Uncharted Magazine Cinematic Short Story Contest | Judged by Rachel Harrison | $2500 Awarded | Free for Writers of Historically Marginalized Groups

We invite writers to submit to the second Uncharted Magazine Cinematic Short Story Contest from January 05 to March 09, 2025. This award is for all of our genres: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller/Horror, Mystery/Crime, Young Adult, and Historical Fiction. 

Guest Judge Rachel Harrison 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.

Contest Prompt

For this short story contest, we want stories that feel immersive, like we walked out of our lives and into the technicolor settings and conflicts of your main characters. We want stories that use the array of our senses in new and exciting ways. We want stories with vitality and velocity that rely on swift cuts of action and reaction. Allow your characters to make good and bad choices and face the consequences in scene. Don’t let the camera look away!

Consider crafting your story based on the most important moments in your character’s life, and fully envelop us in these moments. 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 aspects of all genres, so consider how these combined elements might enhance your story. We’re drawn to stories that use their conflicts to create tension and resonance. 

Rachel Harrison is the USA Today Bestselling author of So Thirsty, Black Sheep, Such Sharp Teeth, Cackle, and The Return, which was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Her short fiction has appeared in Guernica, Electric Literature's Recommended Reading, as an Audible Original, and in her debut story collection Bad Dolls. Her next novel, Play Nice, is out in September 2025 from Berkley. Find her on Instagram. 

Here’s what Rachel looks for in a short story:

I'm excited to read stories that are creative, visceral, and atmospheric. Take me to a new world! I gravitate toward stories with compelling characters and clear stakes. A cinematic story should be infused with emotion and elicit a strong reaction. Get my heart racing or eyes welling up or have me gasping in awe. I'm open to all genres and have a deep appreciation for a distinct voice and strong prose. Okay, ready? Action! 

GUIDELINES

• The deadline for entry is March 09, 2025. We will announce the shortlist within 10–12 weeks of the contest’s close. All writers will be notified when the results are in.
• Your $20 reading fee allows ONE cinematic short story of 1,001–5,000 words per entry.
• We encourage multiple submissions—each story should be a separate submission accompanied by a reading fee.
• Please submit short stories only—5,000 word count maximum.
• We only consider unpublished work for contests—we do not review reprints, including self-published work (even on blogs and social media). Reprints will be automatically disqualified.
• Simultaneous submissions are okay—please notify us immediately and withdraw your entry if you find another home for your writing.
• All entries will also be considered for publication in Uncharted.
• Double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 (or larger if needed).
• Please include a brief cover letter with your publication history (if applicable).
• Please include a content warning to help safeguard our staff (if applicable).
• We only read work in English, though some code-switching/meshing is warmly welcomed.
• We do not read anonymous submissions. However, shortlisted stories are sent anonymously to the judge.
• Work generated by AI will be automatically disqualified.

Some Submittable Hot Tips:

• Please be sure to whitelist/add to contacts this email address so notifications do not get filtered as spam/junk: notifications@email.submittable.com.
• If you realize you sent the wrong version of your piece: It happens. Please DO NOT withdraw the piece and resubmit. Submittable collects a nonrefundable fee each time. Please DO message us from within the submission to request that we open the entry for editing, which will allow you to fix everything from typos in your cover letter to uploading a new draft. The only time we will not allow a change is if the piece is already under review by a reader.