By Vivian Wagner
So you’ve been working on flash prose pieces all summer, and now you’re wondering where to send them. Luckily, there are plenty of contests out there waiting to take a look at what you’ve got. I’ve culled through the interwebs for you and found a few with deadlines over the next several months that you might want to consider:
Bartleby Snopes’s Dialogue-Only Contest
The Lowdown: Pieces must be composed entirely of dialogue.
Word Count: 2,000
Genre: Fiction
Fee: $10
Deadline: Sept. 15, 2015
Judges: Sorrel Westbrook-Wilson and Bud Smith
Prizes: $300/$100/$50/$30/$20 and publication
CHEAP POP’s Micro-Fiction Contest
The Lowdown: CHEAP POP is looking for “solid writing, stories that keep us interested … pieces that pop!”
Word Count: 500 words
Genre: Fiction
Fee: $5
Deadline: Sept. 30, 2015
Judge: Phillip Sterling
Prizes: $500/$250/$100 and publication
Ernest Hemingway Flash Fiction Contest
The Lowdown: This is a contest run by Fiction Southeast and named for the grand master of minimalist fiction, Ernest Hemingway, though it doesn’t require entries to be Hemingway-esque. Just short.
Word Count: 1,500
Genre: Fiction
Fee: $10
Deadline: Dec. 1, 2015
Judge: Daren Dean
Prize: $200 and publication
Highfield Press Essay Contest
The Lowdown: The theme for this fall’s contest is “autumn leaves.”
Word Count: 500-1,000
Genre: Fiction or Nonfiction
Fee: $20
Deadline: Oct. 15, 2015
Judges: Panel
Prize: $1,000
MASH Stories Flash Fiction Contest
The Lowdown: MASH says it’s looking for “short, sensible, and convincing” stories. This fall’s entries must include the following keywords: “taxes,” “vinegar,” and “carpenter.”
Word Count: 500
Genre: Fiction
Fee: None
Deadline: Oct. 15, 2015
Judges: Editors
Prize: $100 and publication
Real Simple’s Life Lessons Contest
The Lowdown: Real Simple’s annual contest looks for short essays about real-life lessons. This year’s theme: “What single decision changed your life?”
Word Count: 1,500
Genre: Nonfiction
Fee: None
Deadline: Sept. 21, 2015
Judge: Editors
Prize: $3,000 and publication
Ruth Moose Flash Fiction Contest
The Lowdown: This contest is open to residents of North Carolina and South Carolina.
Word Count: 500
Genre: Fiction
Fee: $10 for Charlotte Writers’ Club members, $15 for nonmembers
Deadline: Oct. 20, 2015
Prizes: $100/$50/$25
Editor’s Note: For those of you who only write Flash in winter, our sister publication, , opens the doors to their annual Flash contest 1/1/16.
