Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

DIRECTORY

Best Flash Fiction Writing Contests in 2025

Showing 67 contests that match your search.

Genres: Flash Fiction

The Weird West Quick Draw contest invites submissions of flash fiction set in the weird west genre, which combines traditional western elements with speculative fiction. The contest opens for entries on July 1, 2025, and closes on July 15, 2025.

Top Prize:

$100

Additional prizes:

2nd: $50 | 3rd: $25 | Publication in Apex Magazine issue 151 for the first prize winner, and publication on the Reach Your Apex website for second and third prize winners.

📅 Deadline: July 15, 2025 (Expired)

100 Word Writing Contest

Tadpole Press

Genres: Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Thriller, Young Adult, Children's, Poetry, Romance, Short Story, Suspense, and Travel

The contest invites submissions of creative works of 100 words or less. It encourages diverse voices and unique stories focused on the theme of truth-telling across any genre.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

2nd: Publishing and marketing package valued at $6,000 | 3rd: Manuscript assessment package ($1,500-$3,000) | 4th place: Editing package ($1,500) | 5th & 6th: Writing coaching ($500) | 7th-10th: $200 | 11th-15th: $150 | 16th-20th: $100 | 21st-30th: $50

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2025

Oxford Flash Fiction Prize 2025

Oxford Flash Fiction

Genres: Flash Fiction, Fiction, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Oxford Flash Fiction Prize celebrates flash fiction, encouraging new voices and showcasing creativity in under 1000 words. This biannual competition invites writers to submit their stories for the chance to win cash prizes and publication.

Top Prize:

£1000

Additional prizes:

2nd Prize: £200 | 3rd Prize: £100 | New Voice Prize: £200 | Publication in the anthology for shortlisted entrants.

💰 Entry fee: $7

📅 Deadline: August 31, 2025 (Expired)

Craft your masterpiece in Reedsy Studio

Plan, write, edit, and format your book in our free app made for authors.

Learn more about Reedsy Studio.

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The competition invites short story submissions of up to 8,000 words from writers of all genres. It aims to encourage creativity and provide feedback opportunities. Participants retain ownership of their work, with the winner receiving a cash prize along with chances to win in a bonus draw.

Top Prize:

£2,000

Additional prizes:

2nd: £1000 | 3rd: £500 | £1,500 Bonus Prize Draw shared among multiple winners

💰 Entry fee: $16

📅 Deadline: December 16, 2025

Do WHA(TS) Write!

Julie Midroni

Genres: Flash Fiction and Short Story

An annual international writing competition aimed at fundraising for Tourette Canada. Participants submit flash fiction or short stories (up to 1000 words) without a specific prompt. The contest is open to everyone, not just those with Tourette Syndrome.

Top Prize:

$200

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: December 31, 2025

Literary and Photographic Contest

Hispanic Culture Review

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story, and Flash Fiction

The contest theme is 'Hecho a mano', focusing on the creativity of handmade works. Categories include photography, poetry, and narrative/essay/academic investigation. Selected works will be published, and winners will receive monetary prizes and certificates of recognition.

Top Prize:

Monetary prize + certificate of recognition for winners in each category

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: January 21, 2025 (Expired)

Bridport Flash Fiction Prize

Bridport Arts Centre

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The Bridport Flash Fiction Prize invites writers to submit stories of up to 250 words. It aims to celebrate the art of brevity in storytelling. The winning entries receive the opportunity for publication and recognition.

Top Prize:

£1000

Additional prizes:

£500 for 2nd, £250 for 3rd

💰 Entry fee: $12

📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Flash Fiction

The F(r)iction Flash Fiction Contest invites writers to submit flash fiction pieces of up to 1,000 words. The winner will be published in F(r)iction. The contest embraces experimental and boundary-pushing literature, encouraging creativity.

Top Prize:

$300

Additional prizes:

Consideration for publication in F(r)iction and the potential for up to five finalists to be published.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: May 02, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Flash Fiction and Fiction

This contest invites submissions of flash fiction and other prose forms, including creative non-fiction. Pieces should focus on critical moments in the protagonist's life, with a maximum length of 750 words. All entries receive consideration for publication, and those selected as winners receive small cash prizes.

Top Prize:

Small cash prizes for 3 to 8 published works.

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: September 02, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

The Spring Microfiction Battle is part of the Writing Battle series, where participants write stories based on prompts. Participants receive feedback from peers and industry judges.

Top Prize:

$1,500

Additional prizes:

Genre Runner-up (x4): $375 Feedback by industry professionals. Various merchandise and opportunities for additional exposure in the community.

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: May 03, 2024 (Expired)

Anthology Flash Fiction Award

Anthology Magazine

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, and Flash Fiction

The Anthology Flash Fiction Competition invites original, unpublished flash fiction pieces on any theme or genre, written in English. Entries must not exceed 250 words, and multiple submissions are allowed with separate fees. The competition aims to inspire creativity and provide a publication platform.

Top Prize:

€300

💰 Entry fee: $12

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Travel

The competition invites writers to submit short stories of up to 1000 words, excluding children's and young adult fiction. The entry fee varies based on the number of submissions. Winners will be announced in February 2026.

Top Prize:

£500

Additional prizes:

Publication on the website and free assessment for 2nd and 3rd placed entries.

💰 Entry fee: $7

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2025

Genres: Essay, Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Novella, and Script Writing

We are not concerned with genre distinctions. Send us the best you have; we want only for it to be thoughtful, intelligent, and beautiful. We want art that grows in complexity upon each visitation; we enjoy ornate, cerebral, and voluptuous phrases executed with thematic intent.

Top Prize:

$500

Additional prizes:

Publication in "AZURE: A Journal of Literary Thought"

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: July 15, 2025 (Expired)

Wonder Fiction Battle

Writing Battle, Inc.

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Fantasy, and Flash Fiction

The Wonder 2025 Flash fiction Battle is part of the Writing Battle series, where participants write stories based on prompts. Participants receive feedback from professionals.

Top Prize:

$3,400

Additional prizes:

$3400 prize for 4x Genre Winners; $500 prize for 4x Genre Runner-ups. Winners receive online publication, feedback from industry professionals

💰 Entry fee: $39

📅 Deadline: April 13, 2025 (Expired)

Heart Fiction Battle

Writing Battle

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

f

Top Prize:

$1,500

Additional prizes:

Genre Runner-up (x4): $375 Feedback by industry professionals

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: August 02, 2024 (Expired)

WOW! Fall 2025 Flash Fiction Contest

WOW! Women On Writing

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The contest encourages creativity across all styles and genres of flash fiction, with a word limit of 250 to 750 words. It runs quarterly, with the fall contest currently open for submissions.

Top Prize:

$400

Additional prizes:

2nd: $300 | 3rd: $200 | 7 runner-ups: $25 Amazon Gift Cards | 10 honorable mentions: $20 Amazon Gift Card. All winners, runner-ups, and honorable mentions are published on WOW.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: November 30, 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, and Short Story

The Parsec Short Story Contest aims to encourage non-professional writers to explore speculative fiction in genres like science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The theme for 2025 is 'ROOTS', and submissions should relate to this theme. The contest has no entry fee and supports young writers through a special Youth Story Prize.

Top Prize:

$200

Additional prizes:

2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: March 31, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The Lascaux Prize in Flash Fiction invites submissions of stories that may be previously published or unpublished. True stories are accepted if written in a narrative style. The contest emphasizes the importance of storytelling.

Top Prize:

$1,000

Additional prizes:

Winner also receives a bronze medallion and publication in The Lascaux Review

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2026

Places Writing Competition

Minds Shine Bright

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Script Writing, and Short Story

The Places Writing Competition invites stories and poems about places that inspire or challenge writers. It includes various categories like poetry, short stories, and flash fiction, and aims to highlight the significance of places in literature.

Top Prize:

The overall winner receives $1500 AUD and publication in the anthology.

Additional prizes:

Up to $200 for commended entries, $50 for young writers.

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: May 31, 2025 (Expired)

Spring Flash Fiction Contest

The Berlin Literary Review

Genres: Flash Fiction

This contest is for flash fiction pieces of 1,500 words or less. Winning entries will be published in the magazine.

Top Prize:

€660

Additional prizes:

Second place: €100 Third place: €60 Winner has publication in the online magazine for winners and shortlisted participants.

💰 Entry fee: $6

📅 Deadline: May 31, 2024 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, and Fantasy

The Not Quite Write Prize for FLESH Fiction invites submissions of erotic stories up to 1,500 words based on the theme 'Making the unsexy irresistible'. The competition is open to adults worldwide, free to enter, and aims to explore creative interpretations of erotic fiction. Judging is blind, and winners will be announced publicly.

Top Prize:

$500 AUS

Additional prizes:

Total prize pool of AU$1,000 plus a range of "spicy" prizes and a chance at print publication.

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: August 24, 2025 (Expired)

#GWstorieseverywhere

Gotham Writers

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The #GWstorieseverywhere contest invites participants to submit very short stories based on monthly themes. The stories can be fictional or true and must be original and unpublished. The winning entries are featured on Gotham's website.

Additional prizes:

Winner receives a free Gotham class of their choosing, excluding premium classes

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)

Gulf Coast Writers Association Writing Contest

Gulf Coast Writers Association

Genres: Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA) organizes an annual writing contest to celebrate and recognize talented writers across various genres. Participants can submit original works in Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Poetry. The contest promotes writers' creativity and provides valuable feedback from experienced judges.

Top Prize:

$200

Additional prizes:

Second place: $75 Third place: $50 For each category

💰 Entry fee: $20

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)

The Paul Cave Prize for Literature

Tim Saunders Publications

Genres: Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Novella, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, and Young Adult

Established in 2023, this contest is a platform for writers and poets to get their work published. Categories include various forms of poetry and fiction, excluding erotic work. Winners receive feedback and cash prizes, while all approved submissions will be included in the anthology.

