Quick Draw: Weird West Flash Fiction Contest
I’ll be judging an upcoming weird-west-themed flash fiction contest through Reach Your Apex–with prizes!
The first prize winner will be awarded $100 U.S. and have their story published in Apex Magazine issue 151, coming out in October 2025. The second prize winner will be awarded $50 U.S. and have their story published on the Reach Your Apex website in September 2025. Three third prize winners will each be awarded $25 U.S. and have their story published on the Reach Your Apex website in September 2025.
Submissions will open at 12:00 am Eastern, July 1, 2025. Submissions close July 15, 2025 at midnight Eastern. Anonymous, original submissions only under 1k words. More submission details: https://reachyourapex.com/weird-west-quick-draw-a-flash-fiction-contest/.
I hope you’ll submit to this diverse and growing genre! If you want tips for writing a story, check out some of the resources I have over at Weird West Fiction. If you really want to dive in, I’ll be offering a virtual workshop on June 27 called “Creating Weird West Stories That Sizzle And Sell” at Reach Your Apex.
Use code wwss10 at checkout for $10 off!
In this live workshop, we’ll cover how to:
Build immersive settings and plots that evoke the Old West without falling into clichés and harmful stereotypesFlip familiar tropes into fresh and thought-provoking elementsDraw inspiration from historical accounts with empathy and nuanceDevelop grounded characters and high-stakes conflictsAvoid common pitfalls of writers starting out in this genreBlend horror, fantasy, science fiction and history in unexpected waysCreating Weird West Stories That Sizzle And Sell
