Imagine if you were the next writer published in over 500 Short Story Dispensers worldwide. Starting on September 29^th you could be! 

What is it?

The Long Story Short Award is an annual writing competition organized by Short Édition, featuring participation from over 20 universities globally this year. Temple University Libraries is proud to join in, and we eagerly await your submissions. Read on to discover more about the contest, application process, submission guidelines, and the selection criteria for winners. 

Stay Tuned for Updates! 

Mark your calendars for September 29th when we will unveil the theme on our website! 

Contest Duration 

The Contest opens on September 29th at 09:00 a.m. EST and close on November 2nd at 11:59 p.m. EST. 

All submitted works will be published on the contest webpage on November 3rd. The public will be invited to participate in the selection of the public winner by voting for their favorite story from November 3rd through November 23rd. During this time, the editorial team will select one jury’s winner and one jury’s coup de cœur (jury’s favorite). The winners will be announced on December 3rd! 

General Submission Conditions 

No purchase is required to submit or to win the Contest. All the Submissions will be reviewed by the Organizer’s editorial team to ensure they comply with the Contest Official Rules. Each submission can be disqualified if it does not comply with the Contest Official Rules. Each submission must be new, unpublished, original and written by the submitting Author and shall be written in English. 

The submission process is entirely electronic via the contest website. No paper manuscripts will be accepted. The submission form is copy/paste format. 

Specific Submission Conditions 

Submissions must not exceed 7,500 characters (including spaces). 

Submissions must be only short stories. We do not accept poetry. 

One submission per Author 

Author Eligibility 

All Authors must create their author account online and submit their Submission using a valid university email address, for example Charles.Library@temple.edu. 

Authors shall choose their own username while creating their author account — this username will therefore be associated with their Submission when published on the Contest website — and shall also provide their full name and contact information to the Organizer via their online account profile. The Organizer must be able to easily get in touch with each Author for any reason. 

After Submission, each Author will be emailed a confirmation of receipt. Authors will receive an email if there is a change in status of their Submission. 

Publication 

All submitted works will be published on the contest webpage on November 3, 2025. 

Winners 

Once the works are published on the Contest website, the Online Community will have two weeks to vote for their favorite story. Members of the Online Community can vote for as many stories as they wish, but only vote once for each story. Members of the Online Community can comment on as many stories as they wish. 

The Organizer’s editorial team will select amongst the submissions one winner and one Coup de cœur. There will also be an Online Community winner (hereinafter referred to as “Public Winner”), which will be the story who receives the most Online Community votes. 

The Prizes 

• For the Jury’s Winner: a monetary prize of $550 USD 

• For the Jury’s Coup de cœur: a monetary prize $400 USD 

• For the Public Winner: a monetary prize of $550 USD

Monetary prizes will be paid to the recipients via Paypal or a wire-transfer by the Organizer. Jury Winner, Public Winner and Coup de cœur are each solely responsible for any applicable taxes on their prize money. 

The universities of the public and jury-chosen winners will be awarded free Short Story Discs and eco-friendly paper rolls. 

Voting Conditions 

The offering of incentives or any other counterpart in exchange for votes or comments is strictly prohibited. The use of bots and/or robotic submissions is prohibited. The Organizer has the right to delete any vote, at any time, where it suspects that such vote violated at least one of the previously mentioned Contest Official Rules, without any liability towards the member of the Online Community or the Author. 

Members of the Online Community can vote for as many Qualifying Submissions as they wish, but only vote once for each Qualifying Submission. Members of the Online Community may comment on as many Qualifying Submissions as they wish. 

Check back in with us in late September 

The theme will be posted on our website on September 29th, be sure to check back in with us then to find out how you can become the next writer published in over 500 Short Story Dispensers worldwide. 

Dive into the fall 2025 semester at Temple University with Temple Libraries by your side! Our extensive resources, knowledgeable staff, and tailored services are here to propel your academic success. Let us be your partner in unlocking new possibilities and achieving your goals. 

In this post you’ll learn ways to use the Libraries to your advantage this academic year. Be sure to check out our website for more resources, and ways to connect with us! 

Find What You Need to succeed  

The Libraries provide access to a broad range of physical and online materials—including books, journals, articles, music, and movies—all discoverable through Library Search.  

If it’s rare or unique archival materials you’re after, learn more about the Special Collections Research Center and the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection and/or peruse our digital collections.  

Personalized Research Support at Your Fingertips 

Embarking on a research project or paper? Our dedicated team of subject librarians and specialists are here to guide you every step of the way. No matter your field of study or academic pursuit, we have an expert librarian or specialist well-versed in your discipline, ready to provide tailored assistance. 

Connecting with your personal research guru is a breeze. Simply choose the mode that suits you best: 

• Chat: Our 24/7 chat service ensures you’ll always have a knowledgeable librarian or specialist at your disposal, no matter when inspiration strikes. 

• Email: Prefer the written word? Fire off an email, and your librarian or specialist will respond promptly with insightful guidance. 

• Appointments: For in-depth consultations, schedule a virtual or in-person appointment at your convenience. Your librarian or specialist will be fully dedicated to your research needs. 

With our comprehensive support services, you’ll quickly find your way to the best academic resources for your project.  

Research at Your Own Pace 

Once you’ve reviewed your syllabi, explore our curated Research Guides for subjects, courses, and research skill development expertly assembled by subject librarians and specialists. 

Develop your research skills through self-paced tutorials. We also offer tailored undergraduate and graduate user guides to kickstart your library journey seamlessly. 

Each semester the Libraries compile a list of digitally available textbooks that may substitute for required or recommended course textbooks. They are available to students at no cost.  

Helpful Tips! 

Link Google Scholar to Temple Libraries, so that the Find Full-Text @ Temple links will always appear. Go to our customized settings screen, check off Temple University Libraries link, and click Save! 

Add LibKey Nomad to your browser to ease your browsing abilities! LibKey Nomad is a browser extension that facilitates access to the Libraries’ full text resources as you find research on the web. LibKey Nomad provides one-click access to full text from websites like PubMed, Wikipedia and publisher pages.  Go to the Download Libkey Nomad website. Click on the icon for your browser of choice and follow the prompts to add the extension. Choose Temple University as your institution. 

Access Tech! 

Need to print or photocopy something? Or just need a computer? Take advantage of the laptop lending program and charging options. Investigate Temple’s Print on the Go service for all your printing needs! 

Explore Spaces to Study! 

We offer a variety of open seating options to satisfy student needs for individual and group study. Students can also book study rooms ahead of time at Charles Library and the Ginsburg Health Sciences Library. 

If you are interested in making use of the Libraries’ advanced equipment and technology, visit the Loretta C. Duckworth Scholars Studio in Charles Library and the Innovation Space at Ginsburg Health Sciences Library. 

The Scholars Studio has many spaces to create in, such as the Tech Sandbox, the Makerspace, and the Media Production Studio. The media production studio is a room designed for individuals and groups to record and edit audio for podcasts, music, and more! It contains a PC and Mac setup as well as professional recording equipment, so no matter what you’re used to working with, we’ve got you covered. It can be reserved from Monday-Friday between the hours of 9AM and 5PM and is open to students, faculty, and staff of Temple University. 

Attend Our Free Events and Workshops! 

We host various events and workshops throughout the academic year. In addition, we’ll be offering a lineup of concerts, conversations, and specialized workshops, on everything from CV writing to 3D printing.  

As always, our events and workshops are free and open to all. 

 Stay Up to Date! 

Follow us on social media and sign up for our mailing list to get future updates from the Libraries, including upcoming events and exhibits, featured resources, and more.