How Are We All Doing?

Do you find yourself thinking that if you don't write a hetero couple that the judges will think you're trying too hard to be modern?  I always find myself thinking that!  I submitted a story with a lesbian married couple to a contest and I really, really, struggled before hitting send.  Maybe it's just me. 

So I always start with google or wikipedia to get some ideas and try to get as "out of the box" as possible.

The definition of "bootlegging" is pretty broad from what I've found with a cursory search, and consists mostly of secretive organization of non-sanctioned activity -- so in that case, I would say yes, illegal fighting could be considered a bootlegger organization.

As for the boxing -- having been around for a while, I'll say that the objects and characters have gotten much more specific over time. If it says 'boxing,' I would tend to stick with boxing.

On the other hand, playing fast and loose with the prompts is a NYCM tradition. I've done well with stories where a 'protestor' was a teenager being bratty about doing what her grandma asked her to, a romance where the guy protag ends up marrying the girl protag's sister, a story where 'long-term parking' was a euphemism for cryosleep .... you get the gist. So if you wanted your boxing promoter to promote, say, Boxing Day ... or a guy at a Uhaul dealer trying to upsell boxes ... or any other kind of weird and twisty interpretation, the judges tend to like those.

Hope this helps