Socialist Artist in a Capitalist World

Unsold Stories Writing Competition

Which is more beautiful, the artwork or the artist? And who shall be the true artistic reader, the one who contemplates the output or the source? Perhaps these are two incomparable sorts of beauty, or perhaps one is incomplete without the other.

Underground artists have proven their exceptional existence in the various realms of art. Against all odds, with the lack of monetary support, future promises, and in some places against political obstacles, they managed to reflect their vision. Thus underground artists are not only gifted artists, but they have emotional, business and planning skills. Therefore, Rowayat Literary Journal and The Forgotten Writers Foundation are honored to collaborate together to launch the “Unsold Stories” writing competition to support the underground artists reveal their stories and uniquely inspire the readers.

The idea of the competition is to write a short story (fiction or non-fiction) ranging from 1500 to 5000 words about an artist who tends to be concerned about making a difference, delivering a new message, expressing new feelings, and inspiring people, rather than one who is concerned about making profit and fame. Moreover, this competition is not merely created for writers. On the contrary, it is done to encourage different individuals in the world of art to experience the power and glamor of writing.

Capitalism has been a dominant fact in our professional and social life, and it is growing further. This monetary dominance affected the morals, goals, and feelings of people. It also affected the Art industry widely, and created a concept of ‘capitalism in art’ so we find certain books, concerts and movies targeting certain social classes, and certain mental audience. As an example, the publishing industries either search for the idea that will sell more, or leave the artist carry the expenses of the entire production alone, rather than adding a new valuable piece in the world of art and knowledge…

Rowayat offers the 1st winner EGP 2500 monetary prize and his/her winning story will be published in the third Issue of Rowayat, published on Jan 25th 2015. The 4 runner ups will be published online on the Rowayat website.

Both; The Forgotten Writers Foundation and Rowayat Literary Journal share a main clear message in mind: to globalize Egyptian literature. Through this global competition they hope to be inspiring and collaborating with artists all over the world.

1st Panel Jury Members: Elizabeth Mastrangelo (USA), Keith Borg (Malta), Gintare Laurinaviciute (Lithuania), and Democracy Chronicles author Mahmoud Mansi (Egypt).

Detailed Guidelines: https://www.rowayat.com/competition/