Author Paulo Coelho will judge a fable writing-contest at the young adult writing community, Figment. The winner will receive $1,000 in prize money.
Here are more details about the contest: “Your challenge is to write a fable (a short story with a moral) in less than 1200 words, set in a fictional country on the day before the final battle in a devastating war. Paulo Coelho will read the finalists and decide the winner. Which is kind of like having your poem read by Robert Frost or your play read by Arthur Miller. Which is, well, amazing.”
Internet voters will determine the ten finalists. Writers have until Saturday, June 19th to submit their fables. Voting will end on Friday, July 1st.
Coelho originally released his fable, The Alchemist, in 1988. Last year HarperCollins released a graphic novel adaptation. Fans outside of Brazil and Turkey will have to wait until September for the worldwide release of Coelho’s latest novel, Aleph.