On The Premises Short Story Contest (no fee)
Deadline: Friday, July 3, 2026, 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 "LESS".
For this contest, write a creative, compelling, well-crafted story in which one or more characters are trying to make something—anything—smaller in some way. Trying to change their behaviors ("I will ____ less") or their weight counts, and so does inventing a way to make something faster ("this process will take less time”). So does inventing a shrink ray.
In the spirit of the contest premise, you get less space to work with this time. Stories for this contest must be between 1,000 and 3,000 words long. Usually, you can go as long as 5,000 words, but not this time! This time you must work with LESS! 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 3,000 words (three thousand is the limit for this contest only!)
Expected Publication Date: On or around Sunday, August 16, 2026. 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.
