One of the best things about flash fiction, is the innovation inherent in these tiny stories. The advent of the hermit crab story has been a wonderful thing to behold. So we want to celebrate this innovative approach to storytelling with a prize. The first year of this competition produced some wonderful stories, that you can read by clicking below.
2025 Hermit Crab Prize
Deadline: 23rd February 2025
Words: Up to 650 (excluding the title)
Entry fee: £6 submission only / £23 with feedback
Judge: Avitus B. Carle
Avitus B. Carle (she/her) lives and writes outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her stories have been published in a variety of places including SoFloPoJo, Necessary Fiction, The Commuter (Electric Lit.), Moon City Review, and elsewhere. Her debut flash fiction collection, "These Worn Bodies," will be published by Moon City Press in November 2024. She can be found online at avitusbcarle.com or online everywhere @avitusbcarle.
What is a hermit crab flash?
If you’ve not come across a hermit crab flash before, it’s a story told in the form of something else that’s written — a menu, a list, a quiz, a review, for example.
Here are some of our favourites:
Hello, My Name Is Marley
by K.B. Carle
Homework
by Cheryl Pappas
PRIZES:
The winning and shortlisted stories will share up to 66% of the entry fees (after Submittable fees are deducted) .
1st: 20%
2nd: £15%
3rd: £10%
Shortlisted stories (max 7): 3% each
All winning and shortlisted stories will be published in WestWord in May 2024.
ENTRY RULES
Submit stories written in English through Submittable using the button above by 23.59 GMT on the deadline date (sorry late entries will not be included). Please use a clear font of at least size 12 so that we can read it easily!
Please use the name of your story as your Submission title and the document you upload.
Do not include your name on the story document or submission title but provide a short bio as requested in the submission form. All stories are read anonymously so any showing the author’s name will be disqualified.
Please include the word count at the start or end of the story document.
Stories must be your own original work and not have been published online or in print, or have won any other competitions (longlisted and shortlisted in other competitions is fine if the story remains unpublished).
Simultaneous submissions are allowed but if your story wins a prize or is published prior to the winner’s announcement your entry will become ineligible. No refunds of entry fees will be paid.
By entering the competition you agree to your story being published in the winners’ online anthology.
Stories can be in any genre apart from children’s fiction.
You can enter as many times as you like but all entries must be made separately and the entry fee paid each time.
The judge’s decision is final.
Cash prize payments will be made through PayPal or via BACS.
There are no alternative prizes.
If you know of any other writers who would be interested in this contest, please share this page with them! - thank you!