 | Guest Judge: Ananda Lima DEADLINE: 3/8/26 |
| We invite writers to submit to the second Uncharted Magazine Cinematic Short Story Contest from January 05 to March 08, 2026. This award is for all of our genres: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller/Mystery (Horror), Young Adult, Historical Fiction, and Humor stories.
Guest Judge Ananda Lima will choose three winning stories from our shortlist. We’re excited to offer the first-place winner of this contest $2,000 and publication, while the second- and third-place winners will receive publication and $300 and $200, respectively.
For this short story contest, we want to read your most cinematic stories! We want stories we can clearly visualize, that make us feel as if we’re there in the moment, and that engage all our senses. We want worlds that pop into our minds, characters who are fully articulated and intent on breaking their rituals. We want stories with vitality and velocity that rely on swift cuts of action and reaction.
Consider crafting your story around the most important moments in your character’s life, and fully engage us in this story. Think of the opposites of shadow and light, and the gray areas in-between, and write the stories we can’t look away from. We especially love stories that incorporate elements from multiple genres, so consider how these combined tropes might enhance your story. We’re drawn to stories that leverage their conflicts to create tension and resonance. | | | Need a reminder to submit? Add the deadline to your calendar: |
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Ananda Lima is the author of Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil (Tor Books, 2024) and Mother/land (Black Lawrence Press, 2021), winner of the Hudson Prize. Her work has appeared in American Poetry Review, Poets.org, Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, and elsewhere. She is a Contributing Editor at Poets & Writers and Program Curator at StoryStudio, Chicago. Lima was named to Newcity’s 2025 Lit 50 list, which recognizes influential people and organizations shaping Chicago’s literary culture. She was a mentor at the NYFA Immigrant Artist Program and the inaugural Latinx-in-Publishing WIP Fellow, sponsored by Macmillan Publishers. She has an MA in Linguistics (UCLA) and an MFA in Creative Writing (Rutgers-Newark). Craft, her fiction debut, was longlisted for the Story Prize, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal. The New York Times describes it as “a remarkable debut that announces the arrival of a towering talent in speculative fiction.” | | |
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| Devan Erno is a multi-genre author whose fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Polar Borealis, Blanket Gravity, Bright Flash Literary Review, and is forthcoming elsewhere. He lives in the Canadian prairies with his family of humans and animals. | | |
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| | Anna Kahn is a Manchester-based writer. Their work has appeared in publications like The Rialto, The London Magazine and The Rumpus, and they've performed everywhere from tiny pubs to festival main stages, with performances featured on the Guardian blog and BBC iPlayer. They have been a Barbican Young Poet, a member of the Roundhouse Collective (and Roundhouse Slam finalist) and a London Library Emerging Writer. | | |
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Noir Challenge3/10-3/22/26
It’s time for our noir writers (including crime, mystery, thriller, and atmospheric horror stories) to send us something that utilizes shadows, the juxtaposition of law and crime, and lurking antagonists. For this challenge, we’re pleased to offer the grand-prize winner $500 and publication. All entries will be considered for general publication at our regular rate of $200.
Novel Excerpt Prize03/30-5/31/26
We're looking for the best 5,000 words or fewer from your novel in progress! We love to read opening chapters, climaxes, and anything in-between. A guest judge will choose three prize winners from a shortlist. The three cowinners of this prize will each receive $1,000 and publication. All entries will be considered for publication.
Agent PanelRegistrations open in June
Our submitters have been asking for more access to literary agents, and we’re excited to announce a new agent panel featuring fast, furious first-page critiques followed by an Ask An Agent Anything session! You’re ready to query, but you’ve got questions, so we’re bringing in the experts with the answers! Registrations will open in June. Stay tuned for an announcement on when the event will take place.
Camp Summer Contest07/01-08/30/26
Think summer heat, secrets by the campfire, killer mosquitoes, and everything we love and hate about summer camp and the dangers of summer! We’re excited to offer the winner of this prize $3,000 and publication, while the second- and third-place winners will receive publication and $300 and $200, respectively. All prize winners will be chosen by our guest judge.
Reprint Prize09/01-09/30/26
We want to bring light to those lost or forgotten genre stories—the stories that you love but feel are no longer receiving the attention or recognition they deserve. We’re excited to offer the winner of this prize $1,000 and publication, while the second- and third-place winners will receive publication and $300 and $200, respectively. The Uncharted editors and team will decide the winners.
Horror Challenge10/01-10/11/2026
It’s time for our horror writers to send us something that has us checking our back seats, under our beds, and our closets. We’re seeking stories that center around the frightening, creepy, and horrific. And to make things extra spooky, we’re only giving you ten days to submit! For this challenge, we’re pleased to offer the grand-prize winner $500 and publication. All entries will be considered for general publication at our regular rate of $200.
Novel Excerpt Prize10/15-12/13/26
We're looking for the best 5,000 words or fewer from your novel in progress! We love to read opening chapters, climaxes, and anything in-between. A guest judge will choose three prize winners from a shortlist. The three cowinners of this prize will each receive $1,000 and publication. All entries will be considered for publication. |
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We often see dialogue that doesn’t read as if coming from unique and specific characters. Make sure to read some of the dialogue out loud to determine if it sounds like a character or from the writer. |
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