If you have a whopper of a story that happened to you, and you could use $100, then get on the stage, grab the mic and tell your tale at this storytelling competition.

The only rules are the story has to be true, and you have only six minutes to wow your audience.

“It can be on any topic; it can be funny; it can be sentimental; an OMG moment; a WTF moment,” said Mariana Williams, founder and producer of the Long Beach Searches for the Greatest Storyteller competition.

The contest starts Monday at Malainey’s Grill on Alamitos Bay. It continues the first Monday of the month through August with each monthly winner pocketing $100. The grand finale in August will be made up of all the monthly winners, who will go tale-to-tale for the title. Proceeds from Monday’s event will go to the Salvation Army.

When it comes to great stories, Williams said she’s heard it all, from getting out of a traffic ticket to an awkward first date to deathbed confessions, and yes, she’s also heard fishing tales.

“It’s so much fun because everyone has a good story in them,” Williams said. “And it’s really empowering. It makes you feel good,” she added.

The event started in 2011 and was inspired by “The Moth Radio Hour” on National Public Radio, on which people share true-life stories. Williams organized the Long Beach show after her experience competing as a Moth GrandSlam finalist in 2010.

“Everyone has a story but not everyone can get to have a roomful of people quiet and listening to your story,” Williams said.

The competition has attracted contestants from all over Long Beach and surrounding areas, such as Los Alamitos resident Tamara Madison, who has participated several times through the years.

“I’m kind of a ham. I like to tell stories and it’s just so much fun to participate,” she said. “I like to see people smile. I like to see them laugh.”

She’s told stories about her grandmother, who was a fortune teller, and about her relationship with her first husband’s “lover.”

“She was, yeah, that one was kind of funny,” she said.

When: 7 p.m. Monday

Where: Malainey’s Grill, 168 N. Marina Drive, Long Beach

Cost: $10

To submit a story idea: Email MarianaStoryteller@gmail.com.