Short Story Writing Contests

​Rewarding Your Resolve...

​We’re looking for short fiction stories!
​Think you can write a winning story in 1,500 words or fewer? Enter the Creative Light Writer's Guild Short Story Contest for your chance to win a paid enrollment in the next Rochester Writer's Conference, Restaurant and Movie Gift Cards, and Publication in our next edition of The Center Piece Magazine!

Rochester Writer's Conferences are usually conducted twice per year, in Spring and Autumn; and are usually held on the campus of Oakland University, in
​Rochester, Michigan. 
​If the First Prize Winner cannot travel to the Rochester Writer's Conference,
​an award of a Visa Gift Card for the value of the registration amount will be awarded.

​The Prizes

• First Prize: Paid Enrollment to the Rochester Writer's Conference ($125 value), and publication in our Magazine, The Center Piece.
• ​​​Second Prize: $50 restaurant gift card, and publication in our magazine, The Center Piece.
• Third Prize: $25 movie gift card, and publication in our magazine, The Center Piece.
• Honorable Mention Prizes: Publication in our magazine, The Center Piece.

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​Three Contests Per Year
​Winter Contest: January 1 - April 30
Award Date: May 15
Summer Contest: May 1 - August 31
Award Date: September 1
Autumn Contest: September 1 - December 30
Award Date: January 15

The Center Piece Publication Dates

June & December

The Rules and Other Important Things

• Eligible Writers: We accept contest entries from writers 18 years or older, and who are residents of the USA.  We cannot accept submissions from writers who live outside of the United States.
• Forbidden Subject Matter: Only Fictional Short Stories will be accepted.  Poetry, Essay, and all Non-Fiction submissions will be rejected.  The "F" word; The "C" word; The "N" word; Explicit sex; Graphic violence against women, children, and animals (unless it is specific to the story, such as a wartime epic) discovered in any submission will reject that submission.
• Word Counts: 1,500 word maximum. Submissions must have the word count listed directly underneath the title. Word Count refers to all words making up the story (no matter the number of letters in the word). Do not count the title or contact information in the word count.  Pages Promotions uses MS Word's word count tool to validate all word count claims.  BE SURE OF YOUR WORD COUNT!  Entries exceeding the word limits will be disqualified. 
• Submissions & Fees: The submission/entry fee is $10.00 per entry.   Only one file may be uploaded with each entry form and fee.  Multiple entries from a single writer are permitted, but MUST be entered separately, accompanied by separate entry fees.  Once submitted, all entry fees are non-refundable. Please review the rules BEFORE submission. Payment indicates you are in agreement with the rules of this contest.  We must have at least 10 submissions to award any prizes.
• Contact Information: Please be sure that the email address that you provide will be valid throughout the competition timeframe. Please type carefully and list only one complete email address. Competition related updates are sent via: email.  Contact information is collected via the online entry form; however, entrants MUST also include the author name and title information consistently in either the header or footer of all pages of the document.  Complete identifying information including name, title, word count, and email address MUST appear on the first page of the document.
• Submission Format: Cover pages are optional; they are not requested or necessary.  Please submit text only; illustrations are not accepted.  It is preferred that an entry be formatted to 8.5 x 11 paper, 1 inch margins, #12 Calibri font.  All documents must be double-spaced.  We have no requirements as to the number of words per page.
• Electronic Submissions: When filling out the online entry form, you will be asked to upload your entry file.  Acceptable file formats include: doc, docx, rtf and pdf. Do not attach zipped files, or documents stored on the web like Google doc’s etc. File types such as .wps, .pages, .abw and .scw will not be accepted. File size should not exceed 5 MB.  Please submit your file saved under the same title as your submission.
• File Uploads: To upload your file, click the UPLOAD FILE button at the bottom of the entry form, locate the entry file on your computer, and attach it. Because you are attaching a file, you are not able to edit the entry once it has been attached; edits should be done prior to uploading the file.  Any changes you wish to make to your entry must be submitted separately, with a new entry form and entry fee.
• Originality: Your entry must be original, written in English, unpublished, and unproduced, not accepted by any other publisher or producer at the time of submission. Any piece posted online, anywhere other than a personal blog, is considered published.
• Publication & Rights: Pages Promotions reserves one-time nonexclusive publication rights to the winning entries to be published in the Pages Promotions magazine, The Center Piece, available bi-annually both in print and electronically.  Authors retain all ownership of their work and may republish their work elsewhere following the appearance of the piece in our magazine.
• Winners: Winners are selected, announced, and prizes are awarded at the next Pages Promotions Book Festival (usually held three times per year), and in The Center Piece, Pages Promotions magazine.  Winners will also be announced on the Pages Promotions website and Facebook page.  First Prize winners are awarded conference registration only.  Winners are responsible for their own travel expenses.

