My first writing challenge - the finish line awaits but who wins?

I have big news to share!

Earlier on last semester, I was informed by the head of the English department in Stony Brook about a short story contest – the Lorian Hemingway short story competition, to be exact. The rules were that we had to write a short story, shorter than 3,000 words. We were not limited to any themes and we could write about anything, so long as it turned into a story. The story was due on May 1, with a 12 dollar fee or 17 dollar fee if you handed it in late (post marked from May 2 to May 15). This means that I had to create a short story by the end of the semester. Needless to say, I took advantage of my rainy spring break and nightly interims between sleep and wakefulness. Just as Hobbes said in his Leviathan, everything first comes from the imagination. There have been many times during the semester where I thought about what my story should be about. I was influenced by my surroundings. The numerous overcasts and songs that I felt were fitting for overcast days helped me produce one of the central aspects of my short story (the setting in fact, and ineluctably everything that falls under that). The prospect of a looming summer helped to set the setting in my story as well. Overall, during the whole semester leading up to my spring break, I had a short story in my mind. When my spring break came, I was on a mission – that of consolidating all my thoughts into words. I came into the spring break like a bundle of corn kernels and came out as an exploding bag of hot, freshly popped popcorn. Right before May 1, I mailed it in with the 12 dollar fee in the hopes of making a profit equivalent to the difference of 1000 and 12 or 500 and 12.

I’m warming up to the big news!

The guidelines in the Lorian Hemingway short story competition website, stated that the first prize winner will get $1000. Second and third prized winners will receive $500 each. There will also be a whole bunch of honors. I’m guessing that means plaques. Plaques are good. I’m hoping to win the first prize, but then again, this competition is international. She and other “judges” have read over a thousand short stories in the past couple of months. If not first place, then I want second or third. I would be happy with an honor plaque, but I really want first, second or third.

Now comes the big news!

Tonight at 3:00 am, Lorian Hemingway will choose the winners! I really hope I win at least something. The awards ceremony is going to take place all the way down in Key West, Florida. I don’t know if I’ll go over there to get any possible awards because that would mean spending my whole prize money going there and getting back or lose money if I get a plaque. Still, it’d be nice if I win something.