Huntington Beach Searches for Greatest Storyteller competition offers a cash prize of $50.  The friendly competition gives locals an opportunity to share a personal story that can be said or read in six minutes. This event has been well received in Long Beach and now producer Mariana Williams is betting it will catch on in Huntington Beach as well.

Seven storytellers are selected from the story ideas that have been pre-submitted. This is to insure a wide range of topics and a balance of comedy, poignancy, etc. There will also be a chance for an audience member to get up and tell his or her story on the night of the show.  Audience members will vote by secret ballot and the teller with the most votes wins a $50 prize.

The story can be on any subject as long as it’s true and happened to the person telling it. Producer Mariana Williams explains, “Coming-of-age tales, OMG moments, and conquering fear are a few examples of tales told. Shakespeare said, ‘Tragedy plus time equals comedy,’ and it’s a fact, often a hideous situation is viewed later as hilarious.”