Entries are closed while this cycle is being judged. Watch this page for the next cycle's announcement.
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Flash Pot Fiction is a magazine built around a recurring contest — a new flash fiction challenge each cycle, with a prize pool that grows with every entry, and every winning (and worthy) story finding a home here.
By writers, for writers — because it is you, the writer, who is the true hero of this story.
Half of every entry fee goes directly into that cycle's pool, up to the cap — no deductions, no asterisk. The pool resets fresh at the start of each new cycle. The winner is chosen entirely on judges' evaluation of craft and originality.
Jon and Steve are long-lost best friends, reunited after a desperate and desolate winter of ludicrous solitude. They founded Flash Pot Fiction to make the world a little better for the hero in all of us.
They now reside in a mostly decrepit, only somewhat haunted mansion in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, alongside their (also fairly haunted) collection of typewriters and a toilet that nearly flushes (definitely haunted). This is where the editing happens.
A note for the record: Jon is happily married, so don't get any ideas. Steve, on the other hand, is game.
Every cycle's winner and Editors' Choice selections get their own issue here — starting with our founding editors' launch stories in Issue No. 0.
The winner and Editors' Choice selections from Round One
Three stories, chosen from a blind field, judged on craft and originality alone.
Read Issue No. 1 Stories by the Heroic EditorsLaunch stories from our founding editors
Published before Round One even began, so you can see the type of work that speaks to us.
Read Issue No. 0Beyond the contest, we're open to general (non-contest) fiction submissions for the magazine — ongoing, no deadline, no reading fee. We pay 12¢ CAD per word on acceptance for first publication rights.
Our first cycle — the inaugural Flash Pot Fiction Challenge — was intentionally open-ended: any story, any genre, no prompt. Future cycles will vary according to the shifting of the winds: some open-ended like this one, many eventually built around a prompt or theme announced when that cycle is scheduled. Check back each cycle to see what's on the table.
Pay your entry fee and lock in your spot before that cycle's entries close.
Write your best original piece of flash fiction, matching that cycle's word limit and theme (if any), and submit before the deadline.
Every entry receives written feedback. Winners and standout entries are published here in the magazine.
Pay your entry fee any time after this date to lock in your spot.
Your story must be submitted by this time. No extensions, no exceptions — there's always next cycle.
Every writer receives written feedback. The next cycle — and a fresh pool — opens the same day.
Real feedback from Round One entrants.
“A true form of artistic expression. To be able to write in all manner of different genres, word lengths, and under the constraints of a deadline, allow for writers to truly grow in their craft. As a beginning writer, the feedback I received was more detailed than I could have expected. It felt as if the judges had not only read my story, but understood it. Not only did they provide feedback, but they explained why each suggestion would make my story better, using real examples from the story itself.”
There's no fixed schedule — each cycle's entry window is set and announced individually, rather than resetting automatically on a calendar. The current cycle's dates are shown above; watch this page for when the next one is announced.
Not necessarily. Our inaugural cycle was open-ended — any story, any genre. Future cycles will vary: some open, some built around a theme or prompt announced when that cycle is scheduled.
Each entry fee covers one story. If you'd like more than one shot at the prize pool, you're welcome to enter multiple times in the same cycle — each entry is judged independently. We just don't accept simultaneous submissions: a piece can't be entered here while it's also under consideration somewhere else.
Submissions close automatically at the listed time for that cycle. There are no extensions or late entries, regardless of circumstances. Each future cycle is scheduled and announced individually — watch this page for the next one.
A panel of judges evaluates every entry on creativity and craft, then provides written feedback.
Objective? A keen eye for story craft? Excited to help find the hero in one of these stories? We're always looking for new judges — email admin@flashpotfiction.com to ask about joining the panel.
Yes. Judges see only the title and text of your submission — never your name, email, city, or any other identifying detail. Every entry is judged purely on the writing itself.
Yes. Entries must be original work that has not been previously published or publicly posted anywhere, and must not have won or placed in another contest.
Yes. You retain full rights to your work. By entering, you also grant us the right to include your submission — in whole or in part — in our anthology, magazine, or similar publication, as a standard condition of entry.
Absolutely — writers from anywhere in the world can enter.
No. This is a skill-based contest — the winner is determined entirely by judges' evaluation of craft and originality. The prize pool simply grows as more writers enter that cycle; it is not awarded by random draw or chance.
Exactly 50% of every entry fee goes directly into that cycle's pool, up to the cycle's cap — we absorb payment processing fees on our end, so the full 50 cents on the dollar reaches the pool. Every entrant in a given cycle is eligible for that cycle's full pool regardless of when in the cycle they entered. Once a cycle's pool reaches its cap, entry fees collected for the rest of that cycle are retained by the organizer rather than added to the pool. The pool resets to the guaranteed floor at the start of each new cycle.
Original fiction for this cycle — details loading…
Secure payment via Stripe Checkout. This is a real, live charge — confirmed entries are recorded once the webhook fires.