Why, yes, a “concise epic voyage” does sound contradictory, but that just makes Flash Odyssey a contest befitting these baffling, paradoxical times. Even more so considering that many of us have scrapped travel plans for 2020 (hell, we’ve been milking the same tank of gas since March); what better way to snap out of hibernating and escape our mutual isolation than through stories that take us places.
Travel lies at the crux of Flash Odyssey. Simply put, your entry must include movement from one place to another, some sort of literal or figurative journey. Take us down roads less traveled or make new and surprising discoveries while navigating a well-worn path. Go all Kerouac with it, you beatnik, or take us to a Steinbeckian dust bowl. Send us tumbling down rabbit holes or barreling down lost highways. Lead an army of swashbucklers across the high seas or fly solo over a cuckoo’s nest. Go all literary or full-on genre with it. Or better yet, hit that sweet spot somewhere in the middle. Our dream destination will always be vivid imagery and compelling language.
Whatever avenue you choose, just remember that (at least for our purposes) a journey of singular vision ends at a thousand words.
The top three entries will win cold, hard cash (USD):
$300 for Flash Odyssey winner
$150 for 2nd place
$75 for 3rd place
We also give mad respect to 4th-10th place, publishing them in our Flash Odyssey mega-issue
and in a future print anthology, with contributor copy included.
Follow these guidelines, and you could have some extra coin in your pocket, and some bragging rights as the Flash Odyssey winner.
– All submissions must absolutely be under 1,000 words, and we tend to look more kindly on 750 or fewer because…ROADKILL SQUIRREL!
– All contest submissions will be read blind, so we won’t be playing favorites. Sorry, Mom!
– Please paste your submission into the corresponding field. Do not list your name anywhere in your entry or we’ll assume that you don’t know how to read.
– Cost to enter: $8.00 (Sorry, no refunds.)
– We reserve the right to extend deadlines if necessary (and you can expect our usual week-ish Procrastinator Special—with corresponding increase in submission fee for you slackers).
– Submissions must be previously unpublished work, and you will retain copyright (duh). By entering this contest you give us permission to publish your work—if selected for our Top 10—both online and in a future print anthology.
– No limit on how many entries you can submit, but you must submit them one at a time. Don’t just mash them all in there.
– Contest soft deadline is end of day (11:59 pm PST) on Monday, August 10th, 2020. Winners announced on Monday, August 24th, 2020, and we’ll unleash the Flash Odyssey mega-issue shortly thereafter.
– And, most importantly, this is a FLASH ODYSSEY contest, so your story must include travel or a journey of some kind. But again, this can be in any form imaginable.
Submit your work here.
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