G.R. Little Library

2022 NC State Fiction Contest

Submit Your Stories to the 2022 NC State Fiction Contest

The annual NC State Fiction Contest is a free literary competition open to all North Carolina residents, including out-of-state and international students who are enrolled at North Carolina universities. It remains one of the largest free-to-enter fiction contests in the South.

This year’s guest judge is S.A. Cosby, author of the New York Times­-bestseller Razorblade Tears and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize-winning Blacktop Wasteland.

Contestants may enter one story in each of the two contest categories:

• The James Hurst Prize for Fiction ($500): An unpublished short story of no more than 5,000 words. In addition to the winner, several honorable mention awards will be presented.
• The Shorter Fiction Prize ($250): An unpublished short story of no more than 1,200 words. One honorable mention award will be presented.

CONTEST RULES:

1. The contest is open to all North Carolina residents except:
   1. Tenured/tenure-track professors in the University of North Carolina system; creative-writing instructors teaching at North Carolina State University (but teaching assistants and graduate students are eligible).
   2. Writers with a published book of fiction (if we can buy your book online or from a publisher or bookstore, we consider you published).
   3. Previous winners. Previous finalists must submit stories that have not been previously submitted.
2. Contestants may enter no more than one story in each of the two contest categories.
3. Entries may not have been previously published anywhere, in print or online, including personal blogs or websites.
4. All entries must be typed and titled.
5. Contestants should not include their name on their stories so that their work can be judged anonymously. Instead, contestants should include their name, address, telephone number and email address on a separate cover sheet.
6. No emailed entries are accepted. Please mail entries to: 

NC State Fiction Contest

Department of English

North Carolina State University

Campus Box 8105,

Raleigh, NC 27695-8105

7. The postmark deadline is October 14, 2022.

Due to volume, we cannot respond to individual queries or return your stories afterward. Winners and honorable mentions will be contacted directly. There will not be a public ceremony this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The results will be posted at go.ncsu.edu/fictioncontest.

For more information, visit go.ncsu.edu/fictioncontest