Reedsy’s Short Story Competitions: Terms of Use
Thank you for your interest in Reedsy’s short story competitions! These terms of use set out important information applicable to our Weekly Contest, Month-Long Contest, and Literary Prize, so please read them carefully.
The weekly Reedsy Prompts Short Story Contest (Weekly Contest), the special-edition month-long Reedsy Prompts Short Story Contest (Month-Long Contest), and the Reedsy Literary Prize (Literary Prize) are operated and promoted by Reedsy Limited (Reedsy, Us, We, Our), a company incorporated in England with registered number 08841985 and whose address is 483 Green Lanes, London N13 4BS. By entering our Weekly Contest, Month-Long Contest, and/or Literary Prize, you agree to these terms of use.
In these terms of use when we refer to:
● Reedsy, we might use “us,” “we,” or “our.”
● The person entering the Weekly Contest, Month-Long Contest, and/or Literary Prize, we might use “the entrant,” “the author,” “you,” “your,” or “user.”
● The weekly Reedsy Prompts Short Story Contest, we might use “the Weekly Contest.”
● The month-long Reedsy Prompts Short Story Contest, we might use “the Month-Long Contest.”
● The Weekly Contest and Month-Long Contest together, we might use “the Contests.”
● The Reedsy Literary Prize, we might use "the Literary Prize."
● Reedsy Prompts, we mean this page: https://reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
1. The Weekly Contest
Every Friday, Reedsy sends a newsletter that includes five themed writing prompts and publishes the same five prompts on Reedsy Prompts.
Writers then have one week (until the following Friday at 11.59 PM EST), to submit a story based on one of the five prompts. Submitted stories (Weekly Contest Entries) should be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and written in English.
Weekly Contest Entries may be submitted free of charge, but they will not be judged or submitted into our Weekly Contest. Unpaid Weekly Contest Entries will, where appropriate, still be published on the site and readers will be able to like or comment on them.
Those wishing to participate in the Weekly Contest will be charged a submission fee of $5 USD per Weekly Contest Entry.
Each week, one winning Weekly Contest Entry (Weekly Contest Winner) is determined by Reedsy’s team based on the quality of the submission. The Weekly Contest Winner is announced on Friday and featured on Reedsy Prompts and awarded $250 USD. In addition, Reedsy may choose to shortlist one or more runners-up (Weekly Contest Runners-up), each of whom will receive $25 of coupons to spend in the Reedsy Marketplace.
To participate in the Weekly Contest, you must sign up at: https://reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
Reedsy is not responsible for the content submitted to the Weekly Contest.
2. The Month-Long Contest
From time to time, Reedsy may run a special-edition Month-Long Contest. At present, the Month-Long Contest is an occasional competition and does not take place every month.
For each Month-Long Contest, Reedsy publishes a single writing prompt on Reedsy Prompts. Writers then have one month to submit a story based on the prompt. Submitted stories (Month-Long Contest Entries) should be between 2,000 - 5,000 words and written in English.
Those wishing to participate in the Month-Long Contest will be charged a submission fee of $20 USD for their Month-Long Contest Entry.
One winning Month-Long Contest Entry (Month-Long Contest Winner) is determined by Reedsy’s team based on the quality of the submission. The Month-Long Contest Winner will be featured on Reedsy Prompts and awarded $1,500 USD. In addition, Reedsy may choose to shortlist one or more runners-up (Month-Long Contest Runners-up), each of whom will receive $25 of coupons to spend in the Reedsy Marketplace.
To participate in a Month-Long Contest, you must sign up at: https://reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/monthly-contest/
Reedsy is not responsible for the content submitted to the Month-Long Contest.
3. The Literary Prize
The Reedsy Literary Prize invites writers to submit stories (Literary Prize Entries) between 2,000 - 5,000 words and written in English. Writers have around three months to submit a story based on a single prompt, as specified here: https://reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/reedsy-literary-prize/1/. The deadline for the inaugural edition of the Literary Prize is May 31, 2026, at 11.59 PM EST.
