The Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America is encouraging writers who can create a mystery story in six words to enter the inaugural Six-Word Mystery Contest.

To win a $10 bet, Ernest Hemingway allegedly wrote the first six-word novel in the 1920s, which read: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Though its origins are disputed, the story is one of the most famous, and shortest, examples of flash fiction.

The contest will open Oct. 1 and continue through Nov. 26. Writers 18 and older can submit stories for one or all five categories: hard-boiled/noir, cozy mysteries, thriller mysteries, police-procedural mysteries, and romance and lust.

“We are expecting entries from across the nation in this first-ever contest,” Mark Stevens, RMMWA chapter president and author, said in a news release.

Cost is $6 per entry or $10 to enter all five categories. The overall winner will receive $100 cash, and category finalists will receive gift cards to Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver.

According to Stevens, esteemed authors, and possibly local celebrities, will judge the contest and select category finalists. Finalists are invited to read their stories at the annual “Mystery and Mistletoe” holiday party, to be held Dec. 13.

For more information, visit www.rmmwa.org.