Discover weekly, the best short stories

Looking for a steady supply of contemporary short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

8700+ Contemporary Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. All the newest modern day stories to thrill and inspire, all in one place.

🏆 Winning stories

⭐ Recommended stories

Introducing Prompted, a new magazine written by you!

🏆 Featuring 12 prize-winning stories from our community. Download it now for FREE.

✍ All stories

The Best Contemporary Short Stories

There are plenty of great reasons for writing stories set in the here and now. Contemporary stories resonate with readers by the very fact that they are presented with a world so familiar to what they know. They can also be reminders of this moment in time — artefacts that readers of the future can look back upon.

A category that reflects a time period, contemporary stories can cover a broad range of genres, from tales of romance in modern-day New York City to thrillers set in some of the world’s remotest mountain peaks. Who knows, you might even find a Sci-Fi-tinged story set on the International Space Station!

Need a fresh fix of contemporary short stories?

If you’re looking for writing from some of the freshest talent on the web, look no further. The stories on this page are taken from Reedsy’s writing contest. At the top of the page, you’ll find entries shortlisted by our panel of judges, representing the best contemporary stories from the hundreds of submissions each week. We also compile the best of the best for publication in Prompted, our brand new literary magazine.

If you like anything you read, simply ‘follow’ the writer and you’ll be alerted anytime they publish a new piece. It’s a brilliant way to track the progress of an emerging author and — who knows — you might even discover the next great writer at the start of their career!