Rogue Writers

Rogue Writers

International Writing Network

Contests

January 2026 Short Story Contest

  • DEADLINE: January 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 January 2026 Contest Submission Form (Google Form)
  • 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: “To Miss Loïe Fuller, 24 mars 1895”
    (Credit: Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1895.)
  2. Text Prompt: “The people you love become ghosts inside of you, and like this you keep them alive.”
    (Rob Montgomery)
  3. Element : A Hard Choice

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.

Note: If Loïe Fuller’s name is new to you, she was a fascinating badass dancer who you should definitely learn about!

Visual Prompt

“To Miss Loïe Fuller, 24 mars 1895”

(click photo to view larger)

Credit: The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1881 – 1882

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 offer optional critiques to contest participants. These sometimes take Jenai a month or longer (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!