The contest is over. The winner is: Tuneh. A story about two sisters.

UPDATES:
No, your story does not have to be a real life story. 
No, you don't have to write 7500 words. 
No, you don't have to wait until the deadline before you submit.  The earlier you submit, the better. 
No, you shouldn't write any dialog unless absolutely essential.  This is not a play.

Hello,

I'm Seun Osewa, the successful founder of this website and an up and coming film-maker. 

I hereby announce a short story writing competition open to all Nairaland members.  The winner gets a cash prize of 25,000 naira and a "story by" credit in a movie based on the winning entry.

SOME GUIDELINES:

1) At least 75% of your story should take place in a secondary school.  Your 2-5 main characters should be teachers, students, parents, or others in the environment.

2) Your story should tackle issues relevant to secondary school students in Nigeria: sexuality, poverty, academics, strikes, NEPA, etc.  It should be a realistic Nigerian high school story.

3) Your story should be cinematic. It should hinge on what your characters do and say (powerful visuals, sounds) rather than their hidden thoughts or feelings. Try to avoid anything unfilmable.

4) Just try to write a really good story. We will review every story submitted.

WHAT TO DO:

Send your story to .  Your email should be titled "Short Story Competition"

Submit On Or Before: Monday, 1st September 2008 at 11:59pm.  Length: 75 - 7500 words. 

Thanks.  Any questions?

Shouldn't we just write a screenplay or script if we can?

Good idea, but you can dig deeper into your pocket, motivation, motivation,

Should it be written in a play or story format??

Scammer!!!! So if thousands of nairalanders here write you the story, It's only one person you will give 25,000, what about others who cracked there head to write you the story? they got nothing?? or what about those whose stories are not what you expect but almost, you will definitely make use of them, still they too get nothing? only the winner get the money
I go see how many people go fall for this sha!

will the person play a good role in the movie? and with the name of the person as the story write.?

@ Chaoga,i pitty you oo!

this is a very good idea
i will try my best
make i chop small out of our admin money

Chaoga:

Scammer!!!! So if thousands of nairalanders here write you the story, It's only one person you will give 25,000, what about others who cracked there brain to write you the story? they got nothing?? or what about those whose stories are not what you expect but almost, you will definitely make use of them, still they too get nothing? only the winner get the money
I go see how many people go fall for this sha!

Jeebus! A little harsh, no?

Here's a radical idea. . . If you don't want to participate - DON'T!!! Shocking? I know!!! It's amazing how many people don't know they can do that, that they have the power, that the choice is theirs.

Broda Seun,

doesnt have 2 b a real life story, does it?

So Seun even you want to use people head. better ask for scripts and negotiate with the writer if you need good ones for I beline will not submit to this scam oh sorry competition and submit my work to you for your own benefit.

@adekennis
   Did he told you he's gonna share the money between two people or among you people who write him story?

@ Sisikill
  Who told you i am participating? I got my job.

@Beline
You got what i mean

@ Sisikill again, I am not sounding harsh but could be blunt sometimes.

@ Seun
Goodluck in finding magas.

seun i no sabi write, but u need someone to act a scene for u, im game.

Chaoga:


@ Sisikill
Who told you i am participating? I got my job.

@ Sisikill again, I am not sounding harsh but could be blunt sometimes.

Jeebus!!! Typical Naija Mindset at work here. Someone tries to help, the first thing you think is "What? He’s not requesting the tongue of my first born child in return! It's got to be a scam".

Why is that. . . I wonder? Is it because people are used to having to crawl on glass, walk on hot coals, lick and suck away on someone's shalanga water soaked shoes, give their right arm, leg and left ear as jara, sell their grandmothers and her friend is she happens to be visiting grandma that day . . . to get help? What. . . if someone isn't asking for a pint of your anemic blood then it's got to be fake, right?

Whoa! What a sad, sad, sad way to live life. . . I imagine it must be terribly bothersome to walk around all day with a butcher knife in your purse for quick chopping access, just incase you meet someone who is willing to help you in exchange for your pinky. . . the left one. Have I said what a sad way to live? Well it bears repeating. . . it is a sad, sad way to live.

Is there a possibility that ideas can be culled from script sent in? Abso-freaking-lutely! This, my skeptic-name calling friend is the risk attached to a Business like this. Every business has its risks and if we all sat back twiddling our thumbs because we’re oh so afraid of being used or losing then nothing will ever get done.

Nothing ventured, Nothing gained. . . you ever heard of that? Won’t be surprised if you haven’t, after all you are here with your job having self, telling people not to venture. I suppose it’s the innate need in the mediocre to try to convince others to join their club, I hear it makes ‘em feel better about themselves. So, I was going to ask you…why if you have no intention of submitting anything, do you care about this but I think I answered my question. . . the mediocre club joining thingy I mean.

Well best of luck in your little safe cocoon and make sure you don’t speak too loudly. . . you don’t know who is lurking ready to steal the words you utter and use it for their own personal gain. The rest of us will go out there and take risks, so at the end of the day. . . we don’t look back and kick ourselves for opportunities lost.

Oh man! Now I feel bad for all the things I’ve said. . . okay, I’ll give you something in return. You are allowed to come back here and tell us “I told you so”. . . that makes you smile doesn’t it? I knew it would! I hear people like you. . . people who are quick to discourage others from taking chances I mean, sure looooove to say “I told you so”. There you have it and listen, there’s no limit to how many times you can say it, okay? Have ya self a ball!!!

this is a good initiative, but that money is too small for such time consuming task.
anyway,try look for a away in increasing that pay say like 50000-75000 naira.and i assure you weill get the exact thing you want from someone you dont expect,

try me, lol, am on it man!!!

hmm, i see

that reminds me, if i send you my story,which i know every producer will want to use and you get to use it and i get nothing,consider your self in trouble,
am a fan of movies generally and i will be on the watch out every day,

remeber,ideas are not for free, and its crime to steal ones idea and it punishable under the rule of law, will be back,

Nice.

ice_zik:

Shouldn't we just write a screenplay or script if we can?

