Honoring the memory of author, English professor, and Rock is Lit host Christy Alexander Hallberg’s late husband, Bill Hallberg, The Bill Hallberg Rock ‘n’ Roll Short Story Contest pays homage to Bill’s passion for both literature and music.

Contestants may enter in one of two categories: general submissions or undergraduate college students.

Undergraduate students only: You must be a current undergraduate college student through fall semester 2024. On the first page of your short story, include your name, name of your college, your school email address, projected graduation date, and word count. There is no entry fee for this category. Just email your story to christyalexanderhallberg@gmail.com

General submissions only: On the first page of your short story, include your name, email address, and word count. Entry fee is $10 per story. Click below to pay then email entries to christyalexanderhallberg@gmail.com

The rest of the guidelines apply to everyone:

Submissions should be fiction and music-centric, as in music and/or musicians should play some kind of significant role in the plot and/or characterization; i.e., you'll need to do more than just mention a couple of song titles or name drop some rock stars. Stories may be inspired by and mention actual songs, musicians, and events, but the overall plot and characters should be fictionalized.

Stories should be no longer than 6,000 words There is no minimum number of words. Double space text.

Do not include a cover page or cover letter with your submission.

You may enter as many stories as you’d like.

The winner of each of the two categories will receive $50 and be invited to read from their winning story on a Season 4 episode of Rock is Lit.

Deadline for submissions is August 1.

Winners will be announced on the premiere episode of Rock is Lit Season 4 in early October 2024.