Flash Fiction Contest 2021

Can you pack a whole story into just a few paragraphs? Of course you can!

The NOWW Flash Fiction Contest is now accepting short-short story entries of 500 words max. Quick and to the point.

The top three stories will earn cash prizes ($75/$50/$25) and publication in our blog this fall.


Contest Rules

• Free entry (you have to be a NOWW member—sign up here, if you’re not a member: http://www.nowwwriters.ca/join-noww.html)

 

• One submission per person

 

• Your story must be 500 words maximum, not including title. Stories that go over the word count max will be disqualified.

 

• Word document preferred (any text document is fine, though if submitting a PDF, please ensure we can cut and paste from it. Please, no links to Google Docs.)

 

• Times New Roman, 12pt., double spaced

 

• At the top of your entry, please include your name, email, phone number, title of your story, and word count (not including title). Then, include your title again and the story.

 

• You can view a sample entry here: https://www.nowwwriters.ca/noww-blog/the-noww-flash-fiction-writing-contest-is-back] ​
• Please do not include anything within the text of the story itself like your name that would make you identifiable. Change character names, if necessary, to ensure the judges will not recognize who the writer is.

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• Email to [email protected] with “Flash Fiction Contest” in the subject line (mailed submissions will not be accepted)

 

• NEW STORIES ONLY, please. Your submission must be:
  • Your own work
  • Unpublished

 

• Deadline Extended to Friday September 18, 2021 at midnight. 

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Two members of the NOWW board will judge the contest.
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WHAT IS FLASH FICTION?

Flash fiction stories are, well, short. Sometimes called “micro-stories”, “postcard stories” (if a postcard is part of the contest) or “short-short stories”, flash fiction challenges the writer to fit a complete story into very few words. While there isn’t a paint-by-numbers formula for flash fiction, there is a certain art to it. It’s not about trying to squeeze a 3,000-word story into 500 words.
Here are a few links to help you get a better idea of the craft—and to get the creative juices flowing:

How To: 
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/14/how-to-write-flash-fiction (Another how-to written by David Gaffney)

More Tips: 
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/writing-101-what-is-flash-fiction-learn-how-to-write-flash-fiction-in-7-steps (This article actually lists only six steps – perhaps to prove the point?)

Some Examples:
 http://flashfictiononline.com/main/ (Example pieces)
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