Great American Fiction Contest

The submission period for the 2025 Great American Fiction Contest has passed. The 2026 contest will open for submissions on January 1, 2025.


In its two centuries of existence, The Saturday Evening Post has published short fiction by a who’s who of great American authors, including Ray Bradbury, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Louis L’Amour, Sinclair Lewis, Jack London, Joyce Carol Oates, Edgar Allan Poe, Anne Tyler, and Kurt Vonnegut, among so many others.

“This contest is a tribute to the Post’s legacy of featuring the most renowned American fiction writers,” says Steven Slon, former editorial director and associate publisher for The Saturday Evening Post. “Our goal is to continue the tradition of finding and featuring compelling stories and the authors behind them.”

The winning story will be published in the January/February 2025 edition of The Saturday Evening Post, and the author will receive $1,000. Five runners-up will each receive $200 and will also have their stories featured online.

Submission Guidelines

  • Stories must be between 1,500 and 5,000 words long.
  • All stories must be previously unpublished (excluding personal website and/or blog publication).
  • No extreme profanity or graphic sex scenes.
  • All stories must be submitted by their author in print or in Microsoft Word or PDF format with author’s name, address, telephone number, and email address on the first page.
  • Entries should be character- or plot-driven pieces in any genre of fiction.
  • Think local. The Post has historically played a role in defining what it means to be an American. Your story should in some way touch upon the publication’s mission: Celebrating America — past, present, and future.
  • All entries must be received electronically or be postmarked by July 1, 2024.
  • There is a $10 entry fee, which helps defray a portion of the cost of operating the contest.

Electronic entries are preferred, but we understand that they are not always possible. To enter by mail, send your manuscript, cover letter, and a check for $10 made out the The Saturday Evening Post to

The Saturday Evening Post
Great American Fiction Contest
3520 Guion Road
Indianapolis, IN 46222

Manuscripts will not be returned.

Read previous years’ winning stories:

Get all of the collected works below plus more of the best short stories now.

2023 Winners

Winner:

Runners-up:

2022 Winners

Winner:

  • Dust
    by Dana Fitz Gale

Runners-up:

2021 Winners

Winner:

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2020 Winners

Winner:

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2019 Winners

Winner:

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2018 Winners

Winner:
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2017 Winners

Winner:
  • Crack
    by Myles McDonough
Runners-Up:

2016 Winners

Winner:
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2015 Winners

Winner:
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2014 Winners

Winner:
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2013 Winners

Winner:
  • Wolf
    by Lucy Jane Bledsoe
Runners-Up: