The Best Flash Fiction Writing Contests of 2023

Writing competitions curated by Reedsy

Showing 98 contests


Anthology Short Story Award

Anthology Magazine

The Anthology Flash Fiction Competition is open to original and previously unpublished flash fiction on any theme in the English language by writers of any nationality. We are looking for writing that is clever and unique, inspires us, and crafts a compelling story. Max 250 words.

Top prize

€300

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $12

Deadline: October 31, 2023


Genres

Fiction, Short Story, Flash Fiction

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Voice.Club - Flash Fiction Writing Contest

Voice.Club

This contest is timed to end just before for Earth Day. As writers, we can celebrate our beautiful blue-green world, imagine solutions, grieve losses or express ourselves in a myriad of ways. As we write our stories this Earth Day, let’s keep in mind the concept of balance – for ourselves, our leaders, and our shared global world. We invite you to experience Earth Day this year by writing a flash fiction story of 350 words or less.

Top prize

$50 Amazon Gift Card + Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: April 15, 2023


Genres

Flash Fiction, Short Story

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A Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology

Warm Mug of Cozy

Do you like writing short cozy mysteries? If so, we would love to invite you to submit your work for potential inclusion in our first Warm Mug of Cozy Anthology. Theme: No restriction, as long as your story follows the classic rules of Cozy Mystery.

Top prize

2% royalties per published story ($)

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: May 31, 2023


Genres

Crime, Flash Fiction, Mystery, Short Story

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100 Word Writing Contest

Tadpole Press

100 words per entry. Submit as many entries as you’d like. All ages. All genders. All nationalities. All writers welcome. The theme is using humor as healing.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

2nd: writing coach package 3rd: developmental or diversity editing package.

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: April 30, 2023


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, Travel

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The Scribes Prize

Fairfield Scribes

The Scribes Prize is looking for fiction & creative nonfiction stories of 90-110 words. Prizes include publication, award seals, and cash: $250 for gold, $125 for silver, $60 for bronze & 15 honorable mentions for $20 each. Simultaneous submissions & reprints welcome. Max 3 submissions per author. All entries will receive feedback from 2 editors.

Top prize

$250

Additional prizes

2nd: $125 | 3rd: $60 | Publication | Editor's deedback

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $5

Deadline: September 01, 2023


Genres

Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller

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Blurred Genres Flash Contest

Invisible City

Theme: Levity. The world around us continues to move, spin and bring chaos. Levity helps ground us, keep us sane. What does “levity” mean to you? How has it made an impact in your life? We would love to read how you interpret “levity,” through prose or poetry, or some combination of the two. All genres and themes are welcome.

Top prize

$750

Additional prizes

2nd: $350 | 3rd: $100 | Publication for top 5

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: April 07, 2023


Genres

Flash Fiction, Poetry

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Queer Sci-Fi Flash Fiction Contest

Queer Sci-Fi

Every year, QSF holds a flash fiction contest to create an amazing new anthology of queer speculative fiction stories. We ask authors to do the nearly-impossible – to submit a sci fi, fantasy, paranormal or horror LGBTIQA story that has no more than 300 words.

Top prize

$100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: May 01, 2023


Genres

Flash Fiction, LGBTQ, Science Fiction

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Competition 15

Free Flash Fiction

The Bi-monthly Free Flash Fiction Competition promotes the work of flash fiction authors. The winner of the current competition will be invited to be the judge for the next competition. Submit a flash fiction piece between 100 and 300 words, on any theme.

Top prize

£150

Additional prizes

2x Highly Recommended £30.00 | 2x Shortlisted £20

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $4

Deadline: April 23, 2023


Genres

Flash Fiction

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The Letter Review Prize for Flash Fiction

Letter Review

The Letter Review Prize for Flash Fiction (up to 1000 words) is open to writers from anywhere in the world and has no theme or genre restrictions. Winners are published and every entry is considered for publication. 20 entries are Longlisted.

Top prize

$400

Additional prizes

2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: April 30, 2023


Genres

Flash Fiction

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WOW! Women on Writing Spring 2023 Flash Fiction Contest

WOW! Women On Writing

Seeking short fiction of any genre between 250 - 750 words. The mission of this contest is to inspire creativity, great writing, and provide well-rewarded recognition to contestants.

