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There will be two winners, each receiving $90 USD and a contract to publish in the magazine!
Rules:
This is for short IF pieces: 1000 words of prose (or 9 panels of sequential art if you’d prefer to go that route but you don’t have to have artwork.) CSIDE will count prose separately to code for you so you don’t have to handcount or guesstimate
Include the theme. (To be announced shortly.)
Be previously unpublished.
Not contain erotica or fanfiction, and not glorify abuse or discrimination.
(Full rules can be found on the jam page.)
Sub-Q magazine publishes short interactive fiction from a whole range of platforms including ChoiceScript and a number of COG and HG authors have published stories there. The games are free to play so check them out
Last year we had entries from authors on this forum, I hope there will be some interest again this year once again. The entry must be kept to the word limit, so this is a great opportunity to practice writing short memorable sequences (without letting scope creep happen!) in a friendly comp with other authors.
I’d assume they’re looking for completed work. But there’s no harm in giving it a go, and you might end up being able to trim it down once you’ve got it on the page. I know the pain of needing to cut things out mercilessly…
Thank you for posting this @Jacic! sub-Q are just generally wonderful, I have nothing but good to say about them and they have a special place in my heart for being the first ever place to publish me I would enter but there’s just too much going on for me at the moment, so I’ll have to experience it vicariously by encouraging as many people to join as possible!
I don’t know how to make a story in 1000 words. It requires a lot of careful planning and execution of each word placed on the story, and I think that it is. damn obvious that I still way off that English skills. However, I think practice and hard working is the only way to improve so I will try to do something. Even if I don’t present it I could share it to get feedback at least.
Small wordcounts are tricky but can be done! Nine Moments in Fairyland is about 1400 words. Definitely a good idea to give it a go if only to get eyes on your work!
Short IF can be tricky, but it’s good practice for keeping everything focused and making each word count . Also remember you don’t have to count the code in the word count, so it gives you a little bit more wiggle room. If you have a look down the very bottom of the jam page it has an “entries” link for the 2018 jam for inspiration on what you can do in no more than 1000 words of prose.
I agree with @HannahPS, I have nothing but good things to say about Sub-Q as well. It’s free to enter, so might as well give it a go and have some fun creating a game if writing short IF interests you
I’d imagine you could think outside the box with this one if you wanted (although I’m not running the comp so ask on their forum if any doubts as to what would qualify but it’s meant as a prompt I’d guess.)
Some of my rambley first thoughts (I’m sure there’s heaps of ways you could interprate this though.) You could go for a descriptive or adventure piece that closely examines the environment you’re in (animals, plants, temperature, water etc).
Perhaps how human or natural disaster (ie earthquakes, volcanoes etc) changes cause effects in the environment, or maybe how to clean it up?
Environmental challenges in inhabiting a new world. (There’s an IFComp piece called Planet C that might be worth looking at for inspiration if you wanted to go that way, also check out seedship for the implications on what sort of planet you choose does for your new society.)
Want to teraform a new planet? What would you create? Or how would you do it?
A story about how creatures (or yourself) react to or cope with different locations? (Maybe you’re from a tropical climate but decide to go for a trek through the frozen alps or vice versa.)
How the evolution of creatures progresses depending on the sort of enviroment you create for them.
The funny part is the short story I was currently working on is called Landslide and happens in a National Park in Maine.
And it was placed in a National Park because I wanted to practice with natural descriptions… I started 2 days prior before knowing this contenst.
So go figure the odds lol.
The problem is that the nature environmental impact is important and all that. But it is pure boredom for me so a trash can inspire more than Environmental or Nature in general. Heck, I would prefer See paint dry as theme.
It time again for Sub-Q Magazine’s Itch.io month long game jam! 
I would enter but there’s just too much going on for me at the moment, so I’ll have to experience it vicariously by encouraging as many people to join as possible!
. Also remember you don’t have to count the code in the word count, so it gives you a little bit more wiggle room. If you have a look down the very bottom of the jam page it has an “entries” link for the 2018 jam for inspiration on what you can do in no more than 1000 words of prose.