Thanks to everybody who entered and all our 2026 partners... We'll be going through your stories in the next couple of months before passing on the shortlist to the judges.

LAST CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!!! desperateliterature.com/prize/

Make your final edits! The Desperate Literature Prize for Short Fiction closes TOMORROW! @desperatelit.bsky.social Deadline: Thursday, April 30th, 23:59 CEST // 5:59 PM EDT ✍️Learn more and apply: degrootfoundation.org/2026-despera...

ONE WEEK LEFT 💫 Calling writers of innovative fiction under 2000 words! Prizes: €2000 / 1000€; residencies Civitella Ranieri & at DL in Madrid; manuscript assessment with @thelitconsultancy.bsky.social; publication; salons; and more... desperateliterature.com/prize

Highlighting another partner journal, today: @kydmagazine.bsky.social Not only do they publish 🔥 lit, they also provide tons of editorial services, classes, & content to support authors... For all the info of our prize and what they have published from the prize: desperateliterature.com/prize/

We are incredibly proud to be partnered with Helter Skelter Magazine, an incredible magazine publishing materials from and about India! During our years collaborating together, they've published four of our previously shortlisted authors Check them out here: desperateliterature.com/previous-win...

EXTENDED DEADLINE 💫 Calling writers of innovative fiction under 2000 words! Prizes: €2000 / 1000€; residencies at Civitella Ranieri & at DL in Madrid; manuscript assessment with @thelitconsultancy.bsky.social; publication; salons; and more... desperateliterature.com/prize 1/

As we enter our last month, here's a wee reminder of our 🔥 www.desperateliterature.com/prize

LAST DAYS to apply for sponsored entry desperateliterature.com/prize/ @thelondonmagazine.bsky.social @kydmagazine.bsky.social @minorliteratures.bsky.social @cipherpress.bsky.social @degrootfoundation.bsky.social @thelitconsultancy.bsky.social @thelitconsultancy.bsky.social @badaude.bsky.social

We're excited to announce new prizes 🌟 in collaboration with @reedsy.bsky.social We've a host of prizes to add on to our already pretty tasty basket, with a focus on making sure that more prizes get to longlisters! There's still some time left. ALL THE INFO: desperateliterature.com/prize/

SIX WEEKS REMAINING 💫 Calling writers of innovative fiction under 2000 words! Prizes: €2000 / 1000€; residencies, a manuscript assessment with @thelitconsultancy.bsky.social; publications; salons; and new prizes from @reedsy.bsky.social... desperateliterature.com/prize

Want to discover writers making some of the most exciting work today?... check out the 2025 Prize Shortlisters ‘Generous, soulful distillations. A tasting flight of prosaic kerosene.’ -Henry Hoke For the full goss: www.instagram.com/p/DVeWchGDtRR/

Shastri Akella, on winning the 2025 literary prize: Ottessa Moshfegh called Shastri's story: ‘Tender... & haunting.’ You can read an interview with Shastri on our website & download his story as part of Eleven Stories 2025 www.desperateliterature.com/prize Open until April 19th!

2026 PRIZE NOW OPEN 💫 Calling writers of innovative fiction under 2000 words! Prizes: €2000 / 1000€; residencies @civitellaitaly & at DL in Madrid; manuscript assessment with @thelitconsultancy.bsky.social; publication; salons; and more... desperateliterature.com/prize 1/

ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS of the 2025 Short Fiction Prize Shastri Akella takes the winning spot with ‘The Border Country,' a ‘tender and haunting’ story of queer love on the Kashmir border. Runners-up are Swithun Cooper and Alisha Dietzman.

THE LAST DAY TO ENTER! Prizes: €2000 & 1000€, residencies at Civitella Ranieri and (NEW) at DL in Madrid, a manuscript assessment w/ @thelitconsultancy.bsky.social, publication, salons, and more... desperateliterature.com/prize

🔥Partner Journal Shoutout🔥 Presenting Minor Literature(s) @minorlits.bsky.social, an online journal specializing in experimental prose. Surprising, bold, cutting-edge, vital... For a chance to have your work published by this literary great, submit today: desperateliterature.com/prize

⚡Partner Journal Shoutout⚡ Kill Your Darlings Next up is Australian mag @kydmagazine.bsky.social! They're so much more than a lit journal. They have a whole spectrum of editorial services, classes, and content meant to help writers reach their full potential. desperateliterature.com/prize

ONLY THREE DAYS LEFT Polish those stories! www.desperateliterature.com/prize

ONE WEEK LEFT TO ENTER! Prizes: €2000 & 1000€, residencies Civitella Ranieri and (NEW) at DL in Madrid, manuscript assessment w/ @thelitconsultancy.bsky.social, publication, salons, and more... desperateliterature.com/prize

🔥Partner Journal Shoutout🔥 Tenement Press Next up in our lineup of literary magazine partnerships is Tenement, an occasional publisher of esoteric, accidental, angular & interdisciplinary literatures. Learn about the prize and submit your stories at: desperateliterature.com/prize

⭐Partner Journal Shoutout⭐ @gorsejournal.bsky.social is a stunning, original Dublin-based journal featuring essay, fiction, poetry & interviews. gorse has published 2019 & 2022 shortlisters Joshua Riedel & Jona Xhepa @quetzalfiach.bsky.social 2025 Prize info at desperateliterature.com/prize

Partner Journal 3: @prototypepubs.bsky.social is a publisher of fiction, poetry, anthologies, and interdisciplinary projects. They are committed to championing the work of new voices in free-form contemporary literature. For a chance to feature, submit now: desperateliterature.com/prize

