Debutiful Short Story Contest

Since 2019, Debutiful has covered the best and most exciting debut books and their authors. Now, we want to help readers discover the best and most exciting short stories from established and emerging writers.

Two first-place winners of our inaugural Debutiful Short Story Contest will receive $100 and publication on Debutiful’s website and Substack. Two second-place winners will receive $50 and publication on Debutiful’s website and Substack.

Submissions will remain open until November 13, 2026, or until 500 submissions are received. Winners will be announced in early 2027.

Note: This is free to enter. We previously were going to charge a fee but decided to waive that after community feedback.

See below for information on the contest’s judges, eligibility, and submission guidelines.

Judges

Two judges will read stories selected from volunteer readers based on anonymous voting. The two judges will each select a first-place winner and a second-place winner. Our judges for this contest are Jared Lemus and Mariah Rigg.

Jared Lemus is the author of Guatemalan Rhapsody, winner of the PEN Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Story, and elsewhere. His debut novel, Magic in the Land of Eternal Spring, will be published in 2027.

Mariah Rigg is the author of The Extinction Capital of the World, winner of the Asian Pacific American Award in Literature, the Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award, and a Gold Medal in Fiction from the Nautilus Book Awards. Her work has appeared in The Sewanee Review, Oxford American, Electric Literature, Prairie Schooner, and elsewhere.

Eligibility

• The Debutiful Short Story Contest is open to U.S.-based writers, regardless of publication history or experience.
• Current or past Debutiful contributors not eligible to submit.
• Friends, family members, and close associates of the contest judge(s) are not eligible to submit.
• If you have any questions about your eligibility, please email us at adam@debutiful.net.

Submission Guidelines

There is no theme for this contest. Just send us your best and most exciting short story. Submissions for the contest will open at 12:01 a.m. on August 17 and close at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time on November 13, and will be capped at 500 submissions. All submissions will be considered for publication.

• Writers may submit one short story of fiction between 3,000 and 6,000 words.
• Debutiful will consider all submissions for publication.
• Work will be judged anonymously. Please remove your name and all other identifying information from your manuscript.
• All work must be original and unpublished. Work previously published in any form, including self-published work, cannot be considered.
• Translations are not accepted.
• Multiple submissions are allowed. Each story must be submitted as a separate entry.
• Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify Debutiful immediately if your story is accepted for publication elsewhere.
• Manuscripts should be submitted as a .doc or .docx file.
• Work created using generative AI is not permitted. Any use of generative AI in the creation or composition of a submitted story may result in disqualification.

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If you’d like to support Debutiful, we have set up a donation portal below. This is not required for submitting to the contest.