Formatting Guidelines
- Stories should follow proper manuscript format (Please follow this example, but don’t include your name within the document)
- PDF or Word Document file formats only
- Please note that our stories are judged blindly, so please don’t place identifying information such as your name, address, email, byline etc. within the body of the story. Instead, please place that information in your cover letter in the form below.
Eligibility
- Participants must either be currently residing in Pakistan, or be of Pakistani birth/descent
- Young and fledgling writers, irrespective of age and experience, are highly encouraged to submit to the Salam Award – we want to read your work more!
- Original content must be written entirely by you – AI-generated content is not allowed, nor are co-authors
- The story must be unpublished prior to this submission (not even on blogs) – simultaneous submissions are allowed, but please inform us if your submission is accepted elsewhere
- Entries must be in English
- Not more than 10,000 words
- One story per entrant please
Deadline
Please submit on or before July 31st of the award year (Midnight Pacific Standard Time)
What’s acceptable?
- The Salam Award invites Pakistani writers to interpret imaginative fiction as loosely or precisely as they would like. Anything from alien invasions to fantasy universes, and comic science fiction to dark fantasies is valid. The aim is to encourage imaginative fiction so anything that falls under the vast category of science fiction and fantasy, will be accepted. The scope is broad, so enjoy it!
- What’s not acceptable?
- We are not interested in sensationalist pieces, so it’s a no to excessive/graphic violence, animal cruelty, and/or pornography
- Hate speech against any community
- Please don’t quote another author or poet whose work is not in the public domain unless you have explicit permission from said author or poet.