Okay that title was a tad bit misleading. Oops :P But now that you're here, let's have a look shall we?

In a world where the media increasingly focus on the negative, at The Epoch Times we seek to shine a light on the positive.

Every day, in every corner of the world, stories of compassion, redemption, and triumph in the face of adversity abound. We’re looking for great reporting on these types of stories. And with the help of social media, we’d like to see these stories go viral.

The Epoch Times is accepting submissions of short (500-1000 words) inspiring articles, written in journalistic style, with viral potential on social media.

On social media, a winning article has two equally important ingredients:

(1) a captivating story, and (2) an enticing Facebook post.

As such, all entries will be judged based on a combination of writing quality and potential for Facebook fan reaction.

The competition is now open (as of July 7, 2017) and closes Sept. 18, 2017.

You may submit at any time before Sept. 18, 2017, but we have divided the competition into five groups. Your entry will be judged against the other submissions in your group. Many people wait until the last minute to submit to contests, so submitting early could increase your chances of winning.

Submission Deadlines:

Group 1: July 24, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. EST

Group 2: Aug. 7, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. EST

Group 3: Aug. 21, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. EST

Group 4: Sept. 4, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. EST

Group 5: Sept. 18, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. EST

How It Works – Over $10,000 in Prizes

Stage 1: Editor’s Choice

In the first stage, Epoch Times editors will judge all submissions (within a group) and award points based on the following attributes:

Original topic
Embodiment of the contest theme
Engaging storytelling
Clean, publish-ready copy

Editor’s Choice winners will be published on The Epoch Times website, with your byline. Winning authors will be notified via email.

Stage 2: Reader’s Choice 

In the second stage, all Editor’s Choice winners will be promoted on Facebook using the Facebook post you submit with your entry. We’ll tag you on the post to alert you that it’s gone live (if you’ve provided your Facebook ID).

After 72 hours, fan reaction will be recorded and points will be awarded based on reader engagement. Posts that perform well also have the chance to be shared on more Facebook pages across Epoch Media Group properties—which together reach over 55 million fans.

Stage 3: Inspiring the World Grand Prize Awards

In the third stage, Inspiring the World Grand Prizes will be awarded based on total points earned in the Editor’s Choice and the Reader’s Choice stages. All three groups will be evaluated together during this stage.

Grand Prize winners will be awarded after the final deadline. Winners will be notified via email.

Grand Prize winners will also be announced in an article published on The Epoch Times website, including a brief bio for each (prize-winning) author. The three top place articles will also be published in print, in The Epoch Times U.S. national edition.

Guidelines

1. Themes

Report on a story that captures any of the following themes:

Compassion
Redemption
Triumph of the human spirit
Life’s surprises

Tip: examples of stories that tend to do well:

Rescues/heroic actions (usually spontaneous)

Great personal sacrifice for a worthy cause

Strangers going out of their way to help in a crisis

Amazing displays of love, family bonds

Demonstrations of gratitude

Miracles

Unbelievable coincidences

Any of the above, involving animal(s)

2. Content & Style

You must write about true, real-life events in journalistic style.

Word count: 500 to 1,000 words.

Submit at least one (1) photo, but you can submit as many supporting photos and/or videos as you like.

Include captions for all photos: a brief description telling who, what, where, and when, and the credit for the photo (not included in word count).

You may write in third person, or first person if appropriate.

Topics and language should be appropriate for all ages; we are a family-friendly media. Aim for broad spectrum appeal. Don’t get political or into advocacy.

Furthermore, highly divisive topics should be avoided; we seek to unite people, not divide them further. Writing style should be a mixture of journalistic reporting and great storytelling (reporting conveys information; storytelling creates an experience). Please do not submit creative writing works.

Include all sources from your reporting to help our editors fact-check your story (e.g. links to sources, links to profiles of interview subjects, any relevant documents, etc.).

Follow journalistic best practices; the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics is a good guideline.

3. Facebook Post (Recommended)

The goal is to make the reader feel compelled to click into your article, but it cannot be misleading. All elements of your post must be in good taste. Please read over the Facebook Post How-To before submitting your post. You may enter without a Facebook post, in which case our senior editors will create a post for your article submission.

 
4. Submission Requirements

A submission consists of three (3) elements. All three elements are mandatory for all entrants.  

1. Article and Documents

Create a text file containing three sections: Your article (word count of 500 to 1,000 words) Captions for all your photos and videos (must include credits for each) Relevant sources (e.g. links to profiles of interview subjects, supporting documents, etc.)

2. Supporting Media

You must submit at least one (1) photo of at least 1280 x 900 pixels at 300 dpi. You may include additional photos (of at least 640 x 450 pixels at 300 dpi) or videos that can be anywhere from 10 seconds to 5 minutes in length Note: You must ensure you own the rights to and/or have permission to use any media files you submit. Please provide proof as required.

3. Facebook Post Mockup (Recommended)

You may submit a mock-up Facebook post with your article. Before composing your post, be sure to read the how-to page for making a Facebook post with viral potential. Use this tool to create and download your mockup. The final sample should look similar to the one below. If you need further instructions on how to use the mockup tool, please visit our FAQ page and scroll to the bottom. You may also enter without a Facebook post, in which case our senior editors will create a post for your article submission for the Reader’s Choice stage.