Contest Submissions – Closed Until April 13th

Join the Waiting List

Join the contest waiting list, and you will be the first to know when we open submissions. Everyone on the contest list will get an early bird coupon for $5 off submissions.

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, the 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

Your comments were so thoughtful and they actually really resonated with me, and I’m truly grateful. As I’m sure you know, writing is such a solitary endeavor sometimes. So feeling like someone read my story and understood what I’m trying to say, even if I’m not quite there yet, is encouraging.

Alison Sanders

Contest Editors

Finnian Burnett – Guest Editor

Finnian Burnett is a writer, a doctoral student, and a college educator who loves the creative freedom that comes from experimenting with short fiction. Their work has appeared in Reflex Press, Ekphrastic Review, Blank Spaces Magazine, and more. Finn has won or been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, Bath Flash Fiction, London Independent Story Prize, and Retreat West. Their work has been nominated for Best of the Net and Best Microfiction. The Clothes Make the Man, a novella-in-flash collection, was recently released through Ad Hoc fiction, and another novella-in-flash is forthcoming through Off Topic Publishing. Finn lives in British Columbia, Canada with their wife and Lord Gordo, the cat.

Shanna Yetman – Contest Manager

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 Cheap Pop, Sky Island Journal, MoonPark Review, the Daily Drunk, Reflex Fiction, New Millennium Writings, and Jellyfish Review 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.

Mathew Channer

Mathew Channer lives on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. He is a writer and editor with a passion for all things speculative, who will complete his BA creative writing major early next year. When he is not writing, he is usually halfway up the side of a mountain. His work has been published in Flash Fiction Magazine, Deep Wild Journal, and is forthcoming in the anthology It Begins with Us. He has an Alaskan Malamute named Nymeria who curls up under his desk while he writes.

Kathleen Danielson

Kathleen Danielson is a fantasy and historical fiction writer from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kathleen has a BA in English from Carleton College, where she also minored in creative writing. In addition to Flash Fiction Magazine, her work has appeared in the Magazine of History and Fiction, and her first fantasy manuscript was a semifinalist for the 2020 University of New Orleans Press Publishing Lab Prize. She is also a submissions reader for Uncharted Magazine. When she’s not reading, editing, writing, or trying to stop her cat from walking on her computer keyboard, she is usually bouncing between too many sewing, knitting, embroidery, baking, and painting projects. 

Susan Jessen

Susan Jessen enjoys reading, reviewing, and writing fiction of various genres. She received her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, where she wrote an urban fantasy novel for her thesis. She has four years of experience in evaluating unsolicited manuscripts for a boutique publisher, which included providing constructive feedback to authors. Her short fiction has been published under a pseudonym in anthologies and magazines such as The Arcanist, Lost Balloon, and Shotgun Honey.

Charline Poirier 

Charline is a London-based writer. She obtained a PhD in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and had an international career in technology design. She has been on the panel of reviewers for The Blue Nib and is an associate editor for Brilliant Flash Fiction. Her stories have appeared in Change Seven, Flash Fiction Magazine, Brilliant Flash Fiction, Scarlet Leaf Review, Freedom Fiction, and Commuter Lit. She has penned literary stories, dipped into sci-fi, and spun a few mystery tales. Her flash Riding the Waves has been nominated for a Pushcart. She is currently working on a novel.

Joy Saler Drees

Joy Saler Drees is an avid reader and fiction writer, residing in San Diego, California, with her family, cat, and chickens. She fancies reading many genres, particularly literary and speculative fiction with voicey narratives and fresh perspectives. Her most recent works have appeared in Emerge, Litbreak, Permafrost, Rain Taxi, and Yolk. Joy has an MFA in Writing from Pacific University and a BA in English from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She’s a reader for New American Fiction Prize every year, and in the past enjoyed being a reader for Electric Literature and Autumn House Press. Aside from reading and writing, Joy spends her time marveling at how fast her two children grow, bicycling around town, and working in respite care.

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