Flash Fiction Magazine

Daily Flash Fiction Stories

Contest Submissions

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Submissions are closed until January. You are welcome to submit a story here.

Do you want in-depth feedback on your stories instead of getting a standard rejection?

Do you want to win these exceptional prizes?

  • 1st Prize = $500, publication on our website and in a future anthology.
  • 2nd Prize = $300, publication on our website, and consideration for our next anthology.
  • 3rd Prize = $200, publication on our website, and consideration for our next anthology.

Additional Prizes and Benefits:

Why Our Contest is Different

There are a lot of contests out there, but very few provide the level of feedback we do. 

You also compete with hundreds or thousands of stories which reduces your odds of winning, but we designed a contest with excellent odds, magnificent prizes, and:

In-Depth Feedback on Every Story

We know how valuable feedback is to writers, because writers run our magazine!

When you enter our contest, you’ll get valuable developmental feedback from experienced editors who have read and edited thousands of stories. 

Every submission receives feedback that focuses on:

  1. Strengths: The editor will identify where the story is strongest and most effective.
  2. Weaknesses: The editor will address elements of the story that could be stronger.
  3. Revision Suggestions: The editor will provide suggestions for revision and editing.

Testimonials from Participants

You found the perfect way to run a contest! I got the thrill of entering. (I literally couldn’t sleep the night before because I didn’t want to miss the submission window.) And, of course, I had to deal with the sadness of rejection. BUT, the feedback was so thorough! I never expected line edits and detailed suggestions. I feel like I got as much from this as from taking a semester class.

Kait

You know what? This feedback alone was worth my entry fee. Thanks so much! I’ll be back for the next contest too (whenever that is). Count on it. Thanks so much!

J. David Thayer

I really struggled with the thought of paying for editorial feedback when submitting a piece of flash fiction.

However, I had been struggling for months with a piece that I knew was close, but not quite there. Sophia did an unbelievable job with her feedback, simultaneously telling me what she loved in the story, and most important, what needed work.  In the end, my fragile ego remained intact, and after taking her suggestions to heart, the redraft was not only accepted by another literary magazine, but named as a finalist in one of their short fiction contests.

Thank you again; I’ve seen the light.

Dutch

Feedback on my story was fantastic. Helpful for me in knowing where to go with this story and how to write better stories moving forward. You will see more pieces from me.

Thank you for responding to all of my emails. Flash Fiction Magazine has me hooked.

Patti

I wanted to thank you for taking the time and energy to provide your very thorough review of my piece. I found your feedback most helpful, and I’ve already made some revisions based on your suggestions. Your editorial critique is one of the best ones I’ve received, and I’m profoundly grateful for it. Thank you so much!

Victoria

Thanks for your excellent comments on my story. I wasn’t expecting such a thorough—or helpful—review, but I’m delighted to have your suggestions.

Ann Russell

Whilst unsuccessful, Sophia Huneycutt’s feedback was absolutely FIRST RATE. Her carefully tailored comments and recommendations made me feel as if my piece was the only story in her brief.

Barry

I wanted to personally thank you for your professional and informative review of my recent submission.

Your time, comments, and suggestions are very much appreciated, and will be useful to me in reworking this piece, and in future efforts.

Kent Bush

Wow, what wonderful comments. I’m grateful for your many good suggestions and edits, all of which I agree with. I can see I’ve got some work to do, but now I have a good plan in hand.

I’m very glad entered the contest. Your advice was worth far more than the entrance fee. I’ll look forward to reading the winning stories.

Ann Russell

Contest Editors

Timons Esaias – Guest Editor

Timons Esaias is a satirist, writer, and poet living in Pittsburgh. His works, ranging from literary to genre, have been published in twenty languages. He is the 2020 Asimov’s Readers’ Award winner for the Best Short Story and winner of the recent The Winter Anthology Contest. He has also been a finalist for the British Science Fiction Award and was shortlisted for the 2019 Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Prize. His story “Norbert and the System” has appeared in a textbook and in college curricula. His SF short story “Sadness”was selected for three Year’s Best anthologies in 2015, and the Asimov’s winner “Go. Now. Fix.” has been selected for two. Recent genre appearances include Asimov’s, Analog, and Clarkesworld. Concrete Wolf brought out his full-lenght Louis-Award-winning collection of poetry titled “Why Elephants No Longer Communicate in Greek.” His poetry publications include Atlanta Review, Verse Daily, 5AM, Pittsburgh Poetry Review, Willard & Maple, Asimov’s Science Fiction, and Elysian Fields Quarterly: The Literary Journal of Baseball. He is Adjunct Faculty at Seton Hill University, in the Writing Popular fiction MFA Program. People who know him are not surprised to learn that he lived in a museum for eight years.

Rhonda Schlumpberger

Rhonda Schlumpberger writes speculative fiction and contemporary literature, drawing on her chameleon DNA as a warfighter, salesperson, and nonprofit novice. Her flash and short fiction appear in All Worlds Wayfarer, Pulp Modern Flash, Silver Blade Magazine, Bewildering Stories, other online and print publications, and in various anthologies such as When the World Stopped and Like Sunshine After Rain. She’s a Longform Fiction “Fiction Pick of the Week” and a Faithwriters Editor’s Choice winner. She holds an MA in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She reads with Space and Time Magazine. Her craft passions include structure, story set-up, and the reader’s experience. Rhonda writes under a pen name and lives in SoCal. Incidentally, she likes her coffee with hazelnut sweetener only.

Rhonda is on Twitter @rhondaschlumpb1.

Allison Renner

Allison Renner is a writer, librarian, and photographer living in Memphis, Tennessee. She typically works behind the scenes as an editor for Flash Fiction Magazine and the Publicity & Reviews Manager for Split/Lip Press. Her fiction has appeared in Six Sentences and Bastards and Whores, was shortlisted by Fractured Lit, and is forthcoming from The Daily Drunk. Her informational book, Library Volunteers: A Practical Guide for Librarians, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2019.

Austin Ross

Austin Ross’s fiction, journalism, and essays have been published in various magazines, journals, newspapers, and anthologies, including Hobart, HAD, Necessary Fiction, X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine, Lost Balloon, Still: The Journal, and elsewhere. He graduated from Ohio University with a degree in creative writing and is an alumni of the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. In addition to his work as an editor with Flash Fiction Magazine, he is a fiction and CNF reader for ​CRAFT Literary. He has lived all over the US and in Central Asia, but currently lives just outside of Washington, DC with his wife and family where he works as a production editor. He loves to play music (mainly guitar) and cook. He has recently finished a novel and is currently drafting another. You can follow him on

Austin is on Twitter @AustinTRoss or visit austinrossauthor.com for more.

Contest Guidelines and Entry Fees

  • Entry fee = $30 per story.
  • Please do not submit stories over 1000 words.
  • Deadline = When we reach 130 submissions. 
  • Please do NOT submit previously rejected stories.
  • We are only accepting 130 submissions, so your odds are better than most contests.
  • We will consider all stories for publication in Flash Fiction Magazine unless you indicate otherwise.
  • You are allowed multiple submissions.
  • All decisions regarding the winners are final.
  • We will return no contest entry fees.
  • By submitting, you agree to all contest rules.

The Stories We Accept

  • We accept fiction stories between 300 and 1000 words.
  • We do not accept previously published work. This includes stories published at FFM.
  • We do not accept poetry.
  • We do not accept children’s fiction.
  • We do not accept erotica. Adult themes including sex, violence, and even politics, are fair game.
  • Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Let our editors know if your story is accepted elsewhere.

Previous Winners

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