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LAUNCHING 5 DECEMBER 2026
Turn a fresh prompt into flash fiction. Share it with the NowFiction community and enter for a chance to win the weekly $100 USD prize.
The first contest opens on . Entries close on ; voting closes on . All times follow the UTC schedule below. Invited testers can enter the private preview.
FROM PROMPT TO PUBLICATION
Choose one of the five prompts under that week’s theme. Your response can explore any suitable genre.
Submit original work of up to 1,500 words. Read the rules, select contest entry and use a paid or included entry.
Read the published field and vote for your favourites. The highest valid vote total wins after the voting window closes.
ALL TIMES IN UTC
New prompts arrive while the previous contest is still open for voting. Each contest therefore runs from its Saturday opening through the following Sunday’s voting deadline.
A fresh weekly contest begins. Pick one prompt and start writing.
Submit over the weekend and your story is saved until Monday. It is not visible to readers or voters yet.
Weekend entries go live automatically. Further entries publish as they are submitted during the week.
Your entry must be submitted before the deadline. Reading and voting continue over the following weekend.
The story with the most valid votes wins. Results are published after finalisation and any necessary integrity review.
PRIZES & RECOGNITION
The weekly prize pool is $100 USD. A single winner receives the full prize; Joint Winners share it equally. Prizes can be arranged by bank transfer or PayPal, subject to availability. Keep your payment details up to date in Profile Settings.
Winners also receive a permanent Contest Winner profile accolade, a personalised digital certificate and a place in the winners archive. Runner-up recognition is awarded when first place is not tied.
BEFORE YOU ENTER
Contest entrants must be 18 or over and have a NowFiction account. Participation and prize payment must be lawful in your location. Writers aged 13–17 can use eligible non-contest features but cannot enter prize contests.
A standard contest entry is $5 USD per story. Eligible membership plans include entry allowances. Each story uses one paid or included entry; publishing to your profile without entering the contest does not use a contest entry.
Stories can be up to 1,500 words, with no minimum word count unless a particular contest states otherwise. Each entry must respond to one of that week’s prompts.
Yes. You can submit multiple stories to a weekly contest, provided each has a valid paid or included entry.
The highest number of valid community votes determines the winner, rather than an editorial judging panel. Live vote totals stay hidden until results are finalised. Voters cannot vote for their own stories.
Stories tied for the highest valid vote total are Joint Winners and share the $100 USD prize equally. Each receives the winner accolade and certificate. No Runner-Up is awarded when first place is tied.
No. Signed-in NowFiction users can vote without entering a contest. Each account has 3, 5, 7 or 10 votes depending on the eligible entry count; the allowance is fixed when submissions close. You do not have to use every vote.
Yes. You retain copyright and grant a non-exclusive licence under the Terms & Conditions, including permission for NowFiction promotion and NowFiction-branded anthologies and collections. Contest entries are published on the site; read the full terms before entering.
The submitted creative writing must be your own. Stories written or substantially generated by generative AI are not permitted. The Contest Rules explain permitted spelling, grammar and accessibility assistance.
Public accounts and contest entries open on 5 December 2026 at 00:00 UTC. Until then, access to the working platform is limited to invited testers with the testing password.
This page is a guide. The Contest Rules, Terms & Conditions and Refund & Cancellation Policy govern every entry.
NowFiction is a writing platform built around weekly flash fiction and short story competitions, community voting and collaborative writing. It is run by NowFiction Ltd, registered in England and Wales (company number 17456627).
Registered address: 1 Crofts Ln, Ross on Wye, HR9 7AB, United Kingdom. Contact hello@nowfiction.com.
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