The Fractured & Fused Prize ($3500 in cash prizes)
The Fractured & Fused Prize 2025 is now Open: A Call for Flash Fiction that Breaks and Heals
Deadline: November 16, 2025
Prizes: $3,500 + Publication
Judge: Sherrie Flick
Submission Period: September 15 – November 16, 2025
Submit your entry here.
Fractured Lit invites writers to submit to the Fractured & Fused Prize, a new flash fiction contest that explores the beauty of breaking and mending. The editors want stories that live in the tension between fracture and repair—between what’s splintered and what can still be remade.
The winner earns $3,000 and publication, while second- and third-place winners receive $300 and $200, along with publication. Every entry receives full consideration for inclusion in Fractured Lit.
What the Fractured & Fused Prize Seeks
“Objects break and people shatter,” the editors explain, “but what’s fractured may be fused.” They want flash fiction that captures transformation—stories where characters confront rupture, reckon with loss, and rebuild themselves.
Fractured Lit encourages writers to create realistic and monstrous characters who refuse stillness. Let your characters act, stumble, and evolve. Focus on emotional intensity, and use structure and language that pierce the page.
To strengthen your submission, explore these helpful resources from Creative Writing News:
- How to Get Your Characters to Pause Effectively
- Short Story Masterclass: How to Create Characters Readers Care About
These guides will help you refine your story’s rhythm, compression, and emotional depth—key elements for standing out in a prize judged by one of flash fiction’s most discerning voices.
About the Judge: Sherrie Flick
Sherrie Flick will judge the Fractured & Fused Prize. She wrote I Have Not Considered Consequences, Thank Your Lucky Stars, and Whiskey, Etc. Her recent essay collection, Homing: Instincts of a Rustbelt Feminist, came out through the University of Nebraska Press.
As co-editor of Flash Fiction America and senior editor at SmokeLong Quarterly, Flick values precision, emotional power, and surprise. She looks for stories that compress meaning into every line.
“What I’m looking for in a piece of flash fiction,” Flick says, “is strong compression, great characterization, and a succinct but well-rendered setting. Bring me your sharp edges and uncovered truths.”
In other words, she seeks stories that take risks and make every word count.
Optional Editorial Feedback
Writers who enter the Prize can request editorial feedback for an additional fee. When you opt in, the Fractured Lit team provides a detailed two-page letter identifying your story’s strengths and suggesting ways to revise it effectively. If your story wins, they’ll refund your feedback fee.
Submission Details
- Deadline: November 16, 2025
- Theme: Fractured and Fused
- Word Limit: Up to 1,000 words
- Entry Fee: See Submittable for details
- Multiple Entries: Allowed
- Submit here.
Before submitting, make sure your story feels complete in its compression and emotionally precise in its delivery.
Why You Should Enter the Fractured & Fused Prize
The Fractured & Fused Prize honors stories that embrace imperfection and transformation. It challenges writers to turn breakage into beauty and to reveal the light in the cracks.
If your fiction thrives on emotional friction and poetic compression, this contest gives you the perfect stage to showcase your craft.
