Bucks County Short Fiction Contest
Win a $200 gift card
Enter the 2026 Short Fiction Contest
The Bucks County Short Fiction Contest is open for entries! The top three winners will receive gift cards of $200, $100, and $50, and share their work at a reading in November.
To qualify for entry, you must be a Bucks County resident, 18 or older. Stories must be unpublished, including in blogs and online platforms.
Enter by noon on January 22, 2026 for consideration.
The Bucks County Short Fiction Contest receives funding and administrative support from the Department of Language and Literature. For further information, contact the contest director, Professor Elizabeth Luciano, at elizabeth.luciano@bucks.edu.
Entry Rules
- Each entrant may submit one original short story. Stories must be previously unpublished, including in online blogs or publications. No fan fiction (based on existing books, movies or other media) is acceptable.
- Stories should be double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12, with standard margins. Stories may be up to 15 pages long, double spaced, in DOC or DOCX format.
- Please place the title of the story in the upper right-hand corner. Your name, or other identifying information, should not appear anywhere on the document.
- Please fill out the Entry Form completely and submit your story by 12 p.m. (noon) on Thurs. Jan. 22, 2026. Entries must be submitted electronically through the College's entry form. No paper submissions will be accepted. There is no cost to enter the contest.
- Use of AI, in any way, is strictly prohibited. All work must be the writer's own.
- Winning stories will be published on the Bucks County Community College website. It is difficult to remove stories after the fact, and cached versions may remain on the internet, so please be sure you are comfortable with this, if you choose to enter.
- Entries that do not follow these rules may be disqualified.
- The judges' decisions are final.
Notification of Winners
Winners will be notified by the Director of the BCCC Short Fiction Contest. All contestants will be notified using the phone number or email address you provided. Note: It's a good idea to check your phone and email in the week following the contest. If your submission cannot be accessed, this is how the contest director will attempt to reach you. The judges' decisions are final.
Awards
- First place: $200 gift card
- Second place: $100 gift card
- Third place: $50 gift card
A celebratory event will be held on Saturday, March. 28, at 1 p.m.
2024 Short Fiction Contest Winners
Congratulations to the Bucks County Short Fiction Contest Fall 2024 winners. The winners will receive honoraria of $200, $100, and $50, respectively.
- Marc Elias Keller of Yardley won first place for his story, “The Heart that Matters More.”
The Heart that Matters More - Linda Lindahl of Yardley captured second place for “Red Pepper Flakes.”
Red Pepper Flakes - David Jarret of Doylestown took third place for “A Night in the Box Elder.”
A Night in the Box Elder
The Bucks County Short Fiction Contest receives funding and administrative support from the Department of Language and Literature. For further information, contact the contest director, Professor Elizabeth Luciano, at elizabeth.luciano@bucks.edu.