The Best Short Story Writing Contests of 2023
Writing competitions curated by Reedsy
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Join our short story competition
Submit a short story based on 1 of 5 weekly prompts. Winners get $250.
Showing 215 contests
The Reedsy Prompts Contest
Reedsy
Every Friday, Reedsy sends out five writing prompts. Enter your response within a week for a chance at $250. Winners may also be included in a future issue of Reedsy’s literary magazine, Prompted.
Top prize
$250
Additional prizes
$25 credit toward Reedsy editorial services
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: December 31, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contest100 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
View contestImagine 2200
Grist
Imagine 2200 is an invitation to writers from all over the globe to imagine a future in which solutions to the climate crisis flourish and help bring about radical improvements to our world.
Top prize
$3,000
Additional prizes
2nd: $2000 | 3rd: $1000 | 9x finalists: $300 | Publication
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $0
Deadline: June 13, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, Fantasy, Humor, Mystery, Romance
View contestHenshaw Short Story Competition
Henshaw Press
Short Story of up to 2000 words on any theme.
Top prize
£200
Additional prizes
2nd: £100 | 3rd: £50
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $8
Deadline: March 31, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestLorian Hemingway Short Story Competition
Lorian Hemingway
Writers of short fiction may now enter the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition. The competition has a history of literary excellence, and Lorian Hemingway and her small judging panel are dedicated to enthusiastically supporting the efforts and talent of writers of short fiction whose voices have yet to be heard.
Top prize
$1,500
Additional prizes
2nd & 3rd: $500 each
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $15
Deadline: April 01, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestEmerging Writer's Contest
Ploughshares
In the spirit of the journal 's founding mission, the Ploughshares Emerging Writer's Contest recognizes work by an emerging writer in each of three genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. One winner in each genre per year will receive $2,000 and publication in the literary journal. Authors are considered "emerging" if they haven 't published or self-published a book.
Top prize
3x $2000
Additional prizes
Publication in Ploughshares
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $24
Deadline: May 15, 2023
Genres
Essay, Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story
View contestHammond House Short Story Competition
Hammond House
Be creative, be unpredictable, be different; the judges are looking for intriguing ideas and addictive prose. Top prize of £1000.
Top prize
£1000
Additional prizes
2nd: £100 | 3rd: £50 | Publication by Hammond House
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $12
Deadline: September 30, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestDzanc Books Short Story Collection Competition
Dzanc Books
The Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Prize celebrates imaginative and inventive writing in the short form. The winning submission will be awarded a $2,500 advance and publication by Dzanc Books.
Top prize
$2,500 advance
Additional prizes
Publication by Dzanc Books
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $25
Deadline: June 30, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestAI Theology 2045 Writing Contest
AI Theology
AI Theology 2045 is looking for compelling, imaginative short stories that explore the future intersection of artificial intelligence and faith. Sign-up ends on March 31st but the submission deadline is May 15th.
Top prize
$1,000
Additional prizes
2nd: $500 | 3rd: $200
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $15
Deadline: March 31, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story
View contestLetter Review Prize for Short Stories
Letter Review
The Letter Review Prize for Short Stories (1000-3000 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
$600
Additional prizes
2nd: $250 | 3rd: $150
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: April 30, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestMarguerite McGlinn Prize for Fiction
Philadelphia Stories
We are seeking previously unpublished works of fiction up to 8,000 words. Multiple submissions are allowed. Open to anyone currently residing in the U.S.
Top prize
$2,500
Additional prizes
2nd: $750 | 3rd: $500
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $15
Deadline: May 15, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestWOW! 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
View contest3nd Annual WCWF Writing Contest
Wine Country Writers' Festival
Fire up those pens and get those unpublished stories and poems submitted to WCWF 3nd Annual Writing Contest. Three winners in each category (fiction/nonfiction/poetry), publication in Anthology, and your own copy. Entries: $15 or two for $25.
Top prize
$150
Additional prizes
2nd Place: $75 | 3rd Place: $50
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $15
Deadline: June 30, 2023
Genres
Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestEvening Standard Stories Competition
Evening Standard
We’re searching for fresh new voices who can take the idea of ‘belonging’ in a surprising direction, or tackle it in a way that stops us in our tracks. This competition is not limited to a ‘short story’. Submissions can be a piece of spoken word or performance, perhaps it’s a monologue, a script or a self-contained episode of a narrative podcast. Entries can be submitted as written, audio, or film.
Top prize
Mentorship with top industry contacts
Additional prizes
Publication in Evening Standard media
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: April 12, 2023
Genres
Crime, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Science Writing, Script Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestInspiring Fiction's Contest for Fantasy Writers
Inspiring Fiction
A new short story contest open to all fantasy writers. The winner will be published in the first issue of Mirk Fantasy Magazine, a new genre magazine produced by the team behind Tangled Web Magazine. Three runners up will also be published alongside a selection of stories from our general submissions pile.
