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Micro writing contests and resources

A practical route from six words to flash fiction: current competitions, recurring challenges, trusted opportunity directories, craft guidance and excellent short work to read.

Published and editorially reviewed 2 August 2026

BEFORE YOU SUBMIT

Short does not mean simple.

Check the exact word-count method, eligibility, fee, publication rights, AI policy and whether previously published work is allowed. A title may count in one contest and not another.

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2026 deadlines worth knowing

This is an editorial snapshot, not a promise that an organizer will not change its terms. The official page always wins.

Oxford Flash Fiction Prize

Up to 1,000 words; £1,000 first prize; paid entry with free-entry places available.

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CRAFT Flash Prose Prize

Flash fiction and flash creative nonfiction, judged for both story and craft.

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Fractured Lit Elsewhere Prize

A current themed opportunity from a magazine dedicated to flash and microfiction.

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Flash 500

Quarterly, open-theme competition for stories up to 500 words; three cash prizes.

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Six Word Wonder Contest

Free, international and exactly six words; stories, memoirs, poems and jokes welcomed.

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Bath Flash Fiction Award

Up to 300 words; £1,000 first prize and anthology publication for selected writers.

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SmokeLong Grand Micro Contest

Fiction, nonfiction or hybrid narratives up to 250 words; paid finalists and publication.

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Tadpole Press 100-Word Contest

Any genre, 100 words or fewer, open internationally to writers of all ages.

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NYC Midnight 250-word Microfiction Challenge

A timed global challenge using assigned genre, action and word prompts.

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More recurring contests and challenges

Durable official pages worth bookmarking. Some are between rounds, so use the organizer’s page for the next opening date.

NYC Midnight 100-word Microfiction Challenge100 words written in 24 hours from assigned promptsAnnualNYC Midnight Flash Fiction ChallengeTimed rounds and feedback for stories up to 1,000 wordsAnnualSmokeLong Quarterly AwardMajor annual award for flash narrativesAnnualBridport Prize: Flash FictionEstablished international prize; the next cycle opens in NovemberAnnualGlobe Soup 7-Day Story ChallengesFree prompt-led challenges held throughout the yearFreeTadpole Press Mini Moon ContestAn especially tiny challenge for work of ten words or fewer10 wordsNational Flash Fiction DayAnnual anthology, micro competition, prompts and eventsCommunityFlash 500 quarterly competitionFour deadlines each year for work up to 500 wordsQuarterly

Find more current opportunities

These directories cover a much wider field. Treat them as discovery tools, then verify every deadline, fee, right and eligibility rule on the organizer’s own site.

Christopher Fielden: Flash Fiction CompetitionsDetailed international list focused on very short fictionDirectoryReedsy: Flash Fiction ContestsSearchable contest listings with deadlines and feesDirectoryChill SubsSearch literary magazines and opportunities by length and genreMarketsDuotropeSubmission listings, calendars and response dataTrackerSubmittable DiscoverLive calls from magazines, contests and organizationsOpen callsPoets & Writers contestsVetted grants, awards and contests across literary formsDirectory

Learn to write shorter

Practical explanations of compression, subtext, single-moment structure and making every word carry more than one job.

NYC Midnight: How to Write MicrofictionA clear introduction to stories of 300 words or fewerGuideAnatomy of MicrofictionSingle moments, metaphor, subtext and emotional reachCraftWriting a Beginning, Middle and EndHow a tiny story can still create movement and changeStructureThe Guardian: How to Write Flash FictionClassic advice from leading flash writersAdvice100 Word Story: About the FormWhy exact brevity creates gaps, pressure and precision100 words100 Word Story: Cut It in HalfA useful compression exercise among the magazine’s craft postsExerciseCRAFT Literary essaysDeep craft analysis, interviews and close readingsLibrarySmokeLong: Why Flash Fiction?Writers explain what the form can do that longer work cannotPerspectives

Read excellent short work

The quickest craft lesson is close reading. These publications show how different writers create character, motion and resonance in very little space.

100 Word StoryStories of exactly 100 words plus a monthly photo prompt100 wordsSmokeLong QuarterlyInternational flash narratives and author interviewsFlashWigleafVery short fiction under 1,000 words and an annual Top 50Under 1,000Fractured LitContemporary flash and microfiction with paid submissionsFlash & microCRAFT Flash FictionPublished flash paired with an explicit interest in craftLiterarySix-Word MemoirsThe landmark community for miniature life writingSix wordsSix Word Stories archiveA deep independent archive of six-word narrativesSix words

See how the forms connect

Follow the path from the novel to short story, flash fiction, microfiction and the exact six-word constraint.

Open the literary forms map →

Last editorial review: August 2, 2026. We link directly to organizers where possible. Six Word Story is not affiliated with or responsible for external competitions. Fees, dates, prizes, eligibility and rights can change, so verify the official rules before entering.