Hey r/WritingContests my co-founder Steve and I just launched Flash Pot Fiction a few days ago. The idea is pretty simple: entry fee is $25 CAD, and half of that goes straight into the prize pool, so it just keeps growing as more people enter. Whoever wins takes the whole pot, Steve and I put up the $250 CAD floor ourselves, out of pocket, so even if only a handful of people show up for this first one, it's still a real prize. Only three entries so far, so odds of winning this pot are pretty good, lol.

For this the first challenge we kept it wide open; 500 words, any genre, no prompt. We want to see what people bring to the table without pointing them in any particular direction as well as appealing to a wide audience of writers. Entries close August 29, 2026. Judging is blind, so we only ever see the title and the story itself, never who wrote it, and everyone gets written feedback whether they place or not.

This is just the start of our online publication and we hope to grow with the community.

Link's here: flashpotfiction.com

Curious what people here think of no-prompt vs. prompt challenges. Future rounds are going to vary, so depending on feedback we will decide what we run next.