Top prize
£100
Additional prizes
Publication
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $6
Deadline: April 30, 2023
Genres
Fantasy, Fiction, Short Story
View contestBrouhaha - The short story writing contest
WriteFluence
We are looking for original, unpublished pieces of fiction, with a maximum word count of 3,000 words. The theme for this contest is “Brouhaha,” and we encourage all writers to interpret this theme in their own unique way. All genres are welcome.
Top prize
Publication
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $2
Deadline: April 15, 2023
Genres
Short Story
View contestGemini 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
Genres
Fiction, Flash Fiction, Short Story
View contestBacopa 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
View contestElegant 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
View contestNew Deal Writing Competition
Genesee Valley Council on the Arts
GVCA is excited to announce the eighth annual New Deal Writing Competition! This competition challenges writers to use a painting chosen by the staff at GVCA as inspiration for a short story. This year’s painting is “Small Town” by Edmund Yaghjian, an oil painting.
Top prize
$200
Additional prizes
2nd: $100 | 3rd: $50
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $5
Deadline: April 01, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestGeminga: $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
Genres
Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Mystery, Non-fiction, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Script Writing, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult
View contestKing of Essay
Papers Owl
To all TV shows nerds: we're incredibly excited to announce a competition for the best essay based on the TV series you are keen on. This is a new challenge for folks who may be under budget and interested in winning subscriptions on streaming services (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney).
Top prize
Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, or Disney+ subscription for 6 months
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: May 15, 2023
Genres
Crime, Essay, Fantasy, Horror, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller, Young Adult
View contest7 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
View contestThe 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
View contestThe Pinch Literary Awards & Page Prize
The Pinch Literary Journal
The 2023 Pinch Literary Awards accepts poetry and fiction. The 2023 Page Prize accepts non-fiction.
Top prize
$2000 for poetry & fiction winners
Additional prizes
$1000 for Page Prize winner
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: March 31, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Poetry, Short Story, Non-fiction
View contestWrite 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
View contestFemmeFluenza 3.0
WriteFluence
This is our third exclusively-for-women-writers story-writing international contest. ‘Cos life is all about celebrating womanhood and surviving through various challenges it brings along! Theme: Separation. Word count: 1000 – 2500 words. Author eligibility: Writers of age 16 and above, from all across the globe. All entries must be in English. Only original works that have not been published in print, digital or online publications will be considered.
Top prize
Publication
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $2
Deadline: February 20, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestNextTribe Short Story Contest for Women (Over 45)
Next Tribe Inc
We believe women age 45+ have much fuel to write good stories, so our contest is exclusively for this demographic.
Top prize
$500
Additional prizes
2 runners up: $100 | Publication in NextTribe
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $25
Deadline: May 08, 2023
Genres
Short Story
View contestDesperate 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
View contestWriting 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
View contestFolly 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
View contestSuperhero Competition
Green Stories project at University of Southampton
Organised by the University of Southampton, Green Stories is a ‘free’ writing competition project with a range of categories for novelists and short story writers. Entries should conform with positive visions of more sustainable futures and/or the inclusion of green solutions but needn’t have an explicitly green theme.
Top prize
£500 prize
Additional prizes
A scene from the winner’s story turned into a 1-page comic strip, made by a professional artist.
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: FREE
Deadline: April 15, 2023
Genres
Fiction, Novel, Short Story
View contestThe Iowa Review Awards
The Iowa Review
Each January since 2003, The Iowa Review has invited submissions to The Iowa Review Awards, a writing contest in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Winners receive $1,500; first runners-up receive $750. Winners and runners-up are published in each December issue.
Top prize
$1,500
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $20
Deadline: January 31, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, Short Story
View contestMorton and McCarthy Prizes
Sarabande Books
This contest is open to any short fiction writer of English. Submissions may include a collection of short stories, one or more novellas, or a short novel. Works that have previously appeared in magazines or in anthologies may be included.
Top prize
$2,000
Additional prizes
Publication by Sarabande Books
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $29
Deadline: February 15, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contestThe Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction
Association of Writers & Writing Programs
AWP sponsors the Award Series, an annual competition for the publication of excellent new book-length works. The competition is open to all authors writing in English regardless of nationality or residence, and is available to published and unpublished authors alike.
Top prize
$5,500
Additional prizes
Publication by Red Hen Press
Entry requirements
💰 Fee: $30
Deadline: March 03, 2023 (Expired)
Genres
Fiction, Short Story
View contest
