Contest: Shallow Waters’ May Flash Fiction Window

Deadline: May 31st, 2023
Payment: 3 cents per word for the winner, 2 cents per word for second place, and 1 cent per word for third place
Theme: Red

The theme for next month’s flash contest is…

“RED! The colour of blood, and love, and danger. Flashing lights, glowing eyes, cooking flesh; the blinding hue of rage, the windswept locks of a Celtic warrior princess. Give us something red – serve us something raw and dripping, a fresh cut that only you can deliver.” This theme is courtesy of last month’s winner, Matthew R. Davis, who will also read all the submissions and pick the finalists.

Before we get to the submission guidelines, please know that only the top 15 to 20 stories will be posted on our Patreon page for our patrons to vote on. The winner will receive $0.03 per word, publication, and an Author Spotlight on our newsletter and Patreon page. The second place winner will receive $0.02 a word, and the third place winner $0.01 per word. The winner will also have the option of hosting the following month’s contest for an extra payment and a profit share from any new patrons joining our Patreon during that month.

Submission guidelines:
-Max 1,500 words
-Submit your entry in the body of an email to [email protected] (no attachments) – please notice the new submissions email (no longer our main email account)
-The email subject line should be the story’s title and your author name / pseudonym
-The deadline is midnight at the end of May, wherever in the world you may reside.
-No multiple submissions (only your best story)
-Reprints are allowed if they naturally fit the theme.
-Put your bio below your story (max 500 words).

Please take note…
You do not need to be a Crystal Lake Patreon patron to enter. This is a contest and only the top three placing stories receive payment. If you’re chosen as a finalist, our $5-a-month and higher tier patrons will read all the entries, posted one per day, and vote for a winner at the end of the month. Some editors/publishers may consider having your story posted on a subscription-based platform, like Patreon, as a first publication. If your story does not win, we will remove it upon request. Patreon now offers 30 day free trials, so you can now join us on Patreon as a reader or author and give us a chance to impress you. The trials are available on the $5 tiers (there’s one for authors and one for readers). These tiers (and the ones above them) will give you full access to all the stories as well as all our other content.

Via: Crystal Lake Publishing’s Patreon.

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