A-CULTURATED WRITING COMPETITION

Welcome to all writers, new and old! We are really excited to announce A-Culturated's first ever competition with a cash prize!

If you aren't familiar with our publication already, we're a multi-cultural corner on Medium with the goal of giving a voice to writers from all over the world.

We're painfully aware of the fact that many Medium writers cannot earn money through the Medium Partner Program (because Stripe does not operate in their country), so cash competitions are one way we can spread the love, and the dollars more fairly.

Summer Competition, Doing Things Differently

The world has never been as globalised as it is now, which means we are constantly faced with differences. Different people, different lifestyles, different words or gestures, different ways of doing things, you name it.

Whether you never travel anywhere, or whether you do, we want you to turn your lens on your own culture(s) or sub-culture and the ways 'outsiders' or 'insiders' affect it, or you. By describing one, you can shine a light for the other.

For our first ever competition, we are looking for your stories about interacting with, or being in, different cultures and sub-cultures. Emphasis on what's different. Our topic is simple. Just use this formula to get you started:

(We / They) + Do Things Differently + (Here / There / Now / Then)

A traveller might write from the perspective, They do things differently there, or They do things differently here. A worker in the tourist industry might also write from that perspective — as well as We do things differently here.

Culture is a fluid thing, it is alive, it changes. These days it changes fast! Within your own culture(s) or sub-culture, you might observe, We do things differently now, or They did things differently then. And so on.

Change and especially cultural change can sound attractive and exciting to some; to others, it sounds scary and poses a threat. Our world is inundated by discrimination, ignorance and bigotry because so often we can't look beyond the surface of our differences, and simply write them out altogether.

Readers love stories about a personalised interaction or conflict of cultures; stories about the small understandings, the dilemmas, the expectations, and the serious, major differences.

When they're told with humour, satire or reasoned argument (not a rant), when the writer and the writer's world is illuminated for us, we engage. If resolution was achieved, so much the better, and be sure to include it in your narrative!

Important Details

In the name of transparency, we'll share what we are really after with all of this.

Quality stories from intercultural voices.

Our publication is small but growing, and we hope to grow it even more through this competition. But we're not just looking for a quick listicle or travelogue of your latest vacation.

We're looking for an intercultural discussion and exploration. We want you to unpack culture through personal narratives, research, observations, you name it! We want your best work — thoughtful, balanced, well-crafted and interesting.

Don't forget, we are part of the Boost Nomination Pilot program, so your entry in the competition always has a chance to be nominated or boosted.

If you are not a writer for us already, head over to our Submission Guidelines and fill in our form to be added as a writer. To join this competition, you must join A-Culturated and follow our pub.

Competition Dates & Judges

  • Stories will be accepted between July 9th and August 31st 2024 at 11:59 Pacific Time (Los Angeles).
  • If you submit your piece after the final date, we will not consider it for the competition, but will happily consider it as a normal submission.
  • Judges include both A-Culturated editors (Maria Garcia and Lucinda Munro Cook) who will not participate in the competition (obviously) and will announce the winners on September 8th 2024 in an announcement article.
  • Judging criteria. We will be evaluating your submissions based on the originality, human-touch, impact, experience, knowledge, craftsmanship, and style of your piece. We will also be considering the audience's engagement as well as your interaction with your readers, as community building is very important to us here at A-Culturated.

Competition Rules

note: if you don't read these gorgeous rules, and submit a piece that doesn't comply with them, your submission will not be entered into the competition.

  • Follow A-Culturated
  • Become a writer if you haven't already
  • Follow the rules of the publication
  • Follow the Medium Rules
  • Submit up to 2 entries only
  • Entries must be a minimum length of 4 minutes.
  • We will be making light/minor edits (e.g. grammar, spell check) but we will not be making structural edits like we do for our regular submissions. As this is a competition, with money on the line, we are looking for your BEST work. We expect you to give it your all, and read our guidelines and writer support articles to help guide you.
  • Mention 2 competition entries at the bottom of your draft. After at least five entries have been published, please choose two of your favourites and link them, as well as the author's name (type the @ button and then type the name, like this: Maria) at the end of your piece. Be sure to tell readers what you like about these submissions, as this promotes intercultural engagement and community building. All things we love, and will consider in our judging…
  • Include the link to this competition story at the bottom of your competition story. That way the word will spread.
  • One topic tag for your story must be "A Culturated Competition", as this way, your story will go straight to the "Competition" tab in our publication, and other writers can get inspired by it :)
  • Add the following kicker in CAPS to your story: DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY | COMPETITION

What Are The Prizes?

Okay, let's get to the good stuff. Yes, there is a cash prize, but don't forget that a quality story may also get your story nominated for a boost, as we are in the NBP. So even if you don't win the grand prize, you can still win a boost.

First prize:

$50 plus the tips pot *note: money will be awarded as soon as possible. Please make sure you have or set up your Medium tipping button — a Kofi/Buy Me A Coffee/Pay Pal tips account so we can transfer the money. Without activating your tipping system, we won't be able to pay you.

5 honorable mentions:

Featured at the top of our "Competition" tab for the whole season.

Bonus Tips Pot:

To make matters more interesting, we have set up a tipping page "Buy A-Culturated a coffee" which will serve as an extra pot of gold for the winner.

Entry to the competition is free, but if by any chance you, or someone you know, might have some change to spare to raise the stakes, the prize will be raised. All of the money in the tips pot at the end of the competition will be added to the prize money.

Since our ultimate goal is to grow our publication, we want to continue these competitions in the future, so any tips after the competition will go straight towards the next competition's prize pot.

We hope you are just as excited about this as we are, and we can't wait to read all of your stories!

Happy writing!

Love from,

The A-Culturated Team