Those wishing to participate in the Literary Prize will be charged a submission fee of $20 USD per Literary Prize Entry.
The winning Literary Prize Entry (Literary Prize Winner) is determined by the Literary Prize's guest judge based on the quality of the submission. The Literary Prize Winner will be announced by July 15, 2026; featured on Reedsy Prompts; and awarded $1,500 USD. In addition, the runners-up (Literary Prize Runners-up) will receive a year-long Reedsy Learning membership (2nd place) and Reedsy Marketplace credit worth $100 USD (3rd place).
To participate in the Literary Prize, you must sign up at: https://reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
Reedsy is not responsible for the content submitted to the Literary Prize.
4. The Prizes
The Weekly Contest prizes are:
for the Weekly Contest Winner: $250 USD, to be delivered via PayPal
for the Weekly Contest Runners-up: $25 of coupons for the Reedsy Marketplace
publication on Reedsy Prompts, where it will be highlighted as a winner or runner-up, as applicable
publication in our curated Short Stories directory.
There are no alternative prizes, and prizes are not transferable. We may alter arrangements or prizes at our sole discretion, and we may cease the Weekly Contest at any time.
Winning Weekly Contest Entries may also have their stories included in a Reedsy published anthology.
The Month-Long Contest prizes are:
for the Month-Long Contest Winner: $1,500 USD, to be delivered via PayPal
for the Month-Long Contest Runners-up: $25 of coupons for the Reedsy Marketplace
publication on Reedsy Prompts, where it will be highlighted as a winner or runner-up, as applicable
publication in our curated Short Stories directory.
There are no alternative prizes and prizes are not transferable. We may alter arrangements or prizes at our sole discretion and we may cease or cancel any edition of the Month-Long Contest at any time.
Winning Month-Long Contest Entries may also have their stories included in a Reedsy published anthology.
The Literary Prize prizes are:
for the Literary Prize Winner: $1,500 USD; publication on Reedsy Prompts, where it will be highlighted as winner; publication in our curated Short Stories directory; and publication in a Reedsy published anthology
for the Literary Prize Runners-up: a year-long Reedsy Learning membership (2nd place); Reedsy Marketplace credit worth $100 USD (3rd place).
There are no alternative prizes and prizes are not transferable. We may alter arrangements or prizes at our sole discretion and we may cease the Literary Prize at any time.
5. Entering the Weekly Contest
Prompts go out every Friday. The deadline for submissions in response to those prompts is the following Friday at 11.59 PM EST (the Closing Date/Time). Only Weekly Contest Entries that are submitted on Reedsy Prompts before the Closing Date/Time will be eligible for the Weekly Contest. All Weekly Contest Entries will be published on Reedsy Prompts, unless the Reedsy team decides otherwise. We reserve the right not to publish stories and/or to remove stories from Reedsy Prompts at any time, without warning to the author. Reedsy will not issue refunds for stories removed from our website at our discretion.
The steps for submitting a Weekly Contest Entry are:
● Sign up for a free Reedsy Prompts account: https://reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
● Select one of this week's five prompts from the top of the page.
● Enter the story title and story, and select "Submit story."
● If you are entering our Weekly Contest, you will need to pay the $5 USD entry fee.
All Weekly Contest Entries must be new, original, and standalone work written by the user submitting the story, must be written in English in response to the user's selected prompt, must not have been previously published elsewhere online and/or in print, and must not infringe the copyright or intellectual property rights of any other party. The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) or other assistive technologies to create, draft, or revise stories is not permitted for our Weekly Contest. Reedsy accepts no responsibility if entrants fail to abide by these Terms of Use, and entrants agree to indemnify Reedsy against any claim by any third party arising from any breach of these terms of use.