Top Prize:

£200

Additional prizes:

Feedback from the publisher + a complimentary copy of the anthology

💰 Entry fee: $15

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2025 (Expired)

Season Themes

HAVOK Publishing

Genres: Fantasy, Flash Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Short Story, and Thriller

Season Themes is a flash fiction contest that invites authors to create stories inspired by monthly themes and prompts. Each theme features a specific character prompt that authors must incorporate into their stories, allowing for creative interpretations across various genres.

Top Prize:

$100

Additional prizes:

Publication in an anthology. Potential for larger gift card wins.

📅 Deadline: January 17, 2025 (Expired)

Bath Flash Fiction Award

Bath Flash Fiction Award

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The Bath Flash Fiction Award is an international rolling competition for flash fiction, held three times a year. It encourages writers to submit original works of up to 300 words and offers substantial prizes and publication opportunities.

Top Prize:

£1000

Additional prizes:

2nd: £300 | 3rd: £100 | Two commendations of £30 each. 50 longlisted entrants may also get published in an anthology.

💰 Entry fee: $9

📅 Deadline: October 05, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

Green Stories is running a flash fiction competition for stories under 500 words on the theme of ‘epiphanies’. The writing competition invites writers to submit a story about transformation, when a moment of epiphany causes one or more characters to change for the greener. The transformative realisation could relate to any attitude or behaviour with environmental implications (e.g. food, travel, consumption, gardening, cleaning, etc.), or the story could focus on the benefits of any greener alternative (e.g. environment, health, status, spirit, soul). We call it fiction, but you can write about any personal epiphanies too, using storytelling techniques to give it drama and emotion.

Top Prize:

£300

Additional prizes:

£100 for seven runners up

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: August 27, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction, Short Story, Essay, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, and Poetry

The Folly Short Story Prize 2025 invites submissions for stories that challenge conventional norms. It aims to recognize innovative writing that resonates with contemporary themes.

Top Prize:

$1000 NZD

Additional prizes:

Two tickets to the Folly After Party.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: June 01, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, and Young Adult

Participants write a short story of up to 2,000 words based on a secret theme and assigned genre for a chance to win £500. The competition is open to anyone aged 18 and older.

Top Prize:

£500

Additional prizes:

Publication on website. 12 genre finalists selected.

💰 Entry fee: $0

📅 Deadline: September 30, 2025 (Expired)

Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction

University of North Texas Press

Genres: Short Story, Flash Fiction, and Novella

The Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction is an esteemed competition for unpublished collections of fiction. The contest is open for submissions of flash fiction, short stories, or novellas, with a total manuscript length of 100 to 200 book pages.

Top Prize:

$1,000

💰 Entry fee: $25

📅 Deadline: June 30, 2025 (Expired)

The Scribes Prize

Fairfield Scribes

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The Scribes Prize is an annual writing contest open for submissions from July 1 to October 1. It invites stories between 90-110 words, with a focus on various genres of fiction and creative nonfiction. Winners will be published in ScribesMICRO and receive digital award seals.

Top Prize:

$250

Additional prizes:

Silver: $125 Bronze: $60 15 Honorable Mentions: $20 each Publication in ScribesMICRO and digital award seals for winners

💰 Entry fee: $5

📅 Deadline: October 01, 2025 (Expired)

39 Steps

Walk Listen Create

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The contest invites participants to write a micro-flash story of 39 words, inspired by John Buchan’s 'The Thirty-Nine Steps.' Submissions must fit the theme and will be featured in an anthology. Winners will also be showcased in a public online event.

Top Prize:

€100

Additional prizes:

Winner recieves artwork by Alban Low and a copy of the illustrated chapbook. The authors of the 39 selected stories will also receive an invitation to a private Writers’ Circle event.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: April 22, 2025 (Expired)

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, and Short Story

The contest encourages participants to submit one fictional story (max 350 words) for a chance to win a prize. The contest requires a minimum of 10 shortlisted submissions to award a prize, which is a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

Top Prize:

$25 USD Amazon Gift Card

Additional prizes:

Publication

📅 Deadline: August 01, 2024 (Expired)

Write By The Sea Literary Festival 2024

Write By The Sea Festival Committee

Genres: Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, and Poetry

The competition features four categories: Fiction Short Story, Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Memoir/Personal Essay, with original works encouraged. Winners will be invited to read at the festival and have their work published.

Top Prize:

€500

Additional prizes:

2nd place: €300 3rd place: €200 Free weekend pass to the festival, publication in The Waxed Lemon Literary Journal.

💰 Entry fee: $10

📅 Deadline: June 21, 2024 (Expired)

Fish Flash Fiction Prize

Fish Publishing

Genres: Fiction and Flash Fiction

The Fish Flash Fiction Prize invites submissions of compelling stories in 300 words or less, judged by Tania Hershman. The contest has been held annually since 2004.

Top Prize:

€1,000

Additional prizes:

2nd: €300 + Online Writing Course | 3rd: €300

💰 Entry fee: $14

📅 Deadline: February 28, 2025 (Expired)

Reedsy | Default — Concrete Book | 2024-01

Bring your publishing dreams to life

The world's best editors, designers, and marketers are on Reedsy. Come meet them.