Fall Fiction Short Story Contest

Calling All Writers! 10^th Annual SNHU Fiction Contest

Do you have a passion for the written word and sharing stories with beautifully crafted sentences? Do you love to tell stories of everyday or extraordinary characters? Can you craft a compelling story in 1500 words or less? Here is the opportunity to share your story and possibly be recognized for your creativity.

Each year, Southern New Hampshire University hosts a short story contest, which provides writers the chance to show off their creative writing skills and be rewarded for it. Finalists can earn an SNHU scholarship, see their story published in The Penmen Review and receive a writing-themed prize package.

Any US-based writer can enter (exempting SNHU faculty and staff), and it’s free, giving inexperienced and seasoned writers alike an opportunity to share their love of storytelling with a wider audience.

Writers follow a set of guidelines and five winners are chosen after expert judging and anonymous public voting. Stories will be evaluated for their originality, thought process and structure, engagement and entertainment, character arc, and grammar and writing style. 

The 2024 Fall Fiction Contest

Over 750 stories were submitted for the 10^th annual writing contest. The judges carefully read and reviewed the submissions and the public votes helped determine the final results. The winning five stories are:

• First Place: “Train a Comin’” by Neel Tucker
• Second Place: “Waiting for the Sun to Go Down” by Jesse Teller
• Third Place: “See” by Amy Midgett
• Fourth Place: “The Roller Coaster at the End of the World” by Jenel Alan
• Fifth Place: “The 5 Stages of Grieving My Attention Span” by Megan Okonsky

First Prize:

• $3,000 SNHU scholarship to be used toward an online or on campus bachelor’s or master’s degree program
• Short story featured in The Penmen Review
• The opportunity to read winning piece during a future Word for Word: Student Writer Spotlight
• SNHU Backpack and Mug
• “The Best American Short Stories 2024”

Second Prize:

• $2,000 SNHU scholarship to be used toward an online or on campus bachelor’s or master’s degree program
• Short story featured in The Penmen Review
• The opportunity to read winning piece during a future Word for Word: Student Writer Spotlight
• SNHU Backpack and Mug
• “The Best American Short Stories 2024”

Third Prize:

• $1,000 SNHU scholarship to be used toward an online or on campus bachelor’s or master’s degree program
• Short story featured in The Penmen Review
• The opportunity to read winning piece during a future Word for Word: Student Writer Spotlight
• SNHU Backpack and Mug
• “The Best American Short Stories 2024”

Fourth Prize:

• Short story featured in The Penmen Review
• The opportunity to read winning piece during a future Word for Word: Student Writer Spotlight
• SNHU Mug
• “The Best American Short Stories 2024”

Fifth Prize:

• Short story featured in The Penmen Review
• The opportunity to read winning piece during a future Word for Word: Student Writer Spotlight
• SNHU Mug
• “The Best American Short Stories 2024”

Up to five additional entrants may be recognized for Honorable Mention and have their short stories featured in The Penmen Review.

Past Contests and Winners

You can read about past contests and winners in these articles: