If you’d like to have a 50-word story that you wrote featured on FiftyWordStories.com, first make sure that you understand exactly what a 50-word story is, and then read the submission requirements below closely.
If this page doesn’t answer your question, feel free to get in touch by email! Comments on this page will likely not be seen.
Submissions System
Each month, submissions will be open between days 1 and 15 of that month. Any stories received on days 16 to 31 of a month will be deleted and should be submitted the following month instead. You may only submit one story per month.
From the stories received in those 15 days, the best stories will be selected to be published that same month. Only enough stories will be selected to publish two stories per weekday.
There is no payment associated with stories. However, each year a “Story of the Month” is selected, and the author receives a prize of $50 Canadian.
Stories that were not selected will not be published, will not roll over into the following month, and cannot be resubmitted in following months. As of July 2023, I will no longer be sending notices at the end of each month for unused stories, due to the increasing number of submissions and the significant time investment required. If you believe your story may not have been received, feel free to send a follow-up email inquiring after it, but note that I can’t recall any instances of story submissions not being received so far.
How to Submit
Please email your submission to Tim@FiftyWordStories.com. Paste the story into the body of the email and include a title, your name, and a brief third-person bio.
Tips and Guides
Looking for help with writing microfiction? Check out Bob Thurber’s Anatomy of a Microfiction page.
Terms and Conditions
Please keep the content of your submissions appropriate for all ages. Avoid crude language and needless violence or sexual content. Any intense or mature themes should be justifiable and provide artistic benefit for the audience.
In submitting your story, you are granting FiftyWordStories.com the non-exclusive rights to share the story on this website. You are free to do whatever you want with stories you have sent in; FiftyWordStories.com claims no ownership of your writing.
Simultaneous submissions are allowed, as are reprints. If your story has appeared somewhere else, including your own blog or writing site, please include that information with your submission.
Stories published on FiftyWordStories.com become available through a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Once You’ve Submitted
Note that it may take a few weeks before you hear back on your submission, and notifications are not sent out for unused stories. Please don’t send a follow-up email on your submission until at least one month after you sent it.
Report your submissions to DuoTrope here!
Does the 50 word limit include the title?
No, the title is not included in the word count.
The title is not included in the word count
If a story is submitted on 1st of the month, India time, would it be counted as being within the submission time-frame?
That can’t be more than 50
Tim, I just submitted a story today, May6, 2023 but inadvertently pushed the submit button before realizing it had 51 words. I then sent a 2nd 50 word version immediately. Will that be considered this month?
What time zone is the deadline closed from? It’s ten minutes to midnight here (CA, Pacific Time), and I was wondering if I could send in my story. Just to be safe, I will save it for next month. An extra couple of weeks for revision couldn’t hurt.
It took me all night to write then edit down to 50 words. Only then did I notice it’s Jan 20, I assume I have to wait until Feb 1 to submit it without being deleted? Let me know, I’m going to post it a few other places too. I wrote a strange autobiographical story, I’ll keep track of the submittion date.
Hi Sarah. Yes, you’ll have to wait until February 1.
I wrote 3 versions of my story and cannot remember which one I submitted earlier this month – anyway of finding the submission on your site?
I don’t think there’s a way, sorry! In future, maybe send your submission directly through email and then you can find it back that way.
Hi, Tim – I don’t see you on Duotrope, is that right? Cheers!
Hi Mel. This is the listing: https://duotrope.com/listing/5861
Cheers =)
Question: My 3year old wrote his own 50word story when I told him that Mommy writes them. Can I submit it to be silly? Also, if I submit his can I still submit one myself?
Sure, I’m happy to receive both. :)
I just sent a submission. Will I receive any notification?
Hi Marzia. You will get a reply once the story has been reviewed. Thanks for submitting!
So if someone doesn’t get a response at the end of the month, the person should assume their story wasn’t accepted? It doesn’t matter if you submitted on the 15th of a month?
Hi Tim! From the information on your site, if we don’t get a response by the end of the month, this means our story wasn’t accepted. Is this the same for those who submitted on the 15th of a month?
Hello! I wrote a 50-word story for submission, but when I submitted it, I believe I accidentally sent in an earlier draft. Is there any way to resubmit my updated piece? Or should I just leave it be?
