Strange prompts. Bright stories.
Odd Embers is a new flash fiction writing contest that aims to spark your creativity. You'll have 77 hours to turn unique prompts into a red-hot story.
Receive written feedback and rubric scores on every entry to help you become the best writer you can be, plus a total of at least $675 in prizes and publication for the top six stories!
Ember’s First Contest
Join us on our first journey into the world of Odd Embers
January 30–February 2, 2026!
Key Details
Word count: 750–1250
Genre: Open
Registration closes: 11:59 pm Eastern on Thursday, January 29
Prompts drop: 5:00 pm Eastern on Friday, January 30
Stories due: 10:00 pm Eastern on Monday, February 2
Results: Monday, March 16
Meet Ember
Ember’s a little guy who loves helping people write amazing stories. He can’t wait to see what his crazy prompts spark for you!
Prizes
1st place: US $200
2nd place: US $175
3rd place: US $150
3 honorable mentions: US $50
We’re hoping to increase prize amounts if we receive enough entries—tell your friends! Read more
What are people saying about Odd Embers?
“This is the best writing contest run by one of my kids!”
— Bonfire, Ember's mom“I’m incredibly good at giving feedback. Like, top tier. Excellent.”
— Odd Embers judge“What amazing prompts! These are really incredible!”
— Ember, the guy who comes up with our prompts
Okay, you got us. We’re just getting started, and we don’t have any testimonials to share yet—but we hope to soon! If you have feedback or kind words we could include here, please reach out to hello at oddembers dot com!
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to enter?
There are two entry tiers:
For $20, you'll receive your story’s scores on our rubric, plus comments and a short paragraph of feedback—what works, and what could have been handled better.
For $30, you'll receive the scores on the rubric, plus more extensive comments, to give you more insight into what's working and what doesn't.
Can I purchase more than one entry?
Sure! However, we’d encourage you to focus on quality over quantity.
Are entries refundable?
Refunds are available up until registration closes (typically, 11:59 pm the day before prompts drop). After that, no refunds are possible.
How can I increase my chances of doing well?
You can read "A Contest Goblin's Advice for Writing Contests" with reflections on a year of entering over 100 writing contests.
In general, inventive takes that step away from well worn tropes are more likely to do well than things that feel trite or overdone.
How are winners determined?
Some writing contests (and, honestly, the entire publishing industry) are quite opaque about why you did well or how your work fell short.
At Odd Embers, we’re out to change that and help you become the best writer you can.
All stories are read by at least two judges, and scored according to this rubric. After each contest, you’ll receive a copy of this rubric, along with a short note explaining your scores.
Do you allow AI submissions?
Nope! Use that weird lump of meat in your noggin only, please!
Do you use AI in your judging process?
Also nope! Your rubric score, as well as any feedback provided to you, will be written by the weird lump of meat in our noggins. Your stories will not be fed to or seen by AI at any point in the judging process.
What genre should I write in?
Whatever strikes your fancy! Our judges read widely, from speculative and literary fiction to contemporary styles. Write what you want, based on the prompts.
Do I have to live in the US to participate?
Nope! We’re open to writers 18+ from anywhere in the world, except where prohibited by law or otherwise restricted.
How will I be paid if I win?
All payments will be via PayPal. If that’s an issue for a prize winner, we’ll do our best to work with you!
Do I keep the rights to my story?
If you do not place in the contest, absolutely! Your story will not be published anywhere or seen by anyone except our judges.
If you do place, in exchange for the prize money, we ask for non-exclusive, global, English-language electronic rights to publish your story, both here on our website and potentially as part of an end-of-year anthology.
All winners will be notified prior to publication. If they aren’t comfortable with these terms, they will have the opportunity to turn down the prize and not be published in order to keep all rights.
Who are your judges?
Our anonymous judges have been carefully selected for their extensive experience in the writing industry, their passion, and the quality of their feedback. All of them are published short fiction writers and accomplished contest veterans, with an array of wins and other accolades under their belt.
Are stories judged anonymously?
Yep! We want to remove our biases as much as possible. We’ll connect your entry back to your registration, but your entry won’t have your name attached to it while we’re reading.
What do you mean by strange prompts?
We mean that lots of writing contests will give you a chance to write about a kitchen utensil or a specific country, but our goal is to provide more through-provoking story starters. Expect wacky, interesting, and exciting!
Is this a game of chance?
No way, no how—this is a contest based on the skill of your writing
How do you handle my data?
Carefully! We’ll only use your name and email in correspondence with you, and to sing your praises if you place and we get to publish your story. No selling your data or passing it along to (potentially evil) third parties.
What’s this about increasing prize amounts?
The current prize amounts reflect what we’re willing to contribute, from our own money, even if we only get a few registrations.
However, if we get enough folks signed up, we plan on passing back whatever we can to the writers by increasing prize amounts and potentially increasing the number of winners.
Do I have to write a new story for this contest?
Yes! Please use the prompts to cook up an entirely new story; shoehorning the prompts into something you’ve already written is unlikely to be successful!