We invite writers to submit to the Fractured Lit Ghost, Fable, and Fractured Fairy Tales Prize from February 25 to April 17, 2022. Guest judge Rumaan Alam will choose three prize winners from a shortlist. We're excited to offer the winner of this prize $3000 and publication, while the 2nd and 3rd place winners will receive publication and $300 and $200, respectively. All entries will be considered for publication.

Rumaan Alam is the author of the novels Rich and Pretty, That Kind of Mother, and the instant New York Times bestseller Leave the World Behind. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Bookforum, and the New Republic, where he is a contributing editor. He studied writing at Oberlin College and lives in New York with his family.

Fractured Lit is looking for stories of ghosts, fables, allegory, and fractured fairy tales in 1,000 words or less. Using these genre themes please remember that we're searching for flash that investigates the mysteries of being human, the sorrow, and the joy of connecting to the diverse population around us. We want something new. Something that scares as much as it resonates; stories that help us discover the roots of desire and conflict, that shimmer on the page, that keep us reading, and wondering long after the last period on the page. Transport us from the here and now to a new land of discovery, a new way of being terrified, a new way of embracing all of the ways we show our humanness. Fractured Litis a flash fiction–centered place for all writers of any background and experience. Good luck and happy writing!

GUIDELINES:

• Your $20 reading fee allows up to two stories of 1,000 words or fewer each per entry—if submitting two stories, please put them both in a SINGLE document
• We allow multiple submissions—each set of two flash stories should have a separate submission accompanied by a reading fee
• Flash Fiction only—1,000 word count maximum per story
• We only consider unpublished work for contests—we do not review reprints, including self-published wor
• Simultaneous submissions are okay—please notify us and withdraw your entry if you find another home for your writing
• All entries will also be considered for publication in Fractured Lit
• Double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 pt font
• Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable)
• We only read work in English
• We do not read blind. Shortlisted stories are sent anonymously to the judge.

The deadline for entry is April 17, 2022. We will announce the shortlist within 8-10 weeks of the contest's close. All writers will be notified when results are in.

• Some Submittable hot tips: - Please be sure to whitelist/add to contacts so notifications do not get filtered as spam/junk: notifications@email.submittable.com- If you realize you sent the wrong version of your piece: it happens. Please DO NOT withdraw the piece and resubmit. Submittable collects a non-refundable fee each time. Please DO message us from within the submission to request that we open the entry for editing, which will allow you to fix everything from typos in your cover letter to uploading a new draft. The only time we will not allow a change is if the piece is already under review by a reader.

OPTIONAL EDITORIAL FEEDBACK:

You may choose to receive editorial feedback on your piece. We will provide a global letter discussing the strengths of the writing and the recommended focus for revision. Our aim is to make our comments actionable and encouraging. These letters are written by editors and staff readers of Fractured Lit. Should your story win, no feedback will be offered and your fee will be refunded.

Good luck and happy writing!