THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.

WATCH FOR UPDATES AT THE END OF MAY! 

Read below to find out about prizes, this year’s judges and more…

PRIZES 

First $1,000

Second $400

Third $200

JUDGES

The 2022 judges for the national competition are the acclaimed Anne Kennedy and Kiri Piahana-Wong.

Anne Kennedy is a poet, fiction writer, screenplay editor and teacher. Recent books are The Sea Walks into a Wall (AUP), Moth Hour (AUP) and The Ice Shelf (VUP). Awards and fellowships include the 2021 Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement, the Montana NZ Book Award for Poetry, and the University of Iowa International Fall Residency. Anne has taught creative writing at the University of Hawai`i and Manukau Institute of Technology. She lives in Auckland.

Kiri Piahana-Wong (Ngāti Ranginui) is a poet and editor, and she is the publisher at Anahera Press. Kiri’s poetry has appeared in over forty journals and anthologies, including Landfall, Essential NZ Poems, Poetry NZ, Puna Wai Kōrero, Tātai Whetū: Seven Māori Women Poets in Translation, A Treasury of NZ Poems for Children, Dear Heart: 150 New Zealand Love Poems, Vā: Stories by Women of the Moana and more. She has one full-length collection, Night Swimming (2013), and a second, Tidelines, is forthcoming. Kiri also works with poetry and fiction as a book reviewer, manuscript assessor, anthology editor, NZSA mentor and project manager. She lives in Whanganui with her family.

The international youth competition is guest judged in 2022 by Jack Remiel Cottrell and curated by the youth journal fingers comma toes.

Jack Remiel Cottrell (Ngāti Rangi), an itinerant flash fiction and short story writer with a sideline as a volunteer rugby referee. He was runner-up in the Bath Flash Fiction’ Award’s 2018 Novella-in-Flash competition, and was shortlisted for a Sir Julius Vogel Award in 2020. Jack’s collection Ten Acceptable Acts of Arson and other very short stories was published by Canterbury University Press in August 2021.

 

HOW TO ENTER

Please note: The youth competition is hosted by the youth journal fingers comma toes and operates under the same genergal guidelines and time line (submissions through 30 April, 2022; awards on 22 June). For the free and international youth competition please go here.

To enter the 2022 National Flash Fiction Day competition in the adult category, please follow these easy steps:

Payment

1. Make your online payment here:

ANZ / National Flash Fiction Competition/ Acct No. 06-0350-0849733-00
include ‘Surname, First initial’ as a reference

2. Once you’ve transferred your entry fee, send proof of payment (a phone capture or screen shot will do – see the link provided) along with your NFFD story/ stories to nationalflash@gmail.com.
3. You will receive confirmation of your entry within 72 hours. If you do not hear from NFFD, please email again.
4. All entries must be received electronically. If you are not online and wish to submit, please have a friend submit via email.

2022 fees: $10.00 per story or $24.00 for 3 stories (3 stories max per entrant)

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

(See General Rules for further details)

• Submissions open through 30 April 2022 — DEADLINE EXTENDED!
• Competition open to all NZ citizens and residents
• Open competition; no theme or prompt
• Only previously unpublished work will be considered (see General Rules)
• Deadline for submissions: 30April 2022 (midnight)
• Word limit for all submissions (all categories): 300 excluding title
• 1.5 or double spaced, please
• No font requirements, but make it clean – no fancy fonts!
• Maximum 3 stories per entrant; please include your submissions in one document
• Electronic submissions only, emailed to nationalflash@gmail.com
• Submissions must be sent as attachments (not in the body of the email)
• Send one of the following formats: .doc, .docx, .rtf; please, no pdfs
• Please, no pdfs!
• Submissions must be received no later than midnight, 30 April 2022
• Your name may be in the email and any enquiries made to NFFD in the gmail account, but do not include your name or contact info on the attachments. Any submissions with author name on the attachment with the story text will be disqualified.
• Judges’ decisions are final. No feedback will be offered on an individual basis.
• Long lists will be announced mid-May and shortlists in early June.
• Winners will be announced on National Flash Fiction Day, June 22.
• Winners and short-listed work will be published in a special winter edition of Flash Frontier: An Adventure in Short Fiction.

 

GENERAL RULES

1. NFFD reserves the right at its total discretion to reject any entry in the Competition and to verify the validity of any entry or vote. All decisions of the NFFD shall be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
2. Entries must be original, previously unpublished pieces of work written by the person who submits the piece of work. Published means anything that has already appeared anywhere in print or online, including personal websites or blogs.
3. Entries cannot be altered or changed after they have been submitted.
4. NFFD accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected entries.
5. NFFD is unable to return submitted entries. Entrants are advised to keep a copy of their entry for their records.
6. The judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.
7. The judges reserve the right to not award prizes, based on their judgment of the quality of submissions.
8. Partners, parents and children of the NFFD Central Committee and current judges are not eligible to enter the competition
9. Winners will be announced June 22 at the NFFD award ceremonies and all winners are invited to attend and share their stories in their province NFFD 2019 celebrations held in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Northland and Wellington.
10. A selection of entries will be published in a special winter edition of Flash Frontier: An Adventure in Short Fiction. Writers retain the copyright to their submitted short story regardless of whether or not it is chosen for publication. NFFD retains unlimited use of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place Short Story (all categories) for an unlimited period of time for any promotion or publication.
11. The winners’ names, entry details, biographical information and photographs may be required by NFFD and will be used for publicity/promotional purposes without compensation. Entrants consent to this use of their details by entering the competition.
12. The NFFD association, its committee members and its related agencies shall not be liable for any loss, damage or injury suffered or sustained (including but not limited to direct or consequential loss or loss arising from negligence) arising directly out of or in connection with the competition or any prize.

Entry constitutes acceptance of all National Flash Fiction Day Competition Rules and Guidelines.