The N3F short story contest is free to enter, and closes 31 December

The National Fantasy Fan Federation (N3F) is running its 2026 Amateur Short Story Contest until the end of the year. You don't need to be a member, and there's no entry fee, but if you’ve sold more than two stories professionally, you are out of luck.

Stories should be science fiction, fantasy or a similar genre, up to 8,500 words, and you can enter up to three. Send the entry sheet and your story to the judge, Jefferson Swycaffer, by email (a Word attachment is preferred) or by post, and keep your name off the manuscript. Entries must arrive or be postmarked by 31 December 2026.

The prizes are modest: $50, $30 and $20, with certificates for honorable mentions. Winners will be announced by March 2027, and top entries may be invited into the N3F's fiction zine, Eldritch Science, or an N3F ebook.

Full rules and the entry sheet: https://n3f.org/short-story-contest/

For longer stories, there’s always Writers of the Future, which takes stories up to 17,000 words, with the same deadline (ouch!).
Cover photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash.