Driftwood Press Short Story Contest
2024
Results
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In a rare turn of events, all four of our editors were unanimous in selecting Danielle Barr's "Redbird" as the winner of this year's In-House Contest. With brutal specificity & surprising sentences, "Redbird" tells the compressed story of a young girl witnessing the last rites of both her mother and newborn sibling.
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Despite the unanimity of the editors, the competition was fierce with this contest. "Redbird" is joined by three other remarkable finalists, all of which could've easily deserved the gold in a less competitive contest.
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Finalists
Tanya Pengelly, "So Much Forest"
Teege Braune, "The Hellbender"
Elena Aponte, "Stone Fruit"
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Lastly, we want to extend our warmest gratitude to everyone who submitted to the contest, including the ten semi-finalists and twenty-one additional quarter finalists, who have been notified directly. We want to note, too, that all round one stories are considered by two editors. There were hundreds of wonderful short stories sent in, and many of them deserve—and will find—publication. We are ecstatic to continue to publish works of literary fiction that forefront language and take narrative, structural, and thematic risks, and the support of our community of readers and submitters is continually cherished and appreciated.
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Timeline
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Submissions will be open from September 1st until January 31st.
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To alleviate wait times on your end, we will be declining and accepting submissions as we read them. All submissions accepted will initially be given runner-up status. In April or May, one of the runner-ups will be awarded the Grand Prize.
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Winner and runner-ups will be published in annual anthology.
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Awards
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The Grand Prize winner will receive $400 USD and five copies of the issue in which the story appears. The winner will also have the opportunity to be interviewed about their work; the interview will be published alongside the story.
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Runner-ups will be offered publication, an accompanying interview, $150 USD, and one copy of the issue in which their work appears.
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Past Contest Winners
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Guidelines
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Fiction only.
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1,000-5,000 soft word limit.
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A standard, 12-point font and single-spacing is preferred.
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The work must not have been previously published.
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Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please withdraw the work if the story has been accepted elsewhere.
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Submit works written in English only, no translations.
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Please submit your manuscript in a .doc, .docx, or PDF format.
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We read submissions blind, so please do not include your name, email, or any identifying characteristics on the manuscript itself. All work is considered by two editors.
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Submission fee is $30.00 USD. Each submitter will receive a free copy of a Driftwood Press fiction title of their choosing in the mail.
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