"Stories Out of School" Flash Fiction Contest PrizeVirtual

Teachers have the most fascinating, difficult, and important job on the planet, and their workdays are filled with stories. Yet teachers seldom appear in fiction. This annual contest was created to inspire great stories about teachers and the rich and crazy world of schools.

This year's judge is bestselling author, winner of multiple Bram Stoker Awards, one of the best horror authors alive, Paul Tremblay. The winning story will be published in A Public Space's print edition and the author will receive $1,000. The submission deadline is September 7, 2025.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Any adult of 18 years or older is eligible to submit, whether a teacher or not.

• Submissions must be original and unpublished works.

• Plagiarized entries will be disqualified.

• Only one submission per writer. No exceptions.

Format & Style Guidelines:

• The protagonist or narrator must be a K-12 teacher.

• Story must be a work of fiction between 6 and 499 words.

• Submissions should be primarily in English.

• Submissions must be a PDF file. Emailed submissions are not accepted.

• Use 12-point Arial font, double-spaced.

• Include the word count of your story in the top right corner of the PDF.

• Do not include the title in the word count. Place the title before the start of your story.

• No personal information (e.g., name, phone number) should appear in your submission PDF.

• Avoid sentimentality and education jargon.

Notification: Winners will be notified privately before the public announcement on our website and social media platforms.

Disqualification: Submissions that fail to meet the above criteria and guidelines may be disqualified.

Withdrawal: Participants may request to withdraw their entry from the contest at any time before winners are announced. Withdrawn entries will not be considered for prizes or publication. Submit your withdrawal request here.

By submitting an entry to the contest, participants grant the Academy for Teachers the right to review, publish, reproduce, distribute, and display the entry in any format or medium, including but not limited to online publication on our website, social media channels, and promotional materials. Authors retain all other rights to their work.