SHORT STORY COMPETITION – TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. Promoter

The competition is conducted by Desktop Story (“the Promoter”).

2. Competition Period

Entries open at 08:00am AEST on Sunday 14 June 2026 and close at 11:59pm AEST on Friday 31 July 2026.

Entries received after this date will not be considered.

3. Eligibility

a. Entry is open worldwide.

b. Entrants must be at least 18 years of age or have the permission of a parent or guardian.

c. Employees, contractors and immediate family members of the Promoter may enter but are not eligible to win.

4. Entry Requirements

a. Entries must be original works of non-fiction written by the entrant.

b. Stories must not infringe the copyright or intellectual property rights of any other person.

c. Stories must not have been generated entirely by artificial intelligence.

d. The maximum word count is 1000 words.

e. Entries must be submitted by email to hello@desktopstory.com.

f. Entrants may submit under their legal name or a pen name.

g. One entry per person unless otherwise stated.

5. Judging

a. Entries will be judged by the Promoter or appointed judges.

b. Judging will be based on creativity, originality, storytelling and overall quality.

c. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

6. Prizes

First Prize: AUD $100 Amazon gift voucher which will be delivered to the winner via email. Second Prize: AUD $50 Amazon gift voucher which will be delivered to the winner via email.

The Promoter reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal value if necessary.

Prizes are not transferable, exchangeable or redeemable for cash.

7. Winner Notification

Winners will be notified by email within 30 days of the competition closing date.

If a winner cannot be contacted within 30 days, the Promoter may select an alternative winner.

8. Copyright and Publication

a. Copyright remains with the author.

b. By entering, entrants grant the Promoter a non-exclusive, royalty-free worldwide licence to publish, display, reproduce and promote the submitted story in connection with the competition.

c. Winning entries may be published on the competition website for a period of up to 6 months from the date of publication.

d. Stories may be published using the entrant’s pen name if requested.

e. The author will be credited whenever reasonably practicable.

9. Disqualification

The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify entries that:

• are incomplete;
• contain offensive, defamatory or unlawful material;
• breach these Terms and Conditions;
• are found not to be the entrant’s original work.

10. Liability

To the extent permitted by law, the Promoter accepts no responsibility for lost, late, misdirected or corrupted entries or any technical issues affecting participation.

11. Changes or Cancellation

The Promoter reserves the right to amend, suspend or cancel the competition where necessary due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control.

12. Acceptance

Submission of an entry constitutes acceptance of these Terms and Conditions.