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Here at Foofaraw, we are running our first contest! Let’s take the ordinary and make it weird.

Submission period: October 10–October 19, 2025
Entry fee: $5
Word limit: 1,500–3,000 words
Prompts: 3 provided; 2 required in story

The fee goes up to $10 on October 1st.
Entries can be purchased after the contest has begun for $15 until October 17th.
The three prompts will only be announced via email to those participating.

How it works

Writers can purchase their entry (up to three per person) any time between now and the end of the contest. Each entry purchased equates to one story that writers can submit; so if you purchase two entries, you can submit two stories. On October 10th, all participants will be sent the prompts and link to submit their story by October 19th at 11:59 PM PT.

All stories should take the ordinary of everyday life and put a twist on it, whether it’s speculative, surreal, magical realism, etc., while adhering to the specific contest prompts.

Three prompts will be sent to participants. Writers will be required to include two in their stories (no bonus points for including all three):

  • a specific line/quote
  • a story element
  • a surprise

Prizes and publication

• First place: 50% of net revenue (minimum of $75) + publication in Foofaraw Press
• Second place: 30% of net revenue (minimum of $45) + publication in Foofaraw Press
• Third place: 20% of net revenue (minimum of $30) + publication in Foofaraw Press
• Five honorable mentions: $10 each + publication consideration (requires a minimum of 100 entries)

Entry guidelines

• Format: Standard manuscript format, 12pt, 1.5 line spacing
• Submission method: Form link to be sent via email
• Simultaneous submissions: Accepted (withdraw immediately if accepted elsewhere)
• Previously published work: Not accepted
• Multiple entries: Up to three submissions per author (separate entry fee for each)
• Anonymous judging: Remove your name from manuscript pages

Absolutely no AI

Timeline

  • Entries available for purchase: NOW
  • Prompts announced and e-mailed to participants: October 10, 2025
  • Writing/submission period: October 10-19, 2025
  • Submission deadline: October 19, 2025 (11:59 PM PT)
  • Judging period: October–November 2025
  • Winners announced: December 1, 2025

Judges

Judging process

Round one: Editorial staff screens all entries for adherence to guidelines and basic quality standards
Round two: Stories are divvied up between the three judges to read, with each selecting five finalists
Round three: The judges will deliberate to decide the winners from the fifteen finalists. Foofaraw editorial staff will select honorable mentions from the remaining finalists.

Judging criteria

Stories will be evaluated on:
• Style: Does the story bring a distinct voice?
• Prose: Does the story read clearly without errors or unclear language?
• Originality: How does the story bring something new to the ordinary of everyday life?
• Resonance: How long does it linger with the reader after the final sentence?
• Adherence: Does it include two of the three provided prompts?

Rights and publication

More info can be found about rights and the publication process on our Submissions page

• First serial rights for winning stories
• Non-exclusive anthology rights for one year
• All other rights remain with authors
• Authors retain copyright
• Digital and print publication in Foofaraw Press

Eligibility

• Open to all writers worldwide
• Stories must be written in English
• Authors must be eighteen or older
• Foofaraw Press staff, editors, and guest judges are ineligible

Entry fee breakdown

We believe in transparency. Here’s where your $5 goes:

Breakdown of various payout scenarios

Since this is our first contest, we have no idea what participation will look like. The prize money will depend on participation, but 75% of the income will go towards prize money, with $150 guaranteed to be distributed between the three winners—even if there are only three participants.

We think paying the judges for their time is important, even if we can only pay them a little bit. About $0.50 per $5 entry fee goes to Stripe.

We previously stated 80% of income would go to prize money, but this was an error due to me being dumb and doing bad maths...

Questions?

Email us at ordinary@foofaraw.press

We aim to respond to all inquiries within 48 hours.

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