Top prize

$400

Additional prizes

2nd: $300 | 3rd: $200 | 7 runner-ups: $25 Amazon Gift Cards

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: May 31, 2023


Genres

Flash Fiction, Fiction, Short Story

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The UNO Writing Center's Writing Contest

The University of Nebraska, Omaha: Writing Center

The University of Nebraska, Omaha's Writing Center is hosting their 1st annual writing contest, open to Nebraska state residents (or remotely enrolled Nebraska university students.) It has three categories available in flash fiction, flash creative non-fiction, and poetry (up to 750 words.) The theme for the contest is: What it means to be a Maverick, and whatever your creative interpretation of that may be.

Top prize

Certificate | UNO Writing Center merch

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: April 10, 2023


Genres

Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry

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Gemini Magazine Short Story Contest

Gemini Magazine

Entries may be any subject, style, or length. Entries must be previously unpublished but those from personal blogs will be considered.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

2nd: $100 | 3 honorable mentions: $25 | Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $8

Deadline: March 31, 2023 (Expired)


Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story

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Bacopa Literary Review

Bacopa Literary Review

Bacopa Literary Review is an annual international print journal published by the Writers Alliance of Gainesville. Our Bacopa Literary Review Editors’ blog shows the quality of writing we seek by highlighting work we respect from previous Bacopa issues as well as other sources.

Top prize

£200 in 6 categories

Additional prizes

$100 Honorable mention in 6 categories

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: April 16, 2023


Genres

Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Essay, Flash Fiction, Humor

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Elegant Literature's Contest For New Writers

Elegant Literature

One of the largest awards open to unpublished writers, and the only one closed to professionals. We are the first magazine to pay pro rates and only accept submissions from new writers, paying new authors over $50,000 last year. One new writer receives the grand prize. We also choose the best stories, pay the authors above-professional rates, and publish them in our magazine. March head judge is Creag Munroe.

Top prize

$3,000

Additional prizes

Paid publication, 25 x $20 USD | Free entry to Novelist Accelerator | Now Novel Package

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: April 01, 2023


Genres

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

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Geminga: $250 for Tiny Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, or Art

Sunspot Lit

Geminga is a neutron star so small it was difficult to detect. It was named, in part, for a transcription of gh’è minga, meaning “it’s not there.” With Geminga: $500 for Tiny Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, or Art, Sunspot Lit honors the power of the small. No restrictions on theme or category. Word limit is 100 for fiction and nonfiction. Micropoetry is limited to 140 characters. Graphic novelsshould be 4 pages or less.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

Publication in digital and print

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: March 31, 2023 (Expired)


Genres

Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult

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7 Day Story Writing Challenge

Globe Soup

Register now for our next 7-day story writing challenge. A secret theme, a randomly assigned genre and just 7 days to write a story of no more than 2,000 words. Our 7 day story writing challenges take place throughout the year. The challenges are free and you can even get feedback on your story. Take part in one challenge or take part in all of them!

Top prize

£500

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: May 14, 2023


Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story

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The 2023 Ink Across Borders Prize

The European Society of Literature

This competition is seeking out literary talent in Africa, Asia, and other typically underrepresented parts of the world. We want to build bridges between the West and the East, the North and the South. To ensure writers from these places have the opportunity to gain international attention, we’re launching The 2023 Ink Across Borders Prize.

Top prize

€200

Additional prizes

Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $2

Deadline: May 14, 2023


Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story

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Write By The Sea Writing Competition

Write By The Sea

Flash Fiction (700 words), Short Story (2,500 words), Poetry (40 lines) Memoir/Personal Essay (1,000 words). The winner of each category will receive a cash prize of €500, a beautiful hand-crafted WBTS 2023 Writing Competition trophy and a free weekend pass to Write By The Sea festival 2023. All four winning pieces will be published on the Write By The Sea website.

Top prize

€500

Additional prizes

2nd: €200 | 3rd: €300

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $11

Deadline: June 04, 2023


Genres

Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Poetry, Short Story

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Desperate Literature Prize for Short Fiction

Desperate Literature

The aim of the Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize is both to celebrate the best of new, boundary-pushing short fiction and to give winners the most visibility possible for their writing. This year, the stories of 2000 words or fewer will be judged by Ottessa Moshfegh, Tiffany Tsao, and Mariana Enriquez.

