Where to Find Short Story Contests

So you've written a short story and now you're dreaming of all the people who will read it and all the fame and fortune it will bring you. Perhaps you've even submitted your story to The New Yorker or Glimmertrain Press.

It's good to aim high. Unfortunately, the big presses are difficult to get into and the small presses don't have enough subscribers to budget payment for fiction writers. You may gain exposure among your fellow writers and a few editors, but the payment will be token-if you get paid at all.

One of the best ways to get attention with your short fiction is to enter contests. And if you win, you can earn some money in a genre that doesn't often pay. There is usually a small entry fee that is used to fund the magazine and pay the winners.

Contests are easy to find. The Funds for Writers newsletter (www.fundsforwriters.com), as well as several others, list contests in their issues. There are also many websites that have searchable databases for fiction contests. Here are a few:

Poets & Writers

Poets & Writers (www.pw.org/mag/grantsawards.htm) lists grants and awards for fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Click on the Submissions Calendar for upcoming deadlines. Each market listed has a short summary and a link you can click on for more details, including genre, entry fee, requirements, and prizes offered.

Winning Writers

Winning Writers (www.winningwriters.com) is a site designed specifically around contests. The focus is on poetry, but they also list fiction contests. The details of each contest are included in the listing. There are also links to the magazines sponsoring each contest. Also included on the Winning Writers website is a list of writers' resources and a list of contests to avoid.

Writing World

Writing World (www.writing-world.com/contests/index.shtml) has a search box where you can choose category (short stories, poetry, non-fiction, etc.) and the month in which the deadline falls. They also provide some guidelines on what to look for when deciding whether or not to enter a contest. Each contest listing contains a short description and a link to the details.

New Pages

New Pages (newpages.com/literary/contests.htm) lists upcoming deadlines by date, and includes the name of the publisher, the name of the contest, and the judges' names when available. Each listing contains a link to the contest guidelines. A search of New Pages will give you more information about the magazine if you need it.

Before you enter a contest, maximize your chances of winning by being familiar with the magazine that sponsors the contest as well as the preferences of the judge. You can do this by reading a few stories published in the magazine and anything written by the judge. And always follow the contest guidelines. Good luck!