Yes, that is allowed, but not preferred.  Writing prose allows you to concentrate on the story and not the format or dialog.

UNLEASHED:

Should it be written in a play or story format??

I strongly recommend the story format, but you can use any format you are comfortable with.

joyblinks:

will the person play a good role in the movie? and with the name of the person as the story write.?

You will get a story by credit.  e.g. "STORY BY: Joyblinks."  or "Based On The Short Story 'Loverboy' Written by Joyblinks". The actual screenplay may or may not be written by you.  If it is, you will also be paid and credited for that.

Chaoga:

It's only one person you will give 25,000, what about others who cracked their brain to write you the story? they got nothing??

"Cracking your brain" is not a bad thing because it makes you a better writer.  Practice makes perfect.  Ask Adichie.

Moyola:

Broda Seun,
doesnt have 2 b a real life story, does it?

No, but like every good story, it should be believable.

Beline:

better ask for scripts and negotiate with the writer if you need good ones

I'm looking for an compelling original story, not a script.  Many good storytellers can't write scripts.

adekennis:

this is a very good idea
i will try my best
make i chop small out of our admin money

That's the spirit.

Sisikill, thanks for the support jare.  I'm not looking for ideas, I'm looking for a story that I can make a movie with this year.  If one could just throw random  ideas together to get a good story, I would have done so with imdb.

s.ibrahim:

that reminds me, if i send you my story,which i know every producer will want to use and you get to use it and i get nothing,consider your self in trouble,
am a fan of movies generally and i will be on the watch out every day,

remeber,ideas are not for free, and its crime to steal ones idea and it punishable under the rule of law, will be back,

After all this hustling you gain nothing or 25,000. very poor percentage

I wish I could participate but I cannot write anything close to 7500 and still make a lot of sense  Though Seun, I wrote something a while ago about high school so you and those who want to write something can take a look at it and add it to your script(s) if you want to free of charge https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=149836.msg2527622#msg2527622

ok

@Chaoga
It's very obvious that you're not a writer. I wonder what you're doing on this thread. Most writers get rejected a hundred thousand times before they get published. As successful as Harry Potter books are now, I'd like to ask you to find out how much rejection J.K. Rowling had to face before she got published.

And here is someone, asking you to write and let him use and give you money. I love writing, and I would have entered this, except that I hate having constraints in my writing, like it has to be set in high school or it has to be 7500 words long or things like that.

If I could, I would write this thing - even if I would get NO PAY from it. As long as I would have the credit, and even if I wouldn't, someone might just watch that movie one day and go, "who wrote that story?" [size=30pt]BANG!!![/size]

except that I hate having constraints in my writing, like it has to be set in high school or it has to be 7500 words long or things like that.

I wish I could participate but I cannot write anything close to 7500 and still make a lot of sense

You guys are getting me wrong, actually. 7500 words is the maximum length. There is no minimum length.

I didn't mean that literally. I understand that 7500 is the maximum length. Good luck.

Naija and cheap labour. 25k for a fim script? i fear o. we sha like to exploit ourselves sha, especially "succesful" founders who like to chop free food.

olukunle:

Naija and cheap labour. 25k for a fim script?  i fear o. we sha like to exploit ourselves sha, especially "succesful" founders who like to chop free food.

abi ooo

Ah Seun 25K for a film script.If thats the way script writers are paid in Nollywood;i guess the industry wont grow then.The script is the movie now(abi no b commercial one).

hmmm roughly $200 for a film script, hmmm ain't fair on your part, please try and be professional about it.

It's not a script. It's a short story upon which the script will be based. A solid foundation to build upon.

Good innovation from you Seun but i still think you didnt define the competition in such a way that will make people to embrace it.
Like- who owns the right to the movie, what percentage commission will be given to the writer after all. I believe there are good script writer out there
but you need to redefine the competition and make it worthwhile.
Just an an advice,

@Sisikill
You've done a great job, so you wrote all that for me? Probably you will be the winner of that 25,000 Naira if you start writing now

mactao:

@Chaoga
It's very obvious that you're not a writer. I wonder what you're doing on this thread. Most writers get rejected a hundred thousand times before they get published. As successful as Harry Potter books are now, I'd like to ask you to find out how much rejection J.K. Rowling had to face before she got published.

And here is someone, asking you to write and let him use and give you money. I love writing, and I would have entered this, except that I hate having constraints in my writing, like it has to be set in high school or it has to be 7500 words long or things like that.

If I could, I would write this thing - even if I would get NO PAY from it. As long as I would have the credit, and even if I wouldn't, someone might just watch that movie one day and go, "who wrote that story?" [size=30pt]BANG!!![/size]

And what if i am a writer?? I would have written it only to be rejected?? Why should i go finding out how much a writer got rejected?? It is damn possible you got rejected before you can be accepted and appreciated, it's what i believe. Common you can't have constraints, Seun has already given you guys the clue.

25,000 is not much jor.

Nigeria High school story? forget it I can't think anything up abt that setting

Na wa o, guys. This is not a business deal. Seun has clearly stated he's simply looking for original ideas to use as a basis for a script. This way he's also encouraging upcoming amateur writers. If you are a "professional" that is used to being paid millions for your ideas simply don't participate in the contest!

@StephenP
That's a nice one there.

@Sisikill
You sure can write, madam. Good grammer, good diction, superb choice of words. You are too much. But Chaoga is not entirely wrong.