Stone Soup holds a Flash Contest during the first week of every month. The month’s first Weekly Creativity prompt provides the contest challenge. Submissions are due by midnight on Sunday of the same week and should be under 1,500 words. Up to five winners are chosen for publication on our blog. The winners, along with up to five honorable mentions, are announced on the blog. Submit via our Submittable site.
The Weekly Creativity prompts are intended to help you “break the ice” and start writing. The prompts, all written by students, just like you. The prompts are different from each other. Each prompt makes challenges you think, to be creative. You might note a few different ways you can approach the prompt. As a rule, we advise skipping the way that seems easy or obvious. Always give some thought to the point-of-view you are taking. Who is the observer? Are you writing from the “first person” perspective, through the eyes of your character? Are you the “omniscient” narrator who sees all and knows all? If you are writing a prompt every week, then think about changing your points of view from week-to-week.
Every contest has its own winners' page, where you can read all the winning entries for the month. We are currently working on the winner's page, but we will announce this new page when we announce the October winners in the following month!
We are proud of everyone who takes part in the contest. Thank you for trusting us with your work! Good luck!










Hi! I know that the November Flash Contest has ended, but I just wanted to ask: Do you have to write a story that matches the prompt if you submit?
Thanks!
Hi Lily,
Yes, all submissions must follow the prompt.
I believe they do.
We logged on this morning to get the December writing prompt but we don’t see it yet. What time will it be posted and what time zone?
Should be up now!
The website still says November Flash Contest is closed. Check back on December 6th. I don’t see where the current monthly contest prompt is located.
Hi Laura,
So sorry! It is up now.
We have been checking as well. Still not posted at 8:30 PM ET.
Hi Andrea,
So sorry. It is up now.
I’m having the same problem! It’s December 7th and I still don’t see the prompt.
Hi Lily,
So sorry! It is up now.
It still isn’t up-if anyone can see it, could you please post it?
Hi Caroline,
So sorry! It is up now.
Are flash fiction submissions for a fee, and, if so, how much? Also, just checking, but the next available submission date is January, right? And, since I already have a bout of questions flung around haphazardly, here is one more: If you win a flash fiction contest, can you still win the annual novel contest, or are you exempt? Thank you!
Hi Lola,
1) The Flash Contest costs two dollars to enter. 2) Yes, January third. And 3) You are absolutely not exempt! You can also be selected as a Flash Contest winner multiple times. Hope this helps!
Hey! I was wondering when the January contest will be posted today.
Is there a certain time?
Is the January prompt going to be up yet? Been checking since this morning.
I just want to know where can I see the results for the monthly flash contest? Thanks.
Hi Jaylen,
The results for this February’s Flash Contest will be posted either Thursday night or Friday morning. The rest of the Flash Contest results for previous months are included in this page. Hope this helps!
What time of day is the monthly flash contest prompt posted? It’s 11 am eastern standard time and I don’t see anything.
Hi Lea,
The prompt has now been posted. Apologies for the wait!
Hi everyone
I just wanted to ask, when the April contest will be up,
Thank you!
Hi Sabriah,
It is now up, apologies for the wait! In the future, even if the prompt might not yet say it is up on this page the prompt is likely to have been posted to the blog.
P.S.
It is April 4th right now and I have been checking for a bit, for me, it is 11:08 eastern time and I still don’t see it.
– Thank you for your answer 🙂
Where is the June 6 Flash Prompt? It is June 7th and I am awaiting it.
Hi Ryan,
The contest is now up on this page. In the future if you do not yet see the prompt listed on this page you can find it as its own post on the blog.
Has the June flash contest been posted yet?
Hi Han,
Please refer to my reply to Ryan Stern.
Hello,
I’m wondering when the June contest information will be up on your site.
Thanks,
Martha
Hi Martha,
Please refer to my reply to Ryan Stern.
Hello,
It’s Wednesday, August third, and the flash contest still isn’t up. I’m wondering – is something wrong on my end or has it not been posted?
Thanks,
Caroline
Hello,
It’s August ninth and it says to come back in September, but there was no prompt. Did I miss it or was there an issue?
Thanks,
Wenjing
Hi Wenjing,
You did happen to miss it. The prompt was live between August 1st and 7th.
Hi,
When do the October Flast Contest results come out? Like who won and etcetera?
Thanks!
Hi Eiaa,
Apologies that it took so long for them to go up this week! The winners and their work have just been published.
Hi there, when are the winners of Flash contest from November 2022 going to be announced? Thanks!