While submissions can include mature themes and language, submissions must not contain defamatory, obscene, graphic, explicit, offensive, or any other such unsuitable material, as well as any form of promotion of a product, company, or service not owned by Reedsy. Reedsy reserves the right to disqualify and remove Weekly Contest Entries, as well as user comments on Weekly Contest Entries, containing such matter. Reedsy also reserves the right to remove users from Reedsy Prompts at any time, without prior warning, should they violate any of the aforementioned terms.
6. Entering the Month-Long Contest
For each Month-Long Contest, the applicable prompt and Closing Date/Time will be stated on the Month-Long Contest page. Writers will have one month to submit a story in response to the prompt. Only Month-Long Contest Entries that are submitted on Reedsy Prompts before the applicable Closing Date/Time will be eligible for the Month-Long Contest. All Month-Long Contest Entries will be published on Reedsy Prompts, unless the Reedsy team decides otherwise. We reserve the right not to publish stories and/or to remove stories from Reedsy Prompts at any time, without warning to the author. Reedsy will not issue refunds for stories removed from our website at our discretion.
The steps for submitting a Month-Long Contest Entry are:
● Sign up for a free Reedsy Prompts account: https://reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
● Head to the Month-Long Contest page and select the current prompt.
● Enter the story title and story, and select "Submit story."
● To submit a Month-Long Contest entry, you will need to pay the $20 USD entry fee.
All Month-Long Contest Entries must be new, original, and standalone work written by the user submitting the story, must be written in English in response to the applicable Month-Long Contest prompt, must not have been previously published elsewhere online and/or in print, and must not infringe the copyright or intellectual property rights of any other party. The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) or other assistive technologies to create, draft, or revise stories is not permitted for our Month-Long Contest. Reedsy accepts no responsibility if entrants fail to abide by these Terms of Use, and entrants agree to indemnify Reedsy against any claim by any third party arising from any breach of these terms of use.
While submissions can include mature themes and language, submissions must not contain defamatory, obscene, graphic, explicit, offensive, or any other such unsuitable material, as well as any form of promotion of a product, company, or service not owned by Reedsy. Reedsy reserves the right to disqualify and remove Month-Long Contest Entries, as well as user comments on Month-Long Contest Entries, containing such matter. Reedsy also reserves the right to remove users from Reedsy Prompts at any time, without prior warning, should they violate any of the aforementioned terms.
7. Entering the Literary Prize
The deadline for the inaugural edition of the Literary Prize is May 31, 2026, at 11.59 PM EST. Literary Prize Entries will not be published on Reedsy Prompts, unless the story is the Literary Prize Winner. We reserve the right to disqualify or remove stories from Reedsy Prompts at any time, without warning to the author. Reedsy will not issue refunds for stories removed from our website at our discretion.
The steps for submitting a Literary Prize Entry are:
● Sign up for a free Reedsy Prompts account: https://reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/
● Head to the Reedsy Literary Prize page, click "View contest," and select the current prompt.
● Enter the story title and story.
● Click “Submit to contest ($20)” and follow the onscreen instructions to enter your payment details.
All Literary Prize Entries must be original and standalone work written by the user submitting the story, must be written in English in response to the current Literary Prize prompt, must not have been previously published elsewhere online and/or in print, and must not infringe the copyright or intellectual property rights of any other party. The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) or other assistive technologies to create, draft, or revise stories is not permitted for our Literary Prize. Reedsy accepts no responsibility if entrants fail to abide by these Terms of Use, and entrants agree to indemnify Reedsy against any claim by any third party arising from any breach of these terms of use.
While submissions can include mature themes and language, submissions must not contain defamatory, obscene, graphic, explicit, offensive, or any other such unsuitable material, as well as any form of promotion of a product, company, or service not owned by Reedsy. Reedsy reserves the right to disqualify and remove Literary Prize Entries, as well as user comments on Literary Prize Entries, containing such matter. Reedsy also reserves the right to remove users from Reedsy Prompts at any time, without prior warning, should they violate any of the aforementioned terms.
