Fall 2026 Story Contest — Narrative Magazine ($2,500 First Prize, Fiction and Nonfiction)
Narrative Magazine
Narrative Magazine's fall contest for fiction and literary nonfiction; winners and finalists have gone on to Whiting, Pushcart and Pulitzer recognition.
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First prize $2,500, second $1,000, third $500, and up to ten finalists receive $100 each. All entries are considered for publication, for the $5,000 Narrative Prize and as Story of the Week; entrants get three months of Narrative Backstage. Judged by the magazine's editors.
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Open to all fiction and nonfiction writers: short shorts, short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, literary nonfiction and excerpts from longer works. Entries must be previously unpublished, up to 15,000 words, and not previously a winner, finalist or honorable mention in another contest. No machine-generated text.
Dates & details
- Deadline
- 11:59 p.m. PST
- Results
- By 31 December 2026
- Costs to the artist
- Entry fee only; submission online