Story Unlikely Annual Short Story Contest 2025 | Deadline: January 31, 2025

The Story Unlikely Annual Short Story Contest 2025 is currently open for submission. Interesting short story writers are invited to submit their best

Story Unlikely Annual Short Story Contest 2025

The Story Unlikely Annual Short Story Contest 2025 is currently open for submission. Interesting short story writers are invited to submit their best works on different genres.

Story Unlikely Annual Short Story Contest 2025 Guideline

Attention storytellers: we just want good stories! There are no restrictions on genre: fantasy, sci-fi, memoir, fiction/nonfiction, etc - we don't care as long as it's written and told with quality and care. The story itself cannot exceed 4,000 words (exept for paying MEMBERS, who get a bonus 1,000 words added!). There are no restrictions on age or location of participant, and no need to ask us for permission to participate in the contest - just follow the guidelines below.

Prizes for the Story Unlikely Annual Short Story Contest 2025

A $1,500 $3,000 prize package will be divvied up like so: $1,500 first place, $1,000 second place, $500 third place. 

The winning story will be featured on Story Unlikely's website, will be strongly considered for our annual (print) sample magazine, and may be sent out as the bonus story for signing up, which means a lot of exposure to the winner. All three placing stories will be published in the monthly issue, and all three will be illustrated.

Honourable mentions will be made in their monthly issue along with the winning story. If your name appears on this list of honorables, you'll be prompted to contact us and we'll send you a fancy-schmancy certificate for proof that you, indeed, almost won a writing contest. But not quite. Plus, if there is a strong showing, some of the finalists may be considered for publication in our monthly magazine.

Deadline for the Story Unlikely Annual Short Story Contest 2025

      The submission period runs from October 1st through January 31st (midnight central standard time).

When will my Story be Published?

Stories will be published - at our whimsical discretion - the following calendar year between June and December. Winning authors will be notified, at the latest, by May 31st. 

All authors MUST be signed up for the Story Unlikely monthly magazine (free!) to be eligible for prize and publication. Please note that although you're welcome to unsubscribe at any time, just wait until the contest is over, otherwise we'll consider that a disqualification of your entry. DO NOT mark our emails as spam (and we know when this is done) - not only will you forfeit your entry, but you'll be barred from future submissions. Harsh judgement, sure, but easily avoided.

Other Available Competitions 

1. One Teen Story Contest 2025 | Deadline: December 2, 2024
2. Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest | Deadline: April 1, 2025
3. Lyric Magazine College Poetry Contest 2024 | Deadline: December 31, 2024
4. Story Unlikely Annual Short Story Contest 2025 | Deadline: 
5. The Four Quartets Prize 2024 | Deadline: December 31, 2024
6. Tower Poetry Competition 2025 | Deadline: February 20, 2025
7. Gemini Magazine Poetry Open 2025 | Deadline: January 2, 2025
8. Tadpole Press Writing Contest 2024 | November 30, 2024
9. Happiful Poetry Prize 2025 | Deadline: November 30, 2025
10. Colorado Poetry Prize 2024 | Deadline: January 14, 2025
11. Cafe Writers Poetry Competition 2024 | Deadline: November 30, 2024
12. Women's Poetry Competition 2024 | Deadline: December 9, 2024

Submission Guidelines for the Story Unlikely Annual Short Story Contest 2025

We accept email submissions only, and from legitimate email addresses, not tied to some private school server that will bounce back. If your submission (or email you use to subscribe) comes from one of these, it will be disqualified.

Attach the entire story to the email (Microsoft word doc or docx) Do not put a link to Google doc - actually attach the document. Be sure to remove ALL forms of identification from the story (If your story happens to be about you, just be sure to remove your last name).

Due to our endless quest to get our stories past overreactive spam blockers, we've changed our submission email to: dan@storyunlikely.com. 

As long as you type the word 'Submission' in the title, your story will end up in the right place. And this is important, so we'll say it again: make sure you type the word 'submission' in the title of your email, otherwise it may be lost! So email submissions to dan@storyunlikely.com in the following format:

(Email Subject Line) Submission: TITLE/GENRE

(In the body of the email)

Dear Editor,

TITLE, GENRE, WORD COUNT

[Insert FIRST 250 words of your story (rounded to the nearest sentence) here]

# (insert page break, or double space if you can't)

(Insert short author bio, including any previously published stories, as you want it to appear below your story if/when published)

(Tell us how you found Story Unlikely, and why you decided to submit)

Sincerely,

NAME

Contact information

(Type the following verbatim) I have not, and will not, submit this story anywhere else until May 31st.

Story doc attached!

A sample

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