Top prize

€1,500 + a 7-day stay at the Civitella Ranieri artist’s residency in Umbria, Italy

Additional prizes

2nd and 3rd place: €750

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $22

Deadline: April 16, 2023


Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story

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Writing MAGIC

Sadie Tells Stories

Write a short story, under 500 words that is all about magic. It can be for any age group. It can be fiction or non-fiction. Get creative. Have fun. And share your magic with the world!

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

$150 USD for second prize

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $10

Deadline: April 01, 2023


Genres

Fantasy, Fiction, Short Story, Flash Fiction, Memoir, Non-fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult

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Folly Journal Open Short Story Prize

Folly Journal

Folly is a new independent literary and arts journal from New Zealand, drawn to satirical takes on the social scene, dark humour and starkly honest account of ordinary life. The inaugural issue will be published late 2023 and will feature shortlisted submissions to the Folly Journal Open Short Story Prize. We are seeking international submissions that take risks, scream with honesty and celebrate life’s extraordinary moments.

Top prize

$1000 NZD

Additional prizes

2nd: $500 NZD | 3rd: $200 NZD | Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $3

Deadline: May 31, 2023


Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story

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The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize

Alpine Fellowship

Awarded for the best piece of writing on the theme of the Alpine Fellowship 2023 - Flourishing. The winner of the Writing Prize will receive a cash prize, and the runners up will receive travel expense support that must be used to attend our 2023 symposium which will be held from 10th-13th August 2023 in Fjällnäs, Sweden

Top prize

£3,000 cash grant

Additional prizes

2nd: £1,000 travel expense | 3rd: £1,000 travel expense

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: March 01, 2023 (Expired)


Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story

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Parsec Short Story Contest

Parsec Inc.

2023 Contest Theme is: Preserve or Purge. We ask that authors try and incorporate both concepts into their speculative work. This can be conveyed in the setting, plot, characters, dialogue; the only limit is your imagination. The theme must be integral to the story in some way and not just mentioned in passing.

Top prize

$200

Additional prizes

2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: May 01, 2023


Genres

Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction, Short Story

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The Lascaux Prize in Flash Fiction

The Lascaux Review

Stories may be previously published or unpublished, and simultaneous submissions are accepted. True stories and prose poetry are welcome as long as they’re written in a narrative style. Winner receives $1,000, a bronze medallion, and publication online in The Lascaux Review. The winner and all finalists will be published in the annual print journal.

Top prize

$1,000

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: June 30, 2023


Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction

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Fusilli Flash Fiction

Fusilli Writing

Free flash fiction competition for stories up to 200 words with a twist. Competition always open, with a winner announced and published online after 100 entries received (story count on website). Feedback and the PDF ‘An introduction the writing good flash fiction’ offered for (£5 or equivalent).

Top prize

Publication on website

Additional prizes

Social media promotion

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: December 31, 2023


Genres

Flash Fiction

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Oxford Flash Fiction Prize

Oxford Flash Fiction

For centuries, the greats have come to Oxford to ink masterpieces. Now, in one of the oldest towns, where the history of the English language can be traced back to its ancient streets, we want to celebrate one of the newest forms in literature – flash fiction.

Top prize

$1,300

Additional prizes

2nd Prize: $243 | 3rd Prize: $122

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $8

Deadline: January 31, 2023 (Expired)


Genres

Flash Fiction, Fiction

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Hispanic Culture Review Contest 2022-2023

Hispanic Culture Review

As the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano once said, "the best that the world has is in the many worlds that the world contains." Therefore, this year we invite you to reflect on the following questions: How do you or your community celebrate these connections? How do you value those experiences with those people who leave a mark on your life? 1 work will be awarded in each category: 1) photography & visual arts, 2) poetry, and 3) narrative/essay/academic investigation.

Top prize

$100 for photography, poetry, and essay winners

Additional prizes

Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $0

Deadline: February 01, 2023 (Expired)


Genres

Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Flash Fiction

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2022 Paranormal Flash Fiction Challenge

Globe Soup

For this short story challenge, all participants will be randomly assigned a paranormal entity. As soon as you receive your assignment, you'll have until the closing time to write and submit a short story of no more than 1,000 words. All we ask is that your story has your assigned paranormal entity woven into the plot somehow. How much prominence you give to the assigned paranormal entity is up to you, but it must be part of the plot.

