On The Premises Short Story Contest (no fee)
Deadline: Friday, February 12, 2027, 11:59pm Eastern US Time
Last time we checked, 77% of web-based fiction magazines pay their fiction writers nothing.
So did 60% of print-only fiction magazines!
If you'd like to try getting paid for your fiction, why not consider us? Since 2006, On The Premises magazine has aimed to promote newer and/or relatively unknown writers who can write creative, compelling stories told in effective, uncluttered, and evocative prose. We've never charged a reading fee or publication fee, and we pay between $75 and $250 for short stories that fit each issue's broad story premise. We publish stories in nearly every genre (literary/realist, mystery, light/dark fantasy, light/hard sci-fi, slipstream) aimed at readers older than 12 (no children's fiction).
The premise for our latest contest is "GAMES PEOPLE PLAY".
For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story in which some kind of game or sport is important to the story. The judges don't care if the story's main characters are the ones actually playing the game or sport—it's fine either way. You can make up a game/sport, too.
We have returned to our usual maximum story length of 5,000 words for this and future contests. One entry per author. No fee for entering.
No fiction aimed at readers younger than 12, no exploitative sex, no over-the-top grossout horror. Also, no stories that are obvious parodies of existing fictional worlds/characters created by other authors. (For the same reason, we do not accept "fan fiction".) Follow those rules and we'll take anything from the most super-realistic literary drama to crazy farces (real-world or otherwise) to any variant of science fiction or fantasy you can imagine. Read our past issues and you'll see!
Entry Fee: None.
Prizes: In US dollars, $250 for first place, $200 for second, $150 for third, and $75 for honorable mention.
Story Length: Between 1,000 and 5,000 words.
Expected Publication Date: On or around Sunday, April 4, 2027. We will notify authors if the publication date changes significantly.
You can find details and instructions for submitting your story here. To be informed when new contests are launched, subscribe to our free, short, monthly newsletter by using the text box at the bottom of our home page.
