The first "EQMM "short story contest was held in 1946. William Faulkner, the future Nobel Prize winner, wrote a new story for the contest and won second prize, while the first prize went to Manly Wade Wellman. Faulkner was furious about his loss, and in a letter to his agent, he described the contest as "a manufactured mystery story contest". Many today admit that the story Faulkner written for the contest, "An Error in Chemistry", is not one of Faulkner best stories, and Dannay continued to publish works from Faulkner in "EQMM", which in fact has helped Faulkner to gain in popularity among the general public.