Deadline: April 2, 2023
Entry fee: $20
About the competition
The Voyage Team always wants to see more short fiction writers celebrated in the YA category. So, naturally, we’re dedicating a portion of our next anthology to short-form YA stories and all their glory! We want compelling YA short stories in 5,000 words or fewer. Send us your best YA contemporary, romance, fantasy, science fiction, genre-bender, and more!
Competition guidelines
- Submissions are open from February 1 to April 2, 2023.
- Voyage submissions are open to all writers working in English.
- International submissions are allowed.
- Submission must be an original short story that would be categorized as young adult fiction (from the point-of-view of a young adult, meaning through the lens of a teen protagonist).
- 5,000-word count maximum.
- We’re open to any genre or style you can throw at us—just send us the best you’ve got.
- Previously unpublished work only, please.
- Simultaneous submissions are fine—just notify us and withdraw your entry if it’s picked up by someone else.
- $20 reading fee per entry.
- Multiple submissions are okay—please submit each as a separate submission.
- Every entry will be considered for our regular publications as well.
- Please: 1) double space, 2) use Times New Roman 12, 3) have one-inch margins, and 4) put the page number in the top right-hand corner.
- Tell us in a brief cover letter your publication history (if applicable, no worries if not), along with any relevant information about your writing career.
- For reference, some of our favorite YA short story collections include: Fresh Ink edited by Lamar Giles; Welcome Home edited by Eric Smith; Our Stories, Our Voices edited by Amy Reed; Three Sides of a Heart edited by Natalie C. Parker; Because You Love to Hate Me edited by Amerie; Meet Cute and Summer Days and Summer Nights/My True Love Gave to Me both edited by Stephanie Perkins.
- Read the whole guideline and submit your entry here.
Note: To ensure the protection of our volunteer readers, and to keep Voyage a safe space, please let us know in your cover letter if your work can be triggering in any way. This will have no bearing on your submission or a decision—we just want to ensure the best possible environment for our readers. Thank you for your understanding.
