Bantam Spectra Unpublished author contest
Who can enter: Any one who has never published a story and is not under contract by Fall 2009
What to enter: SF/F/H/new weird, etc short story 2000 words or less
Prize: $100 and publication in Bantam Spectra’s promo magazine for Comic Con 2009
Is this another one of those “We take all your rights” contests? NO! Bantam takes first rights to publish and nonexclusive rights to reproduce (online etc). At $100 for a max of 2000 words this is a professional sale.
But? But they really do want works by people who have never, ever been published before. The fine print even says that the story cannot have been submitted to a market before and cannot have been posted online. Make sure to read the full contest rules (because the method of submission is hidden in them) and know what you are getting into with this contest. However, IMHO it can be a great opportunity as the winner will get an official pro sale and have their work distributed along side Bantam’s biggest promoted pros at Comic Con.