Our FREE Monthly 53-Word Story Contest

It's free, it's fun; the winner gets published in Prime Number Magazine and receives a free book from Press 53. Be sure to subscribe to our email updates for free. You’ll receive an email on the first day of each month with our winning story and the prompt for our next contest.

Open to writers around the world who write in English

Congratulations to Our Winners (a first!) for January 2025

Last month we received 454 53-word stories from writers around the world!
This is the first time our judge’s selected two stories as our winners. We loved them both too much to choose only one winner.

“Hooked” by Eliza Eperon

In, out—the rhythmic sound calms my brain, silence in a sea of turmoil.  

The hook catches the yarn, I sigh, this is the expensive stuff. It doesn’t matter, what I’m creating will last generations. 

It will be a centerpiece, a warm hug, a talking point. 

Until the cat throws up on it. 

~ ~ ~

“A Life of Legacy” by Zoe Fraser

Wrinkled hands that once touched wood suddenly went cold.  A daughter, heavy with child, sunk into grief as her father would never see his unborn grandchild.  Months went by.  Tiny laughter and cooing filled the house.  A cradle, lovingly crafted, rocked the small sleeping child, as the clock ticked softly on the wall.

~ ~ ~

53-Word Bio
Eliza Eperon is from England where she can often be found crocheting whilst listening to rock music such as Queen and Ghost. She thoroughly enjoys writing stories and wishes to pursue a professional career in publishing. Eliza is combining her skills in imagination and creativity to work on her first full-length fantasy novel.

53-Word Bio
Zoe Fraser is a thirteen-year-old student who resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her mom, dad, younger brother, and gerbil. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with friends, reading, writing, and playing piano. This is Zoe’s first writing competition she has won, and she certainly hopes that it won’t be her last.

As our winners, Eliza and Zoe will receive a copy of What Dwells between the Lines: Fifty-Three 53-Word Story Contest Winners, Plus Tips on Writing Remarkably Brief Fiction. Their stories will appear on this page for the month of January and will be published in Issue 271 of Prime Number Magazine, May-Aug 2025. Congratulations, Eliza and Zoe!

Read More of Our Winning Stories

But first, read your prompt for this month

Enter the 53-Word Story Contest for February 2025

Deadline is the 15th day of the month

The winner for February will receive a free copy of What Dwells between the Lines: Fifty-Three 53-Word Story Contest Winners, Plus Tips on Writing Remarkably Brief Fiction, and their story will appear on this page for the month of February and will be published in Issue 271 of Prime Number Magazine on May 1, 2025. Note: If our winner already has What Dwells between the Lines, we will send a different Press 53 book.

Please read our guidelines carefully

DEADLINE is the 15th day of the month
NO ATTACHMENTS, PLEASE!
Paste your story in the body of your email to 53wordstory@gmail.com

HINT: Each month, when we offer a new prompt, we introduce it with a short 53-word description that suggests several ways you might consider the prompt. Even the photo can offer a different way to look at it. What are we looking for? A story that surprises us in its approach to the prompt, something unusual and creative. The first idea that pops into your head probably popped into the heads of others too, so you might want to take another look at how your story can be different. Challenge yourself to find an unusual way to write a 53-word story about the prompt, and don’t think you have to use the prompt in your story, literally; implying the word works too. Surprise us! That’s what we are looking for.

Here’s how to enter (please read our guidelines carefully before sending us your story):

–Your story must be 53 words—no more, no less—titles are not included in the word count. Stories with fewer than or more than 53 words will be disqualified. Send only stories; poetry with line breaks will not be considered.
–There is no age limit. This is a FREE contest, so there is no age restriction.
–Be careful of word count. Hyphenated words count as one word. 
–Titles are not included in the word count. If your story is not titled, we will create a title for publication.
–One submission per person. 'Nough said.
–NO ATTACHMENTS! Paste your story into the body of your email. Stories sent as attachments, or images embedded in the email, will not be considered.
–By entering this contest the author grants Press 53 First Serial Rights to publish the story in Prime Number Magazine and to archive it permanently on our website. All other rights remain with the author.
–Email your story directly to 53wordstory@gmail.com by the 15th  day of the month, midnight Eastern Time. NO ATTACHMENTS, PLEASE!

Our judges for the 53-Word Story Contest are the editors of Press 53 and Prime Number Magazine. Our winner for this month’s contest will receive a free book from Press 53, and the winning story will appear here on the 53-Word Story Contest page for the entirety of the month following the contest, and will also be published, along with the author’s *photo and 53-word bio, in the next issue of Prime Number Magazine.

(*we will request your photo and 53-word bio if your story is our winner, so be prepared!)

Available now!