Do you prefer e-mail submissions, or submissions via the form here?
Either way works! Sometimes a direct email comes out cleaner than using this submission form, but it doesn’t really matter.
What if the story goes over by three words?
Stories must be exactly 50 words, no more no less. :)
Hello, I have a question. Can you write I’ll instead of I will so that it counted as one word.
Thanks
Hi Callan. Contractions count as a single word; no problem at all with doing that!
When I submitted my story “The Big-Purse Lady” today, I included my website name (https://itrhymesattimes.wordpress.com), but forgot to mention that I had posted that story on that website. It has not appeared anywhere else.
Don’t worry about it!
Thank you.
Hi, I submitted a story last night, only to realize my editor counted “wasn’t” as two words. Can you, uhm, add a word for me, please? (E.g., “was crying” for “cried”? I promise I’ll be more careful from now on. >.<
Hi, I’m a teenager and not from the U.S., am I still allowed to submit?
Thanks
Poetry submissions ok?
Is Duotrope/Duosuma required?
No, it is not required. Basic email submission is fine!
Do you guys count hyphenated words as one or two? Most count them as one but I wanted to make sure.
Hyphenated words count as a single word. For example, “top-tier” counts as one word, not two.
Is it the same for twenty-year, as in for example, twenty-year marriage?
Is there an age limit to the submissions?
Hi Fannie! There is definitely no limit. :)
Thanks in advance for considering my submission!
Hi
Is this activity open to all globally? I am from India. Can i participate too?
Hi Rita. Yes, of course! Just make sure you read the submission guidelines and follow them closely!
Hi! Tim,
I submitted my story on July second and got several Mail Delivery Subsystem messages. The latest is as follows:
<icon.png>
Delivery incomplete
There was a temporary problem delivering your message to tim@fiftywordstories.com. Gmail will retry for 21 more hours. You’ll be notified if the delivery fails permanently.
Have you encountered this issue before? Shall I wait for Gmails final notification, or resubmit now?
This is the 2nd time I’ve attempted to send my submission, but delivery has failed with the same message as above. After 47 ands 21 days attempt by Gmail is failed last time. Help, please!
Hi Judith. I’ve been working with my web host and they say the issue should be fixed now, but I’m still trying to confirm. Could you try again?
Thank you, Tim, for your reply. I just sent a third entry via: tim@fiftywordstories.com
Hoping things get back on track for you.
Hi Tim, I have also had issues with undeliverable stories to you email from my hotmail. Not sure at all if you received my story for June, sent on 12th June and for July, sent on 2nd of July. If you could just confirm receipt of these stories that would be most appreciated. Thank you, Andrea
Hi Andrea. I have received your July story!
I’ve been delayed on sending final notices on stories from June but you should see a response to that soon, I hope.
If your story isn’t chosen, will you still be notified?
Hi Angela, sorry, I don’t always see comments here promptly. Yes, authors will hear back about stories that are not selected. If you don’t hear back by a week or so into the following month, feel free to send a followup email to check.
I guess I’m talking to myself.
I know the rules say rejected stories cannot be resubmitted, but can a rejected story be resubmitted if substantial changes are made?
Hi Carrie. If the changes are very substantial, then sure!
Hi – do hyphenated words count as one or two words? Thanks
A day to remember
My day to remember, it is my first English test, wait for that challenging day, first I do the writing and then they call you to come forward and give it orally, speak and answer. the questions, take a deep breath in a quiet room and they tell you at last I approve and immediately cry
When will the results come out?
I submitted a story titled “Tense Moment” on May 1 that did not appear in May. I presume it was not accepted for publication, but I did not receive a note from you to that effect. Is it still your intent to notify authors when their work has been declined?
Under Submission System, the first paragraph says stories can be resubmitted but the fourth paragraph says no resubmissions…
Can I ask how we indicate formatting – for instance italics – for the story?
Hi Tim. I have been trying to leave a comment but instead, I accidentally keep replying to another comment here. I’d like to inquire about those who submitted on the 15th of a month, if their work is accepted would they expect a response at the end of the month or would the response come early the following month?
Hi. I’m teaching an adult esl class, and your story website is mentioned in our course material – American English File, 4A, 3rd edition.
Are you still taking story submissions?
My students were interested in giving their story telling skills a try.