🔺 Track 1: Short Story Contest 2026

This seasonal, blind-judged competition evaluates original short fiction purely on its narrative merits, completely separate from an author’s industry standing or background.

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📅 Critical Timelines

• Submission Final Deadline: July 22, 2026, at 8:00 PM EDT
• Winners Public Announcement: October 22, 2026

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📐 Technical Specs & Formatting Bounds

To pass the administrative filters and blind screening, your fiction manuscript must meet these strict criteria:

• Word Count Bound: Minimum 1,000 words up to a maximum of 5,000 words.
• Genre: Open track literary fiction, speculative/sci-fi, thriller, romance, mystery, and horror are all welcome.
• Content Exclusions: Submissions featuring extreme horror, gratuitous erotica, or content depicting the abuse of minors will be disqualified instantly without a refund.
• Anonymity Guard (Blind Judging): Do not include your name, email, or any identifying markers inside the manuscript file. Personal data is captured separately by the system during checkout.
• Formatting Layout: Must follow the professional standard Classic Shunn manuscript format:
  • Font: 12pt Courier or Times New Roman.
  • Spacing: Double-spaced throughout with 1-inch margins on all sides.
  • Header: Running title and page number positioned in the top right corner.
  • Scene Breaks: Indicated by a centered # symbol on its own line.
  • File Ingestion: Saved strictly as a .doc or .docx file (one file per entry).
• Entry Cap & Fee: $5.00 USD per entry. Multiple submissions are permitted, but each requires an independent fee. Simultaneous submissions are allowed (notify the team immediately if picked up elsewhere).

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🏆 Contest Prize Matrix

Winners can choose their payout via a digital gift card or direct cash transfer:

Placement Tier	Capital Grant	Publication & Platform Access
🥇 1st Place	$100 USD	Featured on the Write Catalyst blog/socials + Free 1-Year Full Community & App Membership.
🥈 2nd Place	$50 USD	Featured on the Write Catalyst blog/socials + Free 1-Year Full Community & App Membership.
🥉 3rd Place	$25 USD	Featured on the Write Catalyst blog/socials + Free 1-Year App-Only Membership.

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🧠 Track 2: Ongoing Nonfiction Submissions

Write Catalyst runs a permanent, paying open call for deeply analytical essays, articles, and practical guides written for fiction authors. They look for transformative pieces sitting at the crossroads of psychology, cognitive flow, and the lived experience of writing fiction rather than standard “tips and tricks” listicles.

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🎛️ Editorial Target Pillars

• Writing Psychology: Neuroscience and psychology applied to fiction writing—how the writer’s mind works, and how to work with it.
• Flow & Intuition: Practical deep dives into entering a flow state, harnessing intuition for creativity, and accessing the unconscious mind.
• Authentic Voice: Strategies for writing true to yourself, finding and trusting your voice, and resisting market pressure.
• Writer Identity: Mindset shifts, building productive habits, managing self-concept, and becoming a person who achieves their writing goals.
• Literary Critique & Craft: Grounded, practical fiction analysis through a psychological or creative lens, plus sentence-to-structure technique guides.
• Book Reviews: Reviews of books focusing on writing, creativity, or the creative life.

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📏 Technical Ingestion Rules

• Word Count Bound: 1,000 to 2,500 words.
• Strict AI Ban: Artificial intelligence content is completely barred. Fully or partially AI-written text will be rejected automatically.
• Formatting Layout:
  • 12pt Times New Roman, double-spaced with 1-inch margins.
  • Non-Blinded: Put your full name and contact information at the top of the first page. Section headers are welcome.
  • Save as a .doc or .docx file.
• Email Packet: Submit your file via email with your full name, email address, and a short 50–100 word biography in the body of the text. A summary pitch paragraph is optional.
• ⏱️ Response Window: The editorial board reads every entry and aims to reply to all queries within 4 to 6 weeks.

💳 Compensation & Rights Framework

• Financial Payout: $25 USD flat rate paid immediately upon formal acceptance via PayPal, Zelle, or gift card.
• Copyright Contract: Write Catalyst purchases First Worldwide Rights (Print and Digital) to distribute the piece via their website and newsletter (1,200+ subscribers). All rights revert entirely back to the author post-publication, allowing you to re-publish the piece freely anywhere with a line crediting Write Catalyst as the original publisher.