Submissions wanted (no-entry-fee short fiction writing contest) (worldwide) | $150 top prize

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: JERRY JAZZ MUSICIAN SHORT FICTION CONTEST

Deadline: 30 September 2025

The Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest was first held in 2002. Since then, three times a year Jerry Jazz Musician has awarded a writer who submits, in our opinion, the best original, previously unpublished work of short fiction.

The Jerry Jazz Musician reader has interests in music, social history, literature, politics, art, film and theater, particularly that of the counter-culture of mid-twentieth century America. Our newsletter subscribers include publishers, artists, musicians, and fellow writers. While your writing should appeal to a reader with these interests and in these creative professions, all story themes are considered.

Winning stories are announced on the home page of Jerry Jazz Musician, and it will reside on the website permanently. Jerry Jazz Musician also nominates writers for the Pushcart Prize. In addition to publishing the winning story, with the consent of the author, we frequently publish short-listed stories.

CONTEST DETAILS

No entry fee is required. One story entry only. Simultaneous submissions are accepted.

The contest is open to entrants from anywhere in the world (English language only please)

A prize of $150 will be awarded for the winning story.

In addition to the story being published on Jerry Jazz Musician, the author’s acceptance of the prize money gives Jerry Jazz Musician the right to include the story in an anthology that could appear in book or magazine form. All other ownership rights are retained by the author. If story appears subsequently in other publications, we ask authors to note that the story was originally published on Jerry Jazz Musician.

Submission deadline for the next contest — the 70th — is September 30, 2025. Publishing date will be on or about December 10, 2025. Ideally, stories will not exceed 3,000 words but stories of up to 4,000 words are considered.

Please submit your story by September 30, 2025 via Word (preferred) or PDF attachment to jerryjazzmusician@gmail.com, and be sure to include your name, address and phone number with your submission, as well as a brief 50 – 100 word story synopsis. Please include “70th Short Fiction Contest Submission” in the subject heading of the email.

We consider human created entries only.

Good luck!

Click here to read full publishing terms and conditions.

Click here to read “My Vertical Landscape,” by Felicia A. Rivers, the winning story in the 69th edition of the Jerry Jazz Musician Short Fiction Contest.

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CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):

Questions/submissions: jerryjazzmusician@gmail.com

Website: https://www.jerryjazzmusician.com

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