Apex Magazine Monthly Flash Fiction Contest:
Themes are chosen by Patrons at the end of the month and announced to Patrons on the 1st of each month. Find this month's theme at www.patreon.com/apexbookcompany. Stories that do not meet the theme will be rejected. Submissions will be open to the public on the 7th of each month. Submissions close on the last day of the month at midnight.
Submissions should be in Shunn Manuscript Format and attached as .doc/.docx/.rtf/.odt files. Please note that submissions sent before the first of the month, longer than 1000 words, or in formats other than those listed above will be deleted unread.
The winner will be announced no later than the 15th of the following month and will be paid $0.08/word or $10, whichever is more. The winning story will appear on our Patreon as an exclusive the month following and will be included in the forthcoming issue of Apex Magazine. For example, the October and November Flash Fiction Winners will be published in the January 2023 Issue of Apex Magazine.
Please click on a submission type to begin a new submission.
The following submission types are temporarily
closed:
Strange Locations Microfiction
Strange Locations: An Anthology of Dark Travel Guides
We are looking for speculative microfiction in the form of tourist brochures, travel blogs, and travel guides to the strangest, darkest places you can imagine.
Tell us a story while guiding the reader down hidden trails into eerie landscapes, weird biotech gardens, creepy scifi cities, surreal forests, or secret magical places. We’re looking for pieces that reveal intimate stories of loss, horror, or yearning in the voice of the fictional travel writer, or that use specific setting details to show whole new worlds between the lines.
We love dark fantasy, science fiction, horror, eco-horror, clifi, Weird fiction, folk horror, and body horror. Don’t be afraid to mix genres and experiment!
Please no simultaneous submissions or multiple submissions. We will aim to have first responses back within 30 days of closing to submissions.
Word count: Up to 250 words
Payment: $10 and a digital copy
Submissions open: Jan 15, 2024
Submissions close: At midnight US central time on Feb 15, 2024
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
1) Submit your work in Shunn Standard Manuscript Format (Modern or Classic) and attach as a DOC, DOCX, RTF, or ODT file format.
2) Maximum word length is a firm 250 words. Anything more will be auto-rejected.
3) Payment for original fiction is $10 and a digital copy.
4) Please include a brief bio in the body of the email; we ask that bios are kept short and sweet, considering the size of the piece being published.
5) If the work you are submitting is an English translation, please include the translator name and email address either in your cover letter or within your manuscript. By submitting, you are verifying in good faith that you have the right to have your translated work published in Apex Magazine.
6) Strange Locations welcomes and encourages submissions from writers of all races, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, and military status. We want diverse voices. We value diverse voices. Saying that, please be aware that we do not collect any information that might clue our editors to any of these attributes other than your name, email, address, and cover letter before any decisions are made regarding your submission.
Currently Closed to Submissions