The Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest

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

About

Since 1982 the Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest has challenged participants to write an atrocious opening sentence to a hypothetical bad novel.

No Fees! This contest does not charge mandatory fees.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 1982

Publication Medium & Contest Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Awarded 1 x per year

Fiction Closed

Dates:

Rolling Deadlines: Check cutoff dates.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: No specific word count limits known (our definition: up to 1000 words).

Styles:

Humorous.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Other: See guidelines.

Winner's Prize:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Multiple entries: Multiple entries are allowed.
Media: Text.

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

Recent cover image or website screenshot for The Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest

Go to contest webpage

Report:
Correction/Update

The Bulwer Lytton Fiction 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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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: 05 Feb 2025