Michael Harvey, author of THE CHICAGO WAY and co-creator of Cold Case Files, Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, Time Out Chicago, and Intelligentsia invite you to try your hand at crime fiction for a chance to win publication of your story in Time Out Chicago. One grand prize and two runners-up will be chosen. Read on for complete rules and submission guidelines.

Sponsored by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, Time Out Chicago, and Intelligentsia.

The Chicago Crime Writers Competition Official Rules

1. This contest runs from July 10, 2008 through September 2, 2008. To enter, you must submit an original crime fiction short story set in Chicago of your own creation by mail postmarked no later than September 2, 2008 to The Chicago Crime Writers Competition, P.O. Box 1522, Radio City Station, New York, NY 10101-1522, and provide your name, age, phone number, and address. Entries may also be dropped off at any of the Intelligentsia locations in Chicago by September 2. For a list of locations, see www.intelligentsiacoffee.com. Entries will not be returned. The story must be a maximum of 3,000 words long, typed double-spaced; previously unpublished; and written in English. Entries longer than 3,000 words will not be eligible for the contest. Only one entry per person.
2. One winner and two runners-up will be chosen. The winning story will be published in Time Out Chicago and will also be evaluated by an editor at Vintage Books. The author of the winning story will receive a collection of crime fiction from Vintage Books / Black Lizard and a four month Roaster's Choice Subscription from Intelligentsia. The second and third prize winners will receive a collection of crime fiction from Vintage Books / Black Lizard and a coffee and tea gift box from Intelligenstia.
3. Winners will be chosen by Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc. ("Vintage Books"), Time Out Chicago, and Michael Harvey, author of The Chicago Way and The Fifth Floor, whose decisions are final on all matters related to this contest. Finalists will be chosen from received entries by Vintage Books editorial staff, and Michael Harvey will select the first prize winner and two runners-up based on their literary quality. Time Out Chicago will have final editorial approval. The odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. Please note that entries will not be acknowledged or returned, so please keep a copy of your work.
4. This contest is only open to legal residents of the United States. Employees, and their immediate family members, of Random House Inc., Time Out Chicago, and Intelligentsia, including affiliates and subsidiaries, are not eligible to enter. This contest is subject to all federal, state, and local regulations. Random House, Inc., Time Out Chicago, and Intelligentsia will not be responsible for payment of taxes on the value of any prize awarded hereunder.
5. By entering, entrants agree to abide by these rules and the decisions of Vintage Books and Time Out Chicago, and release Vintage Books, Intelligentsia, and Time Out Chicago, their parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers and agents from any and all liability for injuries, losses, or damages of any kind caused by participation in the contest or the acceptance, possession, or use/misuse of a prize. Entrants further warrant that the stories are original and do not infringe the intellectual property rights or any other rights of any third party.
6. The winner and the two runners-up will be notified by phone on or about September 18, 2008. Any winner or runner-up who is less than 18 years old will be required to furnish written consent to this use by a parent or legal guardian.
7. Vintage Books and Time Out Chicago reserve the right to use the winner's and runner-ups' full names for promotional purposes in all forms of media without notice, review, approval, or compensation, except where prohibited by law. By entering, the winner and agrees to the publication of their entries in Time Out Chicago without any approval or compensation.
8. Offer void where restricted or prohibited. No purchase necessary to enter.