Hi Pranoti,
Winners will be announced later today!
Thank you! Will they be announced in an email or on this webpage?
On the webpage!
Is the next contest 5th 2022, because I have been looking through the comments and have seen that they we’re sent in 2021
Yes, the next monthly flash contest starts on December 5th.
Hi! When will the November Flash Contest results come out? Thanks!
They’re up now!
I don’t believe that the atlas of emotions has a list of emotions. Once I tried to click on the bubbles, there were only a couple listed. Can I use a different emotion that I have never heard of, even if it’s not listed on the atlas?
Hi Elise,
I didn’t realize! Yes, you can absolutely use a different emotion you haven’t heard of. I’m sure you can just look up a list of emotions on other sites.
Hi! When will we get the results of this month’s contest?
HI!
When will this month’s (Feb. 2023) prompt be up??
Hi Catherine,
It is up now! Apologies for the delay.
This is my first time submitting. Where do I submit? Can I turn in a story and poem? Thank you.
Hi Michael,
There is a link for submitting on that page, but you can submit via this link: https://stonesoup.submittable.com/submit/173152/monthly-flash-contest
And you can only submit one work, so choose either a story or a poem. This is also specifically a flash contest, so please keep it to approximately less than 1,000 words.
Are we allowed to submit more than one submission for a prompt?
Hi Lucy,
Just one submission per prompt.
When will the February winners be posted? Thank you.
Hi Michael,
They’re now posted.
Hi! I wondered when the April Flash Contest prompt would be posted since it was supposed to be posted yesterday. Thanks!
Hi Alia,
It was posted yesterday, just hadn’t yet updated this page. Are you subscribed to receive the prompts via email? If so, I can sign you up for that.
Hi — When are the monthly contest submissions due?
Hi — When are the monthly contest submissions due?
Is it possible to get them via email as well?
Hi Nalini,
Yes, I’ll sign you up to receive the prompts via email. And submissions are always due the following Sunday after they’re posted. So the next Flash Contest will go up on Monday May 1st and all submissions will be due by 1159 PM on Sunday May 7th.
Can two people work together on a story and put in both their names on the Submittable site?
Hi Sheri,
Yes, as long as both people are under the age of 14.
Oh how I wish you would post the prompt earlier so that my Monday classes could work on them together. Ah me.
Hi! When will the Flash Fiction be posted? Thank you 🙂
Hello,
For “The May Flash Contest is now open! Write an enemies-to-lovers story”, what is the deadline: midnight of Sunday, 6/4 or 6/11?
Thank you!
Hi Andrew,
Apologies, but we just hadn’t updated the page to say that the May Flash Contest was closed. Each Flash Contest runs for one week, starting on the first Monday of the month. The next one opens June Fifth, and will close at midnight June 12.
Got it. Thank you!
Is the flash contest still open? It says that it is but I think one week has passed already.
Hi,
No, the flash contest closes after one week. It just hadn’t yet been updated since it has to be changed manually.
Hi, I have a question. Can only subscribers join the monthly flash contest? Also it said come back August 7th, to get the next prompt, but I am not able to see it. Thank you.
Hi Saanvi,
Anybody can submit! And yes, the prompt wasn’t up but it is now. Apologies.
Hi, I have a question. Can only subscribers join the monthly flash contest? Thank you.
Hi Sunny,
Anybody can submit to the monthly flash contest!
Ok, thank you!
Looking for the August 7 prompt. Can you post it earlier for my Monday classes?
Hi Jennifer,
Apologies that it wasn’t ready early this month. They should usually go out, at least via email, at 2 AM. It is now up.
Thank you so much for posting the October prompt early in the day. It makes a huge difference and allows me to work with the prompt in my Monday classes. Grateful!
No problem! I hope your class has fun with the prompt.
Hi, do we have to use chatGPT or can we use a different ai?
A different AI works too!
For this month’s flash contest (Nov 2023), should we include the AI-generated short story along with our sequel submission?
You don’t have to include it. As long as you took inspiration from it for the sequel that’s what counts!
Ah, I see! Thank you 🙂
Hello,
Is the December flash contest deadline December 10, at midnight, please?
Thanks, Mihaela
Yes, December 10th at midnight!
Hi, this is not regarding the flash contest, but I would like to know if we can submit existing plays which we had edited and made better?
For my school project I had to do just that with a Bengali play called Rats on a Train. I edited the translated version, and made it longer and better. I would like to submit it to StoneSoup, however I need to know if that is allowed.
Work can be inspired by other stories, but we don’t accept edited material unfortunately.