Flash Fiction Contest (Christmas/Solstice themed odd/weird/genre)

THE 2018 CONTEST IS CLOSED. You can find the results here.

2019 Contest is now open.

I will do another contest next year. The rules will be almost identical, but please don’t send me anything until I announce it next year. I guarantee I’ll lose it.

Announcing the first annual (yes!) Weird Christmas Flash Fiction contest! You have ideas, and you keep them short. You love the holidays (maybe) and you love strangeness (hell yeah), but you also have ADHD. Write for me!

Details:

• Deadline December 10, 2018. Winners will be announced on the podcast as soon after then as I can get it out. (Probably a couple of days.)
• 350 word max limit (no exceptions).
• $50 first prize, $25 second prize.
• Winners will be read on my podcast (by me or, preferably, by you) and published on my site. (Honorable mentions beyond 1st and 2nd will also get narrated and published.)
• Submissions must be EMAILED to weirdxmas@gmail.com.

The general guidelines: first, it should be weird or strange or odd. It can be “Haha!” weird or “Oh, Jesus, no!” weird. It can be genre (sf, fantasy, horror/weird, bizarro, etc.) or it can just be off-kilter. Sentimental is fine, but it better be sentimental in a way that leaves me feeling…uncomfortable. As long as it’s something about the holidays that we aren’t expecting, it fits.

Second, it must be related to any winter holiday (Christmas, Hannukha, Kwanza, solstice celebrations, “Yule,” etc.). You can include other holidays like Halloween or Easter, but it has to still have some strong connection to the winter season’s celebrations.

Otherwise, I’m hoping we’ll get some creative people thinking some strange things. If you’re stuck for ideas, pick one of the vintage cards from Tumblr/Twitter and use that as a starter. Or take an old standard story, song, or holiday special and twist it until it’s barely recognizable. Worse comes to worst, write something about Santa gettin’ freaky.

If you have questions, feel free to email weirdxmas@gmail.com or find me on social media.

Money! Exposure! Making content so I don’t have to! It’s a win-win-win-win!

And we’ll all gather around the massive tome of the internet to enjoy your festive brain squeezings.

… and if you enjoy my site, consider buying me a coffee. It helps support the contest, podcast, and to get all the cards ultimately uploaded and searchable.