Enter a Flash Fiction Contest.

Entering a flash fiction contest is a wise thing to do. Here are some reasons why:

If you are a new writer you need to experience the satisfaction of writing a complete story to the best of your ability. As your story will be judged, and you want it to win, you will have to learn the techniques needed to write a successful piece. What better way to become a skilled FF writer?

Writers must be comfortable with deadlines. If you go on to write stories for publications you will need to know how to pace yourself in order to have that story ready for the editor/publisher on time. A flash fiction contest closing date is a win or lose deadline. There are no prizes for late entries.

The FFW Flash Fiction Contest

ENTER OUR FREE QUARTERLY CONTEST

All writers with a flash fiction story published on Flash Fiction World are automatically entered into our quarterly competition.

For organizational reasons there are two separate submission forms - one for stories up to 399 words and one for stories of 400-1000 words. Please click on the link for your word count below.

Multiple submissions are welcome. Please use a new form for each submission.

Simultaneous submissions are not accepted as this can cause us problems with the search engines and website optimization. FFW uses Copyscape to make sure that new submissions are not published elsewhere online.

Up to 399 words - 400-1000 words

Three winners will receive prizes of £25, £15 and £10.

The next cut-off date for the FFW contest is June 9, 2012.

Please note that if your story is accepted it will appear on our website immediately and you will receive an email confirming publication. If you don't receive such an email within two weeks of submission then please assume that your story has not been accepted.

Due to the volume of submissions I just don't, unfortunately, have the time to contact people to explain why their stories have not been accepted.

A writing competition is a chance to pit your skills against an army of aspiring writers. Should you not be placed on the podium you will have gained invaluable experience of 'rejection' - that is to say the inevitable rejection all writers face when submitting work for publication. I'm not joking! This is something all writers must learn to live with as it happens to all of us.

Should you win, the boost to your confidence will not only confirm your talent but will drive you on to write more, and better.

Prize money, should it come your way, is the icing on the cake, or the cake itself, depending on your motivation. either way it tastes wonderful!

If you have been writing short stories or novels then switching to flash fiction for a change can be a steep but rewarding learning curve. Make no mistake, flash fiction is unique in style and technique. An FF story is not a mini novella or any other traditional style of literature.

If you are suffering from the dreaded writer's block, then attempting a 300 word story based around a single idea can be just the thing to unblock your creative flow. Sometimes the enormity of starting a novel or even a short story of traditional size can bring you to a halt. A small FF piece focussed on the look someone gave you at the busstop, a flat tyre on the motorway, or the letter to someone you don't know that you found in the street, may well seem far more doable.

Why you should enter a flash fiction contest

Flash fiction contests