May 14 Deadline for Fiction500 Contest

Contest Writing Prompt
Contest Writing Prompt

The entry fee is $12, the window for submission is May 1-14, and the first prize is $500.

The Fiction500 contest is sponsored by the not-for-profit Fiction500 Foundation (status pending) in San Diego, California. According to its website, the contest was inspired by the Three-Minute Fiction Writing Contest that National Public Radio began in 2009.

Here’s the basic information about the contest as outlined by Executive Director Mark Drozda:

    • Writers submit an original work of fiction no longer than 500 words, based on our prompt.
    • We accept only 500 entries.
    • Faculty from the country’s top MFA Creative Writing Programs judge the contest
    • The winning author receives $500 cash.
    • Second-place author receives $200, and third-place author receives $100.
    • We publish winning stories (and honorable mentions) on our website.
    • At the end of the year, we e-publish an anthology of the year’s winners for the Kindle, Nook and iPad.

For complete details, visit their website.

Maeve Maddox writes about popular culture, English usage, and education. Her most recent books are WORD RAGE, a guide to peaceful coexistence as American English-speakers, and THE FABERGE FLUTE, a cozy mystery set in 1980s London.

2 thoughts on “May 14 Deadline for Fiction500 Contest

  1. Susan,
    That was my first question before running the information. I was not able to find out anything beyond what is mentioned in the “About” section of their site. It doesn’t seem to be particularly fishy, and a lot of other writing sites are promoting it. I’m just passing on the information. As always, Caveat Emptor: let the buyer beware.

  2. Just wondering how legit this is, as this month’s contest seems to be the first ever?

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