Short story contests are an excellent way to strengthen your writing skills and confidence.

Telling a succinct story in so few words requires great plotting skills. It can allow you to experiment with voice and genre without committing to a novel-length plot.

In some cases, you have the opportunity for a panel of judges to critique your work. Their valuable feedback allows you to develop new goals as you improve your craft.

Entering a short story contest can also help you refresh your creative process.

The new year is an excellent time to get excited about continuing on your writing journey. Start with a small writing goal – a short story!

Below, I’ve shared 5 short story contests for 2025. 

Read through the requirements on their website and choose one that resonates with you. Winning the contest is not the goal. 

Stretching your writing skills and sharing your work with those outside your inner circle are experiences that will serve to educate and inspire you!

Accepting: unpublished original fiction or creative nonfiction stories (max. 500 words)

Premise: Writers participate in a 3-stage (think 3-act story structure) competition. At each stage the judges present a short list of participants who will continue on, expanding their story with the next prompt. The theme for stage 1 is connection. Winners receive a cash prize and the opportunity to read at gritLIT 2025 in April. Their stories will also be published on the gritLIT website.

Submission Deadline: January 15, 2025

Entry Fee: $15

Who Should Enter: This contest is excellent for writers interested in dipping their toes into the 3-act story structure without committing to a full-length novel. It also encourages writers to develop plots around unknown concepts that should fit seamlessly within their current story.

Learn more here.

Accepting: unpublished fiction or creative nonfiction work (max. 6,000 words). Unpublished works include personal blogs, social media accounts and other websites.

Premise: There are no theme or content expectations so writers can share what they are passionate about! The winners receive a cash prize and have their pieces published online. Winners also receive agency reviews from their 6 partnered agencies.

Submission Deadline: February 2, 2025

Entry Fee: $20

Who Should Enter: Any author who has not published a novel or memoir with a major press and wants to share a creative piece they’ve already written or are working on.

Find more details here.

Accepting: Short stories on provided writing prompts that will compete against the stories of those within the same genre.

Premise: You’ll have to read through the website to understand the full scope of these writing battles. Participants receive a writing prompt and are given a limited timeframe to write their story. Writers will also receive and provide feedback on the stories shared in the battles. The writer’s colosseum has numerous writing battles throughout the year. Some are professionally judged while others are peer judged. Winners receive a cash prize and publication.

Contests Begin:

1. Heart Flash Fiction: January 12, 2025
2. Winter Flash Fiction: February 6, 2025

Entry Fee:

1. Heart Flash fiction: $39 (professionally judged)
2. Winter Flash Fiction: $22 until January 4 (peer judged)

Who Should Enter: These writing battles are for writers who enjoy gamifying the writing process. Enjoy the competitive, time-bound experience of flash fiction writing where peers and professionals can read your work.

Discover the competition here.

Accepting: original and unpublished short stories of any theme/style, written in English (max. 1,500 words)

Premise: Writers can submit any short story they have written within the maximum word count as there is no category limitation. Winners receive a cash prize and the first-place winner also has their work published in an issue of Anthology.

Submission Deadline: July 31, 2025

Entry Fee: 18 euros

Who Should Enter: Writers with an existing short story eager to introduce it to new audiences through a literary magazine. This competition is great for writers who love to write without the restrictive requirements of theme/ content that many competitions can have.

Learn more here.

Accepting: unpublished, original short stories (max. 5,000 words)

Premise: With 30+ categories open to writers worldwide, this award allows writers to share their work with a large audience. Winners receive a cash prize and publication in the published anthology. Grand prize winners are invited to an awards reception.

Submission Deadline: February 27, 2025

Entry Fee: $25

Who Should Enter: Writers eager to share a particular short story will likely be able to find a category to submit to due to the awards 30+ categories to compete in.

Discover the categories here.

If you’re eager to kickstart 2025 with a creative writing experience, I highly recommend participating in a short story contest.

These competitions provide valuable opportunities to gain feedback from other writers, share your work with new audiences and hone your confidence and craft.

There are so many more short story contests out there. A little Google search could have you discovering a competition that perfectly suits your genre or theme.

Always remember to review all the information on their website to ensure that you’re aware of all eligibility rules.

Wishing you a new year filled with creative and inspiring writing opportunities!

Have you ever entered a short story contest?

Share your advice on participating in writing competitions below!

Want to learn more about my experience with writing competitions? Read this blog post to discover how a writing contest helped me become published in a collaboratively written book.

Talk soon!

Julia