The requirements for a short story competition can vary. It could be that you have to submit your story by a certain deadline, stick to a particular style of writing, and make sure your story hasn't been published elsewhere before.
To win, you need a compelling opening to hook the judges. Develop complex characters they can relate to. And, proofread carefully to eliminate any errors.
First, come up with an interesting idea. Make it unique and something that will catch the judges' attention. Then, focus on creating well-developed characters and a clear plot. Also, pay attention to your writing style - keep it engaging and easy to follow.
Once upon a time, there was a pistol competition in a small town. The competitors were all kinds of characters. One guy showed up with a really old - fashioned pistol that looked like it was from a cowboy movie. When he fired, instead of hitting the target, it made a huge puff of smoke and the bullet went flying off in a completely wrong direction. Everyone burst out laughing, even the serious judges couldn't hold back their smiles.
Well, to judge a short story competition, you first need to look at the plot. Is it engaging and coherent? Also, check the character development. Are the characters believable and well-rounded?
In a short story, the equipment used in the pistol competition can make it funny. Imagine if all the pistols were painted in bright, neon colors. Or if one of the pistols was a toy - like replica that made funny noises instead of a normal gunshot sound. And the competitors' reactions to these strange pistols would add to the humor. For instance, a serious - looking man getting all flustered when his neon - colored pistol jams. Moreover, if there are animals involved, like a dog running onto the range and chasing after the ejected cartridges, that would be really hilarious.
The grand prize of the 2012 short story competition was titled " The Three-Body Problem " and the author was Liu Cixin. The novel was a science fiction novel about the confrontation and conflict between the humans on Earth and the civilizations from the three-body galaxy. After the novel was published, it received widespread praise and became one of the representative works of Chinese science fiction literature.