⚡️EXTENDED DEADLINE⚡️for the 2025 Desperate Literature Prize for Short Fiction You now have until April 30 to send us your stories! desperateliterature/com/prize

🎺Partner Journal Shoutout🎺 Our next partner journal is Helter Skelter Magazine! This Indian lit mag runs a residency, publishes a print anthology & runs online content. They featured @bourgnetstogner.bsky.social's 'in the insect colony' in 2024 desperateliterature.com/prize

💫Partner Journal Shoutout💫 Being a shortlister means being published in one of our partner journals! First up is @thelondonmagazine.bsky.social, England's oldest literary periodical. desperateliterature.com/prize

LAST DAYS TO APPLY FOR A SPONSORED ENTRY! Calling writers of innovative fiction under 2k words! Prizes: €2000 & 1000€, residencies Civitella Ranieri and (NEW) at DL in Madrid, manuscript assessment w/ @thelitconsultancy.bsky.social, publication, salons, & more... desperateliterature.com/prize

The 2025 Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize is open for submissions until April 13th! @desperatelit.bsky.social The prize offers financial support, residency, publication opportunities, and more. Learn more at degrootfoundation.org/competitions...

LESS THAN A MONTH TO ENTER! Prizes: €2000/1000€ Residencies - Civitella Ranieri in Umbria & (NEW) at DL in Madrid Manuscript assessment w/@thelitconsultancy.bsky.social Agency meetings Publication Salons (@saloneurope.bsky.social) & a 🔥 JURY! Deadline: April 13th desperateliterature.com/prize

Today we feature the wonderful @preetivangani.bsky.social, whose 2024 shortlisted story you can read with @minorliteratures.bsky.social here: minorliteratures.com/2024/11/06/g... We're so grateful to have the piece as part of our collection!

PRIZE UPDATE: One of our most exciting new prize collaborations is with @saloneurope.bsky.social! A travelling salon for writers across the continent to connect online and in person, they're hosting a three day event in Brussels to which one shortlister will be invited...

Today we have news about our 2023 winner, Hadley Franklin! Check out the quotes on her winning story! Last year, she won the Craft First Chapters Contest & you can read her winning excerpt "Happiness House" on their site! www.craftliterary.com/2024/12/20/h...

We are back with more news of our shortlisters! Erica Van Horn's @coracle.bsky.social novel We Still Have the Telephone (@lesfugitivespress.bsky.social), was recently translated into Spanish by Ana Flecha Marco @anaflesh.bsky.social: Aún Nos Queda el Teléfono (@alphadecay.bsky.social)!

⚡️ SIX WEEKS LEFT TO ENTER ⚡️ Calling writers of innovative fiction under 2k words! Prizes: €2000 & 1000€, residencies Civitella Ranieri and (NEW) at DL in Madrid, manuscript assessment w/ @thelitconsultancy.bsky.social, publication, salons, and more... desperateliterature.com/prize

‘Reading these stories made me feel glad for the future of short stories’ —Anton Hur, 2022 Judge (@antonhur.com) Wanna read some of the best in contemporary fiction? Get all the anthologies in pdf format for just €9.50 (incl. a discount on prize entry): desperateliterature.com/product/sext...

Desperate Literature Prize for Short Fiction 2025 ✨Competition deadline: 13th April 2025 Celebrating the best of new short fiction...giving winners the most visibility possible for their writing. Read more at: www.writing.ie/writing-comp... @desperatelit.bsky.social #WritingCommunity

Cómo salvar una #librería en el centro de Madrid. Después de una década en la calle de Campomanes, en el barrio de Ópera, expulsada por un fondo de inversión. Por Matías Helbig elpais.com/espana/madri...

We're thrilled to share that last year's winner, Sukie Wilson, has been awarded the London Writers Award by our partner Spread the Word (@spread-the-word.bsky.social) Congratulations! #LondonWritersAwards2025 #DesperateLiteraturePrize

Our friends Desperate Literature have come over to the good (enough) place. Do give them a follow. Also, do spread the word about their excellent short story prize.

We're excited to be able to add @desperatelit.bsky.social to this starter pack of European bookstores. We're proud to partner with them for their short fiction prize this year. go.bsky.app/LVyPDnr

We are committed to championing the work of our Prize shortlisters. That means sharing good news like this! Heather Colley ('Change is a Good Thing!' 2024) signed a book deal with NYC based indie press Three Rooms Press for her debut novel THE GILDED BUTTERFLY EFFECT.

KYD is a proud publishing partner of the Desperate Literature Prize for Short Fiction. Subs close 13 April. 👀

The aim of our prize is to promote the work and careers of our shortlisted authors as much as possible, and so we’re thrilled to announce that Nicholas Petty (@nicholaspetty.bsky.social) has recently won the Aesthetica Magazine creative writing award! Congratulations!

✍️SPONSORSHIP SHOUTOUT✍️ Thrilled to be working again with Helter Skelter They run a residency, publish a print anthology & hold online content. They also offer 5 sponsored entries to the prize. desperateliterature.com/prize

✍️SPONSORSHIP SHOUTOUT✍️ The Literary Consultancy @thelitconsultancy.bsky.social is the UK's longest-established editorial consultancy, supporting writers through editing, mentoring and events. TLC offers 5 sponsored entries to our Short Fiction Prize! Hit them up. desperateliterature.com/prize

2025 PRIZE NOW OPEN: Calling writers of innovative fiction under 2k words! Prizes: €2000 & 1000€, residencies Civitella Ranieri and (NEW) at DL in Madrid, manuscript assessment w/ @thelitconsultancy.bsky.social, publication, salons, and more... desperateliterature.com/prize