Category: News

You can still be a Spectator, but active competition will have to wait until next year. We have 34 entrants for the 2018 tournament, which is 1 shy of tying the all-time record set in 2015, and nearly double our number from last year. Way to go!

Round One of 2018’s Gauntlet honors the memory of Harlan Ellison. First Challenge: read and review “He Who Grew Up Reading Sherlock Holmes.”

Deadline: Sunday, September 9 @ 10PM Eastern Standard Time.

If you’ve been keeping time, and if you’ve been following along, then you know where we are. The Gauntlet is open for sign-ups. Let’s hear it for the brave souls who have joined up already! We’ve got two competitors, and a handful of spectators. I have a theory on the latter:

“Some people just want to watch the world burn.”

So let’s give them a show. First challenge announced on August 26.

It’s us. We’re back. Thank you for taking the plunge. We don’t think you’ll regret it.

First, a welcome goes out to all of you newcomers passing through Gauntlet City. And a hearty ‘welcome back’ goes out to those of you we’ve seen, and whose work we’ve had the pleasure of reading. Now, noting the sudden influx of entrants (we’re approaching 30), we think it’s time for a spray of bullets.

• (Yes, these kind)
• If you haven’t already, please visit the Gauntleteer Forum! This is your place to hang out, talk trash, post clever memes, and get into impromptu rap battles. [Checks watch] It may be a good time to introduce yourself. Along with right here, the forum is another place where we make announcements, and that’s where we prefer to hear all of your questions.
• Email is another tool at our disposal to answer questions about the Gauntlet, remind you of deadlines, or just prod you in general. We won’t spam you. Our emails often contain a link to posts made over in the forum. We also utilize email to obtain the right info in order to pay finalists money, and review their work.
• The judging make-up of the Gauntlet has undergone some changes as well. We lost two originals, but gained a shiny new judge. Her bio, along with the bios of us all, can be found here. Whatever you glean from it, I can guarantee she will not be easy on you.
• Finally, our webmaster (who rocks it like a hurricane) has just emerged from the winds of Mathew. This may mean that yours truly (an ill-qualified part-time blue dinosaur) may have to step up. I urge you to communicate any problems you may encounter here immediately, either via the contact form, or by posting a message in the forum. And, if you stumble across any glitches in coding or broken links whilst pursuing the site, you may communicate those to us also. But at least communicate them with sarcasm.

Remember, we’re going to be so close over the next couple of months that we’ll practically be family. And you know what they say? Familiarity breeds contempt.

You may win. You may lose. But you’ll remember you were here. All the best.

We’re coming at you once again, Gauntlet style!

That’s right, it’s the event that is not just some writing contest, calling those of you who are not just some writers and critics. 4 rounds of mind-sharpening challenges; tough deadlines, and cash prizes.

If you’ve never been a part of the underground’s tournament of legend, then the time for you is now.

Our first challenge will be announced Saturday, October 15, 2016.

Sign up here!