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Rotten: A Valentine's Day Contest

A project of Marrow Magazine (see other related projects).

Permanently Closed: This project is permanently closed to submissions (January 2025). We provide the following information as an archive.

About

Not all love is fresh … some of it festers.

Marrow is excited to announce Rotten: a literary contest seeking your darkest, fabulist tales of love gone off. We want stories, poems, nonfiction, and visual art that explore the decay, monstrosity, and unpalatable truths beneath romance. Send us your dark, feminist pieces where passion has soured, affection has turned rancid, and devotion has become grotesque. Join us in exploring the darker sides of love.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions.
The fee is USD $10 (below average for contests).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States
Established in 2024

Publication Medium & Contest Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication
One-time contest

Collapse section Fiction Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Adults.

Genres:

General Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Fabulism

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 5,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Dark, Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Other: See guidelines.

Winner's Prize:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $200 for first prize.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Multiple entries: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Adults.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 5,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Other: See guidelines.

Winner's Prize:

Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) to Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Pay ranges from Semi-pro payment to Professional payment. Details: USD $200 for first prize.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Multiple entries: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Adults.

Genres:

General Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Fabulism

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 3 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Dark, Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Other: See guidelines.

Winner's Prize:

Professional payment (US$50 or more per poem) Professional payment. Details: USD $200 for first prize.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Multiple entries: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Visual Art Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Adults.

Lengths:

Artwork: Up to 3 pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Other: See guidelines.

Winner's Prize:

Professional payment (US$50 or more per piece) Professional payment. Details: USD $200 for first prize.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Multiple entries: Unknown.
Media: Image.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

No recent cover image available for Rotten: A Valentine's Day Contest

Go to contest webpage

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Rotten: A Valentine's Day Contest Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

This listing is inactive and does not have any submission reports for the past 12 months.

Your Submissions

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Forgotten: A Marroween Contest CLOSED  Charges fees for all submissions
Labor Pains CLOSED  Charges fees for all submissions
Marrow Magazine

Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

  • Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
  • Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
  • Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
  • Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 22 May 2026

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