The SFWC is excited to announce our FIRST EVER Microfiction Contest! Enter from July 15 to August 15th, 2025.
Contest rules
All stories must be 300 words or fewer
Unpublished works only
Small stories...big prizes!
FOUR winners will:
Be published in the 2025 SFWC Anthology
Have the opportunity to read their work at the 2026 SFWC
Receive a FREE Masterclass registration at the 2026 SFWC*
Two ways to win!
- Fill out the form here on the website
- Your entry will be added to our Discord for popular voting
Website entries include a free copy of our 2025 Writing Contest Anthology (hard copy if inside the US, ebook if outside).
- Join the SFWC Discord Community and post your entry in the Microfiction Contest Entries channel.
- Spread the word and vote! The two most popular entries will win based on number of likes.
Winner winner chicken dinner
The two most popular entries will win based on the number of likes on Discord. Our expert judges will also choose two winners, for a total of four!
Submission Guidelines
Entries may have been self-published or not-yet-published but not traditionally published. Entries must be 300 words or fewer. Multiple entries are permitted.
Submission options
Entries on the website cost $15 and include a free copy of our 2025 Writing Contest Anthology, where the winning entries will live forever in print. You can enter for FREE directly on Discord to try and win the popular vote there!
Finalists and Winners will be announced on the website and in our SFWC Newsletter no later than August 30, 2025.
All entries must be received by midnight Pacific Time on August 15, 2025. There is no cost to enter. 4 winners will receive a registration to their choice of Master Class at the 2026 San Francisco Writers Conference or equivalent discount on a full registration for the conference and publication in our 2025 Writing Contest Anthology. Presenters and staff who receive any kind of compensation for their involvement in the conference may not enter. Volunteers who only received a lunch stipend are okay to enter. Participation by posting your work implies your agreement to publication should you be selected as a winner. Prize has no cash value.
Questions? Problems?
Contact the Contest Coordinator at Contest@SFwriters.org
2025 SFWC Writing Contest Anthology
All entrants submitted via the website will receive a copy of the 2025 SFWC Writing Contest Anthology. Entries with a U.S. mailing address will receive a print copy. Entries with international mailing addresses will receive the ebook version. The anthology will also be available for purchase through traditional booksellers. See the 2021, 2022, or 2023 SFWC Writing Contest Anthologies for a sample.
* Winners' registration to one of the 2026 San Francisco Writers Conference Master Classes includes a full registration to your choice of our Master Classes at the conference or an equivalent discount to the full conference. It does not include hotel accommodations, transportation, personal expenses/meals, or any conference add-ons. It has no redeemable cash value.
** Presenters and staff who received any form of compensation from the 2025 conference, apart from lunch provided to regular volunteers, are not eligible to enter. As judging is blind, we don’t exclude regular uncompensated volunteers or family members.