Contest Submissions – Closed Until August or September

Sign up for the waiting list at the bottom of this page.

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:

• Every winner gets lifetime access to our Flash Fiction Masters Writing Community.
• Winners are featured in our Story Time LIVE event on Zoom.
• We add winning stories to our Featured Stories page.
• We heavily promote winning stories.

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

Finnian Burnett – Guest Editor

Finnian Burnett teaches undergrad English, British and American Literature, and creative writing. They are a doctoral student in English Pedagogy, a novelist, and a flash fiction writer. Finn’s work has been shortlisted or won in the Bath Flash Fiction Award, Blank Spaces Magazine, National Flash Fiction Day, Retreat West, Globe Soup, and more. Their work has appeared in Reflex Press, Ekphrastic Review, Fenacular Portfolio, The Daily Science Fiction, and Flash Fiction Magazine. Finn lives in British Columbia with their wife and Lord Gordo, the cat.

Susan Jessen

Susan Jessen enjoys reading, reviewing, and writing fiction of various genres. In addition to her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, where she wrote an urban fantasy novel for her thesis, she’s taken undergraduate writing courses from Northwestern University, Loyola University of Chicago, and the University of Alaska. She has four years of experience of evaluating unsolicited manuscripts for a boutique publisher, which included providing constructive feedback to authors. After taking numerous courses at SavvyAuthors, she acts as a moderator for their writing webinars. Her editing interests include character development and clarity of language. Her short fiction has been published under a pseudonym in magazines such as The Arcanist, Space and Time Magazine, and more, and in several anthologies. Art in all forms is a passion, but she prefers painting with words to adding color to canvas.

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.

Ellie Jacobson

Ellie Jacobson lives in Minnesota with her husband, two teenage sons, and Mr. Percy, the cat. She majored in English at St. Catherine University and served as an assistant news editor for the college newspaper. After two years in college, she made the biggest mistake of her life by dropping out. After twenty years, she returned to school, graduating with a BS in technical communication. Now, as an MFA Creative Writing graduate student, she is writing a suspense novel. She is a fiction reader for Uncharted Magazine. Her words can be found at Medium, Coffee House Writers, and The Drabble.

Shanna Yetman

Shanna Yetman is an environmental writer and Latina living in Chicago. She enjoys character-driven fiction with a social-justice edge. Her writing has centered around motherhood, and now, the climate crisis and how we can reimagine our planet’s future. Shanna has an MFA in Fiction from the University of Maryland and a BA in English Literature from Wellesley College. She’s an alumna of the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers Conference and has taught at UIC’s Summer Institute on Sustainability and Energy (SISE). Her fiction has appeared in MoonPark Review, the Daily Drunk, Reflex Fiction, New Millennium Writings, Jellyfish Review, Connotation Press, and the Writing Disorder, among other publications. When she’s not writing, she’s chasing around her two kids and making sure they see as much of the natural world as they can before they beg her for screen time.

Contest Guidelines and Entry Fees

• Entry fee = $30 per story.
• Please do not submit stories over 1000 words.
• Please do NOT submit previously rejected stories.
• 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.
• Contest entry fees are non-refundable.
• 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

You can read all the previous winning stories on our Featured Stories page