SmokeLong Quarterly

Submit Now

This competition is over. Follow us on Twitter (@smokelong) for information about future competitions.

From March 1 to May 16 2021 the SmokeLong editors will be considering your tightest, most compressed work for inclusion in our June double issue. If your micro is chosen, you’re guaranteed $100, but you could win much more. In this competition you will have the opportunity to enter one, two, or up to four micros.

The Judging

All entries are read blind by the SmokeLong editors. We make every effort to reply as quickly as possible even during competitions. This means you will probably receive a reply within two weeks if we have decided to pass on the story. If we are taking longer than two weeks, be encouraged. This means that your story has made it through to the second round of judging.

The Guidelines

• Word Count: 400 words or fewer (not including the title). If you are entering 2 or more micros, submit all your entries in one document.
• Languages: English or any other language accompanied by an English translation. The story will be judged on the English text as well as the word count of the English text. Both the English and the original story must be previously unpublished. Translator and author will split the prize money equally.
• Only previously unpublished work will be considered.
• Entrants must be 18 or older.
• Fiction, non-fiction, and hybrid narratives are considered.
• The line between prose and poetry is often a blurry one especially in micro narratives, but please take into consideration that SmokeLong does not consider poetry.
• Please use a dark, legible font. Single-spacing is fine.
• All identifying information must be removed from your entry (the story itself). Our editors read blind and have no access to cover letters. Please put your bio in your cover letter; remove your name from the story, filename, and page headers.
• Simultaneous submissions are considered, but please inform us if one or more of your entries has been accepted elsewhere. You can do this by sending us a message through Submittable.
• This should go without saying, but SmokeLong is eager to amplify the voices of under-represented writers.
• Write something you love.

The Prizes

Grand Prize: $1500
Second Place: $500
Third Place: $300
Finalists: $100
All the above will be published in the June 2021 issue of SmokeLong Quarterly.

A long list and a shortlist will be announced.

Entry Fees

$6 for one micro
$10 for two micros
$16 for up to four micros

Before you enter

If you’re new to the micro narrative, why not take a few minutes to explore the journals that publish them? You can start with SmokeLong HERE.