Rogue Writers

Rogue Writers

International Writing Network

Contests

May 2026 Short Story Contest

  • DEADLINE: May 31st, 2026 at 23:59 UTC
  • Write a short story while clearly using AT LEAST TWO (2) of the provided prompts (listed below).
  • Aim for 500 to 5,000 words.
  • Submit your short story using the May 2026 Contest Submission Form (Google Form)
  • Attention: Due to personal emergency circumstances, this contest will not include optional feedback.
  • Have questions? Reach out to Jenai or Cenlyra on the Rogue Writers Discord server, or email them at co*****@**********rs.net

The Prompts

Include at least TWO (2) of the following prompts in your short story:

  1. Visual Prompt: “Traffic & Rain, Morales. R, 2021“
  2. Text Prompt: “Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not. ” – Pablo Picasso
  3. Element : A Hard Truth

Reminder: These prompts are flexible! So long as it’s clear which prompts you used, then you’ve probably used them correctly. You will identify your choices in your submission form.

Visual Prompt

“Traffic & Rain, Morales. R, 2021”

(click photo to view larger)

Additional Rules & Info

  • Open to Rogue Writers members only. Nonmember submissions will be rejected.
  • Limited to one submission per member.
  • Please aim for 500 to 5,000 words.
  • FORMATTING
    • Font: Times New Roman, Courier, or Arial
    • Size: 12 point
    • Line spacing: Double, with no extra space between paragraphs.
    • Alignment: Left
    • Submit your story as a DOC or PDF file (to be attached with the submission form)
    • Do NOT include your name in the story file! (there is space for your name in the submission form)
  • Please ensure that content is appropriate for readers who are 13 years and older. Otherwise, your story may be disqualified.
  • As per general Rogue Writers rules, AI-generated content is NOT allowed. If we discover that a submission used AI-generated content, the submission and author will be disqualified from the contest.
  • Stories will be judged on technical aspects (ex: having a coherent theme) and emotional aspects (ex: reader immersion).
  • Submissions will be presented anonymously to the judges.
  • Once all entries are received, the judges will announce a timeline for announcing the winner.
  • We sometimes offer optional critiques to contest participants. These sometimes take Sage and Jenai several months (post-judging) to produce. Therefore, please be patient when waiting for critiques.
  • We usually offer fun prizes to the winning entry’s writer. Prizes are donated by judges and members, and not guaranteed; therefore, default prizes are bragging rights and a digital certificate.
  • The Rogue Writers Network does NOT retain rights to submitted works and does not have a policy against submissions to multiple contests or journals. If publishing is your goal, we encourage and support those efforts!