.
One idea could be a story about a jewel thief who targets a high - security museum during a major gala event. The thief has spent months planning, studying the security systems and the guards' routines. He manages to infiltrate the museum by posing as a catering staff member. But as he's about to grab the most precious diamond, he discovers that another thief is also there with the same plan. Now he has to outwit not only the museum's security but also this unexpected rival.
Start with a unique and captivating idea. Make your characters relatable and the plot engaging. Pay attention to the language and keep it concise and vivid.
In 'the perfect crime short story', the most interesting aspect might be the planning of the crime. Usually, in such stories, the criminal devises an elaborate plan that seems foolproof at first glance.
You could write a story where a jewel thief targets a famous actress during a high - profile awards ceremony. The thief manages to swap the real jewels for fakes right under everyone's noses, but leaves behind a single clue that a sharp - eyed security guard picks up on.
One idea could be a story about a detective who is investigating a series of art thefts in a small, wealthy town. The detective discovers that the thief is actually the curator of the local museum who is stealing the art to sell on the black market to pay off his gambling debts.
A crime short story could revolve around a con artist who targets wealthy, lonely widows. She befriends them, gains their trust, and then slowly drains their bank accounts. But one of her targets has a secret of her own - she was once a con artist too. This leads to a battle of wits between the two women, with the younger con artist realizing she may have bitten off more than she can chew.