The Raven Short Story Contest closes 15 October 2026
Flash fiction and short fiction, 250 to 2500 words.
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. 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
Judge: Kelly Robson
Entry fee: $35
Earlybird fee (before 15 September): $25
Entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature
Editorial critique: $50
This contest is for previously unpublished short fiction between 250 and 2500 words in length. No simultaneous submissions. Multiple entries welcome. Total entries limited to 200.
Want feedback on your story? Get a professional critique from one of the Pulp Literature editors for only $50 more. Critiques are sent out after the judging is over.
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 Paypal button below to add your payment to the shopping cart on the sidebar. 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 by cheque or e-transfer contact us at pulpliteraturepress(at)gmail.com.
Entry Fee
Editorial Critique
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.
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 Word .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.
Meet Raven final judge, Kelly Robson!
Joining us again as final judge is Kelly Robson, an award-winning science fiction, fantasy, and horror writer. She won the 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novelette and her short fiction won the 2022, 2019, and 2016 Aurora Awards. She has also been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Theodore Sturgeon, Locus, Astounding, Aurora, and Sunburst awards.
Kelly grew up in the foothills of the Rockies, competing in rodeos and gymkhanas. From 2008 to 2012, she wrote the wine and spirits column for Chatelaine. ‘Good for Grapes’ appeared as our featured story in Pulp Literature Issue 23, Summer 2019. and her delightful tale of dragons in the Alberta foothills, ‘La Vitesse’, was the feature story for Issue 42, Spring 2024. After twenty-two years in Vancouver, she and her wife, fellow writer AM Dellamonica, now make their home in downtown Toronto. Visit her at kellyrobson.com.
Find the winners of the 2023 Raven Short Story Contest and Kelly’s story ‘La Vitesse’ in Pulp Literature Issue 42, Spring 2024.