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Short Story Contest Entry Step Two:

Short Story Fiction Writing Contest

$10.00

​We’re looking for short fiction stories!

​Think you can write a winning story in 1,500 words or less? Enter the Pages Promotions Short Story Contest for your chance to win a paid enrollment in the next Rochester Writer's Conference, Restaurant and Movie Gift Cards, and Publication in our next edition of The Center Piece Magazine!  Rochester Writer's Conferences are usually conducted twice per year, in Spring and Autumn; and are usually held on the campus of Oakland University, in ​Rochester, Michigan.  ​If the First Prize Winner cannot travel to the Rochester Writer's Conference, ​an award of a Visa Gift Card for the value of the registration amount will be awarded.

The Prizes

• First Prize: Paid Enrollment to the Rochester Writer's Conference ($125 value), and publication in our Magazine, The Center Piece.
• ​​​Second Prize: $50 restaurant gift card, and publication in our magazine, The Center Piece.
• Third Prize: $25 movie gift card, and publication in our magazine, The Center Piece.
• Honorable Mention Prizes: Publication in our magazine, The Center Piece.

Three Contests Per Year

​Winter Contest: January 1 - April 30

Award Date: May 15

Summer Contest: May 1 - August 31

Award Date: September 1

Autumn Contest: September 1 - December 30

Award Date: January 15

The Center Piece Publication Dates

June & December

The Rules and Other Important Things

• Eligible Writers: We accept contest entries from writers 18 years or older, and who are residents of the USA. We cannot accept submissions from writers who live outside of the United States.
• Forbidden Subject Matter: Only Fictional Short Stories will be accepted. Poetry, Essay, and all Non-Fiction submissions will be rejected. The "F" word; The "C" word; The "N" word; Explicit sex; Graphic violence against women, children, and animals (unless it is specific to the story, such as a wartime epic) discovered in any submission will reject that submission.
• Word Counts: 1,500 word maximum. Submissions must have the word count listed directly underneath the title. Word Count refers to all words making up the story (no matter the number of letters in the word). Do not count the title or contact information in the word count. Pages Promotions uses MS Word's word count tool to validate all word count claims.  BE SURE OF YOUR WORD COUNT! Entries exceeding the word limits will be disqualified. 
• Submissions & Fees: The submission/entry fee is $10.00 per entry.  Only one file may be uploaded with each entry form and fee. Multiple entries from a single writer are permitted, but MUST be entered separately, accompanied by separate entry fees.  Once submitted, all entry fees are non-refundable. Please review the rules BEFORE submission. Payment indicates you are in agreement with the rules of this contest.
• Contact Information: Please be sure that the email address that you provide will be valid throughout the competition timeframe. Please type carefully and list only one complete email address. Competition related updates are sent via: email.  Contact information is collected via the online entry form; however, entrants MUST also include the author name and title information consistently in either the header or footer of all pages of the document. Complete identifying information including name, title, word count, and email address MUST appear on the first page of the document.
• Submission Format: Cover pages are optional; they are not requested or necessary.  Please submit text only; illustrations are not accepted.  It is preferred that an entry be formatted to 8.5 x 11 paper, 1 inch margins, #12 Calibri font. All documents must be double-spaced.  We have no requirements as to the number of words per page.
• Electronic Submissions: When filling out the online entry form, you will be asked to upload your entry file. Acceptable file formats include: doc, docx, rtf and pdf. Do not attach zipped files, or documents stored on the web like Google doc’s etc. File types such as .wps, .pages, .abw and .scw will not be accepted. File size should not exceed 5 MB.  Please submit your file saved under the same title as your submission.
• File Uploads: To upload your file, click the UPLOAD FILE button at the bottom of the entry form, locate the entry file on your computer, and attach it. Because you are attaching a file, you are not able to edit the entry once it has been attached; edits should be done prior to uploading the file. Any changes you wish to make to your entry must be submitted separately, with a new entry form and entry fee.
• Originality: Your entry must be original, written in English, unpublished, and unproduced, not accepted by any other publisher or producer at the time of submission. Any piece posted online, anywhere other than a personal blog, is considered published.
• Publication & Rights: Pages Promotions reserves one-time nonexclusive publication rights to the winning entries to be published in the Pages Promotions magazine, The Center Piece, available bi-annually both in print and electronically. Authors retain all ownership of their work and may republish their work elsewhere following the appearance of the piece in our magazine.
• Winners: Winners are selected, announced, and prizes are awarded at the next Pages Promotions Book Festival (usually held three times per year), and in The Center Piece, Pages Promotions magazine. Winners will also be announced on the Pages Promotions website and Facebook page. First Prize winners are awarded conference registration only. Winners are responsible for their own travel expenses.

Submit Fee