Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest

A project of Winning Writers (see other related projects).

About

No about statement available.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions.
The fee is USD $25 (above average for contests).

Want more insight into the editors' preferences? Read our interview with the editor(s).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 1991

Publication Medium & Contest Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Awarded 1 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work preferred, but limited AI use may be permitted in some circumstances (see their site for details)

68 members set this contest as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest's overall average response time is slower than most contests.
More Approachable: Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest's overall acceptance rate is higher than most contests.
Less Responsive: Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest's overall rate of non-response is higher than most contests.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 15 October 2026 12:00 AM Hawaiian Standard Time (in 41 days) through 01 May 2027.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 6,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Humorous, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Winner's Prize:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $3,500 for first prize.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Multiple entries: Multiple entries are allowed.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Dates:

Will be open to submissions from 15 October 2026 12:00 AM Hawaiian Standard Time (in 41 days) through 01 May 2027.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 6,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 6,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Humorous, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Winner's Prize:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $3,500 for first prize.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
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.

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For the Editor(s):
Request Interview
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Link to Duotrope

Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay 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.

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Accuracy

We have received 21 reports from 19 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

29 min | 189.3 mean avg | 176.0 median | 516 max days (91.1 std dev)

Responses

90.47 %

Acceptances:

4.76 % of submissions accepted (131.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 5.26 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

85.71 % (191.4 avg. days per rejection) | 5.6 % personal, 61.1 % form, 33.3 % unspecified | 4.8 % shortlisted

Non-Responses

4.76 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

4.76 % (516.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

4.76 % (29.0 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

28 responses are pending (126 min | 178.9 mean avg | 159.5 median | 506 max days waiting | 173.1 std dev) from 26 different members

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $25.00.
Submissions are acknowledged within 2 days on average.
Most recent response reported was received on 15 Oct 2025.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 01 May 2025.
Date compiled: 04 Sep 2026 04:23 UTC (5 hours, 34 minutes ago).

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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: 19 Jul 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.