The SmokeLong Quarterly Award for Flash Fiction 2025 — Up to Two Entries

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This form is for TWO entries. Please include both entries in the same document.

The grand prize winner of The Smokey is automatically nominated for Best Small Fictions, The Pushcart, Best of the Net, The O. Henry Award, and any other prize we deem appropriate. In addition to all this love, we will also pay the grand prize winner $2500. Second place: $1000. Third place $500. Finalists: $150. All finalists and placers will be published in the special competition issue in June 2025.
 

Guidelines:

  • Open to anyone on the planet aged 18+.
  • Your entry must be previously unpublished.
  • You may write in English or in any other language as long as an English translation accompanies your entry. Our decision will be based on the English translation. Winnings, if any, will be split evenly between the translator and author.
  • Each entry must be 1000 words or fewer, excluding the title. There is no minimum word count requirement.
  • This competition is for fiction.
  • You may enter as many times as you like, but an entry fee must accompany each entry. If you are submitting multiple entries at the same time, they must all be in the same document.
  • Your name must NOT appear on the entry itself. This includes the filename, headers and footers. Your name and contact information should appear ONLY in the cover letter, which is not visible to the judges. 
  • Please double space your entry and use a legible, dark font.
  • Payment, if any, will be made through Paypal or Zelle.
  • Deadline: May 10, 2025, midnight ET
     

Judging

SmokeLong competitions are judged by an international selection of SmokeLong editors. We do not employ a guest judge. Our process is similar to our general submissions workflow. We send rejections as soon as we can so that your work is not tied up for the entire entry period. This means you will receive a response within about a week if we have decided to decline the entry—often sooner. If we are taking longer than one week, this is a great sign.
 

Entry Fees:

February 1 - March 31:

One Entry: $14
Two Entries: $21
Up to Four Entries: $36 (Includes a coupon for $25 off A SmokeLong Summer 25!)

April 1 - May 10

One Entry: $16
Two Entries: $24
Up to Four Entries: $39 (Includes a coupon for $25 off A SmokeLong Summer 25!)

If you are unable to pay an entry fee, please let us know (editor@smokelong.com). The option is valid until March 15. 

We use Submittable to accept and review our submissions.
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