summer 2025 editor’s Prize contest

Information & guidelines

Contest Dates
July 1 - August 1

Genres
Fiction, Poetry, & Flash

Prize
$350 and publication in our Fall 2025 issue of Peatsmoke

Entry Fee
In order to keep this contest as accessible as possible, our entry fee is $8 per submission.

All submissions will be considered for publication in our fall issue, even if they are not chosen as contest winners.

Authors are welcome to make multiple separate submissions, each with a submission fee.

We will read all submissions blind, so please do not include any identifying information within your document. We will also announce at least three runners-up per genre.

We will only consider original, previously unpublished work. Work that has previously appeared elsewhere, including blogs or personal websites, will not be considered.

It is always our mission to support and lift up the voices of marginalized writers, so we encourage BIPOC, disabled, LGBTIAQ+, and neurodivergent writers to submit. We are also excited to see work by previously unpublished writers.

Fiction

Please submit one short story per entry, 2,000-6,000 words in length. All subject matter is welcome, as long as it is not discriminatory in nature. We are equally excited to see speculative work and realism. Bring it on!

Poetry

Please submit up to three poems per entry. Each individual poem may be of any length. 12-point font.

 Flash

You may submit up to three pieces per entry, each piece under 1,000 words in length. We’re open to all subject matter, as long as it is not discriminatory in nature. Realism, speculative, traditional narration, and formal exploration are all welcome to the party!

We will announce our winners in September. We can’t wait to read your work!