u/FrictionSeries

Category: Poetry, Flash Fiction, Short Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Submission deadline: May 15 2026
Contest name: F(r)iction Writing Contests
Entry Fee: $10 - 15
Cash Prize: $300 (poetry, flash fiction), $500 (creative nonfiction), $1,000 (short story)
About: In our writing contests, we seek writing that reflects a similar mission to our journal, F(r)iction: work that actively pushes the boundaries of traditional publishing, that has complex characters and a strong narrative arc, and makes us feel something as we read it. We want stories we haven't seen before, whether it twists or plays with genre, setting, language, voice, you name it. Our contests also feature a panel of three guest judges to help us decide the winners for each category. For Spring 2026, we have Manuel Aragon judging Short Story, Brett Pribble judging Flash Fiction, Shannon Chen See judging Creative Nonfiction, and Trish Broome judging Poetry. Winners in each category will receive a cash prize, as well as work with one of our Senior Editors to see their work published either online or in our print journal!
Submit here: https://frictionlit.org/contests/