How it Works
The 7th Annual 100-word Microfiction Challenge is a competition that challenges writers worldwide to create short stories no longer than 100 words in 24 hours. In the 1st Round (March 20-21), writers are placed randomly in groups and are assigned a genre, action, and word assignment.
Writers have 24 hours to craft an original 100-word story in their assigned genre, with the assigned action taking place and incorporating the assigned word. The judges choose a top 15 in each group to advance to the 2nd Round (May 15-16), where writers receive new assignments and again have 24 hours to craft original stories.
Judges select the top eight (8) writers in each group from the 2nd Round to advance to the Final Round of the competition, taking place June 26-27, 2026, where writers will receive their final assignment of the competition and will compete for thousands in cash and prizes. Feedback from the judges is provided for every submission, and writers retain all the rights to their stories. If this sounds like fun, join the competition below and get ready for March 20th!
A Few Reasons to Participate
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Feedback provided on every submission
Not only do the writers receive feedback from the judges for every submission, but a special review forum is available for the participants to submit their stories for review from fellow writers throughout the competition.
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A vibrant writing community
Join over 31,000 writers in our online forum to discuss the challenges, post and review stories, and discuss writing in all facets. We are dedicated to providing a welcoming and helpful forum for writers of all levels. Click here to visit the forums.
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Keep all the rights to your stories
Writers retain all the rights to the stories they create during the competition, which means that we could not and would not share the stories publicly without consent from the authors.
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Thousands in prizes
There are thousands in cash and prizes for the top writers, with $4,500 going to first place. Click here to view the full prize list.
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Writing for a good cause.
We are proud to support global charities currently dealing with some of the most critical issues facing our world. We will be donating two dollars from each entry fee, and writers can choose where their donation goes. Click here to view the charities.
Are you New to Writing Microfiction?
What Our Participants Say
“I love being a writer, don't you? Small challenges such as this one give us the strength to face much bigger challenges.”
— Laura M. (Fort Collins, CO, USA)
“The sense of accomplishment I feel right now defies description.”
— Tanya O. (South Boston, VA, USA)
“First time competitor and it is so much fun. A challenge in brevity and one I can't wait to do again! Best of luck to all!!”
— Alicia C. (Berlin, NH, USA)
“The challenge itself rewarded me with a fantastic idea for a story.”
— Jake L. (Buderim, QLD, Australia)
“How could 100 words keep me up all night? They did! What fun! LOVELOVELOVE these challenges!”
— Laurel M. (Salida, CO, USA)
“This was so much fun! I've never had to think about each word so much.”
— Neha M. (Mumbai, India)
“That was super fun! 100 words is tough, but a great way to force you to really boil the narrative down to the studs.”
— Alex P. (San Francisco, CA, USA)
“Way to feel alive! Write 100 words that you're happy with in 24 hours. Fun challenge. Best wishes everyone”
— Pierina C. (Brisbane, QLD, Australia)
“Just hit submit! First time for me, such a great exercise! I didn't think I'd have so much fun trying to craft such a short story.”
— Kristie B. (Belmopan, Cayo, Belize)
How to Register
It's easy to register. First, download and read the Official Rules & Participation Agreement. Once you've read through everything, you are ready to register by clicking the button below. The entry fee is USD$29* until the early entry deadline of February 5, 2026, and USD$36* until the final entry deadline of 10 PM (New York time) on March 20, 2026.
*Get $5 off the entry fee just for posting to social media! Click here to make a post and receive a $5 promotional code.
We will donate two percent of every entry fee to charities currently dealing with some of the most critical issues facing our world, and writers can choose where their donation goes. Click here to learn more.
Mark Your Calendar
While we send e-mails at the beginning of each round to all registered writers, many times e-mails go to junk mail folders, spam, or are blocked by servers for unknown reasons. We recommend that everyone marks their calendars with the start dates of each round, especially the first round at 11:59 PM (New York time) on Friday, March 20th, so that you know when to expect an e-mail. Use the "Add to Calendar" buttons below to add each event to your calendar, or click here to learn about subscribing to our entire event calendar.
Results
1st Round
May 13, 2026
Results
2nd Round
June 24, 2026
Results
Final Round
August 12, 2026