Pulp Literature has six annual contests for writers. Total entries are limited in each category, giving you a better chance to win! To hear about contests in advance, subscribe to our free monthly newsletter.
Pulp Literature Press does not support the use of Generative AI or LLM software. We do not accept works created by AI software, and we will not feed your work to AI platforms for editing, design, or marketing purposes.
The Bumblebee Flash Fiction Contest
The Bumblebee looks soft and cuddly but hides a venomous sting. Entice us with your inviting prose that serves up a pointed ending in 750 words or fewer. Want feedback on your story? Get a professional critique from one of the Pulp Literature editors for only $25 more.
Contest opens: 1 January 2027
Deadline: 15 February 2027
Winner notified: 15 March 2027
Winner published in: Issue 55, Summer 2027
Prize: $300
Entry fee: $25
Earlybird fee (before 15 January): $15
Entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature.
This contest is for previously unpublished works of fiction up to 750 words in length. Total entries limited to 300.
The Magpie Award for Poetry
At Pulp Literature, we have an affinity for poetry, the hard liquor of literature. We like it strong, neat, and we don’t mind if it makes our eyes water. Our judges, will be looking for a fusion of musicality, imagery, feeling, and thought. May the best poem win!
Contest opens: 1 March 2027
Deadline: 15 April 2027
Winner notified: 15 May 2027
Winners published in: Issue 56, Autumn 2027
First Prize: $500
Runners up (2): $50 each
All entrants receive a 1 year digital subscription to Pulp Literature.
Entry fee: $35 1st poem, $10 each subsequent poem
Earlybird fee (before 15 March): $25 1st poem, $10 each subsequent poem
Entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature.
This contest is for previously unpublished poems of up to 100 lines in length. Total entries limited to 500.
The Hummingbird Flash Fiction Prize
Got something short, sharp and snappy to tell? Wow us with your most economical and brilliant storytelling. This contest is for short fiction under 1000 words. Want feedback on your story? Get a professional critique from one of the Pulp Literature editors for only $30 more.
Contest opens: 1 May 2026
Deadline: 15 June 2026
Winner notified: 15 July 2026
Winner published in: Issue 53, Winter 2027
Prize: $300
Entry fee: $25
Earlybird fee (before 15 May): $20
Entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature.
This contest is for previously unpublished works of fiction up to 1000 words in length. Total entries limited to 300. Full guidelines here.
The Kingfisher Poetry Prize
Like the kingfisher who waits with perfect patience, then strikes her prey with unerring aim, we are searching for small sparkling poems that flash and glimmer from the depths. This contest is for shorter poems, up to twenty lines in length. May the best poem win!
Contest opens: 1 July 2026
Deadline: 15 August 2026
Winner notified: 15 September 2026
Winners published in: Issue 53, Winter 2027
First Prize: $300
Runners up (2): $50 each
All entrants receive a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature.
Entry fee: $25
Earlybird fee (before 15 Oct): $15
Final Judge: Jude Neale
This contest is for previously unpublished poems of up to 20 lines in length. Poetry that relies heavily on visual structure is eligible for prize money, but may be excluded from publication if the formatting is difficult to reproduce in print or eBook. Total entries limited to 300.
The First Page Cage
Long form fiction writers, this contest is for you! Send us the first two pages (up to 500 words) of your novel, novella, or novelette. The most enticing eight entries will be published on the website with judges’ comments. These authors will be invited to submit their first ten pages (2500 words) and synopses to the cage match. From these eight, four semi-finalist entries will be sent judges’ comments on their first ten pages, and will be invited to submit thirty pages (7500 words). Each of the two finalists will receive editorial critiques of their first thirty pages, and will be invited to submit their full manuscripts. The author of the winning manuscript will receive $300, an editorial review, and a synopsis critique.
Contest opens: 1 August 2026
Deadline: 15 September 2026
Quarter-finalists announced: 15 October 2026
Semi-finalists announced: 1 November 2026
Finalists announced: 15 November 2026
Winner announced: 1 December 2026
Prize: $300
Judges: Mel Anastasiou, Jen Landels, Sierra Louie
Entry fee: $30
Earlybird fee (before 15 August): $20
Editorial feedback on first two pages: $10
Entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature.
Editorial feedback will be a sentence or two on your first page, letting you know at what point in the page we stopped wanting to read more, and why.
The Raven Short Story Contest
We Pulp Literature editors collect stories like ravens in the woods, swooping down on what catches our eye and bringing the treasures — sometimes sparkling, sometimes grisly, but always fascinating — home to our nests. Want feedback on your story? Get a professional critique from one of the Pulp Literature editors for only $50 more. Show us your most scintillating treasures in the form of short fiction up to 2500 words in length and you could be the one bringing home $300 to line your nest!
Contest opens: 1 September 2026
Deadline: 15 October 2026
Winner notified: 15 November 2026
Winner published in: Issue 54, Spring 2027
Prize: $300
Entry fee: $35
Editorial critique: $50
Earlybird fee (before 15 September): $25
Entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature
This contest is for previously unpublished short fiction between 500 and 2500 words in length. Multiple entries welcome. Total entries limited to 200.
Fee Waivers
If the entry fee for contests would pose a financial hardship for you, feel free to fill out the Fee Waiver Request form. We can only provide one waiver per contest per author. If your entry wins a prize, the entry fee will be deducted from the prize money.
FEE WAIVER FORM