The First Page Cage closes October 5th! Follow the blog or sign up for our free newsletter to see who makes it to the next round.
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.
- All entrants receive a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature.
- 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: 30 September 2026 5 October 2026
Quarter-finalists announced: 30 October 2026
Semi-finalists announced: 13 November 2026
Finalists announced: 27 November 2027
Winner announced: 15 January 2027
Prize: $300
Judges: Mel Anastasiou, Jen Landels, Sierra Louie
Entry fee: $30
Early-bird 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.
Submission Guidelines
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.
Use the buttons below to add your payment to the shopping cart. If you are submitting multiple stories you can pay for them together by altering the quantities in your shopping cart. If you would prefer to pay via e-transfer contact us at pulpliteraturepress(at)gmail.com.
Simultaneous submissions are welcome for this contest only, providing the work is under no existing exclusive contracts.
Entry Fee
Editor Feedback
Once you have paid the entry fee, fill in the entry form with your information and transaction ID. Then upload your story to our entry form in .doc or .docx format.
Entry Form
Thank you for your entry! Editorial feedback, if requested will be sent after the contest winners are announced. Digital subscriptions are sent out when the contest closes.
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Pulp Literature Press reserves the right to refuse entries that do not adhere to contest guidelines. If fewer than 25 entries that meet guidelines are received, contests may be cancelled and entrants refunded.