Summer Short Story Contest
And You Press is excited to announce its fifth short story contest!
The winners of this contest will be published in an upcoming anthology to be released in July 2025. Please see below for the prompt and rules for submission.
We’re traveling this summer—and combining a few of our favorite tropes, too!
Your characters can go anywhere for any reason, but among the packing and the anticipation, the excitement and the exploration, the road trips, sandy beaches, or even staycations, they all encounter one little problem:
At some point along the way, they have just one [fill in the blank] that forces them to share a moment (or longer) that influences how they see each other.
Sure, that one thing could be a bed, but it doesn’t have to be. Tent? Sleeping bag? Horse? Cupcake? Bottle of water under the scorching hot sun? What is that one thing that forces your characters to break physical barriers, to work together, or to get to know each other? And will it change the outcome of this trip?
Rules
Deadline to submit: April 19, 2025
No prior publishing experience necessary. However, please submit as close to ready-to-pub as possible. If chosen for publication, edits will be performed as needed, but please don’t submit your first draft.
Open internationally to writers 18 and older
Specs
Word Count: 2k to 10k
Target audience: age 18+
Sweet to slightly steamy (one pepper spicy) romance
Light fantasy/magical elements okay
Time period should be contemporary; mid-1980s to present day
Submission fee: $10 per story
You CAN submit more than one story, but only one may appear in the anthology.
All who submit will receive professional feedback.
Stories written using AI or suspected of being written using AI will be rejected.
Why am I paying a fee?
This is new business, and your fee will go toward the publication and marketing of these anthologies. To show my appreciation, you will receive professional feedback on your submission, even if you are not selected for the anthology.
Do you have a short story or novella but it doesn’t quite work for this anthology’s theme? Don’t forget that Attic Ebooks is open to submissions right now! Check it out!