Scribes Valley Annual Writing Contest

Scribes Valley
Annual Writing Contest

For our 23nd Annual Scribes Valley Short Story Writing Contest, we are looking for stories that enthrall us, leave us breathless, make us say “Wow!” and stay in our minds even weeks after we read them. You've worked hard on your story, pondered every word, developed characters so real you know them personally, and created a setting which pulls readers out of the real world. Don’t keep it to yourself! Let others read it. Let US read it!

WANTED

Short stories (any subject)

Deadline: December 31, 2025

All finalists will be published in our annual anthology, both in print and electronic versions
All finalists in the published anthology will receive one print version of the anthology

All finalists in the published anthology will have their entry fee returned to them

Monetary prizes, based on contest participation, for top 3 stories

See below for guidelines, rules, and HOW TO ENTER

Click HERE to read our contest Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

See previous contest winners:

2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010,

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018,
2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

GUIDELINES

Thrill us! Entertain us! Beguile us! TELL US A STORY!
Please do not submit A.I. material. We want to see/hear YOUR voice! YOUR work!
Fiction short stories up to 5,000 words. Any genre, any subject
Cover page should have author name, mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address, word count, and optional author bio. Subsequent pages should have at least page number
Submissions should be in English and in a font size that doesn't require a magnifying glass
Entry Fee: $8.00 US per story (nonrefundable). This fee helps to fund the contest and ensure author seriousness in sending entries. If your story is published, you will receive this entry fee back
No limit on submissions but each story must have its own entry fee.
Click HERE to enter online
If you prefer to send your entry through email, attach it to an email containing your contact information and send to svsubmission[at]gmail[dot]com. When we receive your email, we'll invoice you for the $8 entry fee.
If you would like to send your story through snail mail, please drop us an email: for instructions on how to do that
We try to notify authors by email when their entries are received. If you do not receive notification, drop us an email

RULES

Our contest is open to everyone, regardless of country, nationality, age, or publishing history, as long as it is legal in the submitter's place of residence.
Open to authors from all countries, but submissions must be in English.
All work must be original and unpublished. The author must own all rights to the submitted material. We require only First Anthology Rights for those stories we publish. All other rights remain with the author.
Simultaneous submissions are okay. However, if the work is published (or accepted for publication) elsewhere before the contest ends, the author must notify Scribes Valley Publishing at so the story may be removed from contest consideration.
Contest decisions are final.
Winners will be notified via any or all of the following: mail, e-mail, telephone. Please be sure all information in your submission is correct and current. If a finalist is not reachable after all avenues are exhausted, another finalist will be chosen.