I'm trying out something new! This month marks the start of our monthly flash fiction contests! All are invited to participate! These contests will take place in three formats and each format will have its own set of winners. You are welcome to join whichever contest is most accessible/simplest for you.
For those participating on Wattpad, please visit https://www.wattpad.com/story/367151827-flash-fiction-contests for participation guidelines.
For those participating on Neobook, please visit https://neobook.org/book/wdUAIXpC/ for participation guidelines.
For those participating through the Underground Bookshelf website, scroll down for participation guidelines.
Regardless of how you participate, first, second, and third place winners will be featured on Underground Bookshelf and its social media platforms. This means that there are up to nine winners per month (three winners from the Wattpad contest, three winners from the Neobook contest, and three winners from the Underground Bookshelf website contest -- provide there are enough contestants on each platform).
Flash Fiction Contest April 2024: Two-Sentence Horror
The theme for our Flash Fiction Contest for April 2024 is TWO-SENTENCE HORROR!
Submit your best work of Two-Sentence Horror:
- Email your completed work to contact.undergroundbookshelf@gmail.com.
- Put the name of the active contest in which you are participating in the subject line of your email (for example: Flash Fiction Contest April 2024: Two-Sentence Horror)
- In the body of the email include:
- your name as you would like to be credited,
- your pronouns,
- the title of your work,
- your complete work of flash fiction
- a link to this work if you have it posted elsewhere and would like to share your work with others at the end of the contest (OPTIONAL).
Contest Timeline
- Submissions opens on April 15, 2024.
- Submissions close on April 23, 2024.
- Winners announced on April 30, 2024.
Rules of Participation
1. Be respectful of one another.
2. Please no NSFW.
3. Please submit stories written in English. (I would love to expand this to other languages in the future, but that will require a team. If anyone is interested in helping make this expansion happen, do let me know.)
4. One entry per participant per contest.
5. No AI generated content. (I'll accept works that use AI for brainstorming, researching, or conceptualizing, but the story itself must be your own and must be written by you in your voice.)
6. Your work of flash fiction must be complete at the time of submission.
Image Description: A book lays open on a table. It's weathered pages turn into fantastical works of abstract Zentangle-style artwork in scrolls of orange, blue, and green. At the top of the image, the scrollwork bleeds into a dark blue night sky filled with celestial orbs.
Credit: Image was AI generated using Night Cafe.
How to Submit
- Email your completed work to contact.undergroundbookshelf@gmail.com.
- Put the name of the active contest in which you are participating in the subject line of your email (for example: Flash Fiction Contest April 2024: Two-Sentence Horror)
- In the body of the email include:
- your name as you would like to be credited,
- your pronouns,
- the title of your work,
- your complete work of flash fiction
- a link to this work if you have it posted elsewhere and would like to share your work with others at the end of the contest (OPTIONAL).
About Flash Fiction Contests
It's simple, really. I love reading, writing, and supporting the literary community. It's why I created the Underground Bookshelf platform in the first place. One way I can do that is by hosting contests that bring people together to write and share their best work.
These are community contests. They don't work without community. I encourage everyone to not only submit their work, but also read the work of their fellow contestants whenever possible and give each other some love. At the end of each contest, I will post the winners and their stories as well as provide the links to submitted stories (if they are available online) so that we can celebrate each other's work.
A Quick Note
You retain all the rights to the stories you submit to these contests. If your work is featured on this platform you are still able to publish it in other formats.
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