8. Use of Submissions
Each entrant retains the copyright to their entry but grants to Reedsy a non-exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, publish, edit and otherwise use the entry on our website(s) and platform(s) to publish all or part of your entry and in all media now known or hereafter discovered at our discretion.
You agree that such use by Reedsy may include editing and publishing your entry, including within a compilation together with others, into a book format (or any other format) which may be published and sold or provided free of charge at Reedsy’s discretion.
If your story is selected as Winner (and even if you are not selected as a Winner), you may still publish the story elsewhere, but the publication must include:
the relevant prompt;
acknowledgment to Reedsy.com for providing the prompt that inspired the story.
This acknowledgment should be in the form of a mention, and in the case of a digital publication, a “dofollow” link back to https://reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/.
By submitting an entry, you agree that Reedsy may at its sole discretion edit, adapt, abridge, or translate the entry for the purposes listed in these terms and conditions.
You grant permission to Reedsy to use your name and entry for promotional purposes without additional compensation, and to publish all or part of your entry in all media now known or hereafter discovered, worldwide and on the Internet and World Wide Web, without notice, review or approval.
9. Eligibility
The Weekly Contest, Month-Long Contest, and Literary Prize are open to all writers over the age of 18.
By entering the Weekly Contest, Month-Long Contest, and/or Literary Prize, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and eligible to claim any prizes you may win. Reedsy may require you to provide proof that you are eligible to enter the applicable competition.
For the Weekly Contest, multiple Weekly Contest Entries per person are permitted (even in the same week). Weekly Contest Entries may refer to one or more prompts.
The same author may win Reedsy competitions on multiple occasions, even sequentially.
Weekly Contest Entries, Month-Long Contest Entries, and Literary Prize Entries not submitted in accordance with these terms and all other rules and directions given by Reedsy, or entries that are incomplete or illegible (as determined at our sole discretion), will not be eligible.
10. Judging
The judging panel is comprised of Reedsy employees, contractors, and our registered reviewers, though it may also include Reedsy partners or any other people as determined by Reedsy at our sole discretion.
The decision of the judging panel is final, and at their sole discretion. No correspondence or discussion will be entered into by us in relation to that decision.
Weekly Contest Winners are notified via email sometime in the two weeks following their submission. Month-Long Contest Winners will be notified via email sometime in the three months following their submission. The winner of the inaugural Literary Prize (Literary Prize Winner) will be notified via email by July 15, 2026.
We will make all reasonable efforts to contact the Weekly Contest Winners, Month-Long Contest Winners, and Literary Prize Winner. If a Winner cannot be reached within a period of one week following the first attempt, Reedsy reserves the right to withdraw the prize from the original winning entry and to award the prize to another eligible entrant. Reedsy does not need to remove the original winning story from publication.
11. Privacy and Use of Information
We will use any personal information that you give us in accordance with the law and our Privacy Policy, for the purposes of the Weekly Contest, Month-Long Contest, and Literary Prize, in the ways described in these Terms of Use, and for any marketing or other purposes you may indicate your consent to.
You agree that we may also share your details with our judging panel, with your consent. As described above, winning entries may have their name publicized for promotional purposes.
12. All the Rest
We are not liable for any damage, loss, or disappointment suffered by you taking part or not being able to take part in the Weekly Contest, Month-Long Contest, and/or Literary Prize, or from being unable to claim your prize.
In the event of unforeseen circumstances, we may alter, amend, or stop running the Weekly Contest, any edition of the Month-Long Contest, and/or the Literary Prize without prior notice. We reserve the right to change these terms at any time.
Our general user terms (https://reedsy.com/about/tou) will continue to apply to your use of the Reedsy platform, in addition to these specific Weekly Contest, Month-Long Contest, and Literary Prize terms. If you have any questions or concerns about these Terms of Use, please contact us at prompts@reedsy.com