Top prize

$1,226

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $18

Deadline: December 12, 2022 (Expired)


Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction

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Stringybark Open Short Story Award 2023

Stringybark Publishing

Our annual flagship competition, the Stringybark Stories Open Short Story Award 2023, is now bigger than ever! Thanks to Graeme Simpson and Anne Buist, a record prize pool of over $1300 is on offer. The theme is open, the only constraint is that there must be a reference to Australia somewhere in the story. It doesn't matter how small a link there is (it could be a jar of vegemite on the counter), there just needs to be one!

Top prize

$560

Additional prizes

2nd: $360 | 3rd: $210 | 4th: $110

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: February 12, 2023 (Expired)


Genres

Fiction, Mystery, Short Story, Crime, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult

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Bridport Flash Fiction Prize

Bridport Arts Centre

It may be the sprint of creative writing but that doesn’t mean you can rush the creative process. Take us somewhere fast then let your story marinade in the reader's mind. Make every one of your 250 words count. There is no minimum number of words, just like there is no limit to your imagination. They say lightning doesn't strike twice but we want to feel the electricity in your story right from the beginning through to the very end.

Top prize

£1000

Additional prizes

£500 for 2nd, £250 for 3rd

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $12

Deadline: May 31, 2023


Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction

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The Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition

The Ghost Story

We’re interested in flash fiction pieces of between 250 and 1,000 words. We’re seeking the finest work we can find that incorporates an uncanny element. Ghost stories are welcome, of course—but your submission may involve any paranormal or supernatural theme, as well as magic realism. What we’re looking for is superb writing, fresh perspectives, and maybe a few surprises.

Top prize

$1,000

Additional prizes

print and online publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $15

Deadline: January 31, 2023 (Expired)


Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Short Story, Thriller

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AIIRA Writing Contest

AI Institute for Resilient Agriculture

We invite contestants to submit writing that imagines the world in the year 2050 and explores the relationship between humans, technology, and their food: what will food look, taste, and feel like; where will it come from; who will produce and transport it; and how will we access and consume it? The world you bring to light should be believable and probe the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the future of agriculture. Your submission can be fiction or creative non-fiction, but keep in mind that the strongest submissions will use research to support the reality described. Contestants must be undergraduate students to submit to this contest.

Top prize

$2,000

Additional prizes

2nd: $1,500 | 3rd: $1,000

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: FREE

Deadline: December 31, 2022 (Expired)


Genres

Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction, Science Writing, Short Story

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Stories Through The Ages - Baby Boomer Plus

Stories Through The Ages

Stories Through The Ages - Baby Boomers Plus 2023 is open to people born 1966 or earlier. The deadline for entries is June 15, 2023. There is no prompt for the contest. Authors may write about any topic. The entry fee is $20 ($15 if submitting more than one story). The word count for this contest is 900 - 5000 words. Cash prizes of $500, $200 and $100 will be awarded. There will be a minimum of 15 finalists whose story will appear in the book.

Top prize

$500

Additional prizes

2nd: $200 | 3rd: $100

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $20

Deadline: June 15, 2023


Genres

Short Story, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Non-fiction

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The Goldilocks Zone

Sunspot Lit

Inspired by the search for Goldilocks Zone planets, Sunspot Lit is looking for one short story, CNF, artwork, poem, graphic novel, or script that combines excellence with appeal. Literary and genre works accepted; feedback available.

Top prize

$200

Additional prizes

Publication

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $9

Deadline: December 19, 2022 (Expired)


Genres

Crime, Essay, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Script Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult

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Minds Shine Bright Writing Competition

Minds Shine Bright

As we adjust to new realities, inflationary pressures, geo-political tensions, environmental challenges and more it’s time to imagine and explore. The Minds Shine Bright writing competition Confidence 2023 is open and calling for entries of short stories, short scripts, flash fiction and poetry which explore the theme of confidence in some way.

Top prize

$1,080

Additional prizes

$540 for each category winner | $118 for commended entries

Entry requirements

💰 Fee: $4

Deadline: February 28, 2023 (Expired)


Genres

Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry, Script Writing, Short Story

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