RULES OF COMBAT



1. All competitors must be available and willing to read their stories on the designated night of the Slam

2. Each writer must come with three separate stories of no more than 200 words each. That's one story for each of the two opening rounds and one for the evening's final, assuming you progress through the competition. 

3. Each individual reading should not exceed four minutes (which is plenty of time to read a 200-word story). Any competitor who reads for longer than four minutes on one story will be disqualified from that round.

4. No poetry. This is a Slam for Short Short Stories only. If you have a good hunt, you should be able to find a kickass poetry slam somewhere in the city, but we only accept stories. 

5. Each story must be a unique, standalone piece and can be of any style and genre, including erotica and horror. Explicit language and dark subject matter is usually fine, but Flashtag reserve the right to disqualify any competitor who makes use of offensive and inappropriate material. 

6. Voting is conducted by the audience after each bout, but the Flashtag judges’ decision is final. 

7. Competitors do not have to pay the entrance fee of £1. Everyone else pays - there is no guest list. The entry fees help form the cash prize for the winner. 

8. All competitors must be over 18 as the bouts take place in a licensed venue.

9. The Slam is open to all writers – everyone from newcomers to Stephen King. You don’t have to be a published writer to take part in the skirmish.

10. No actual fighting. The words must be your only weapons.