Fiction Potluck Contest The Writer's Workout Gold Star Program Gold Star

The Basics

Fiction Potluck is free to enter and open to fiction writers of all ages around the world. One entry per person per quarterly challenge.

Each quarter, we host a guest judge—they pick the challenge. Our team reads all entries blind and selects up to ten finalists, whose bios are published on the Potluck page and our blog. The guest judge reads the finalist pieces and chooses three winners. Join us for Fiction Potluck Friday at the end of each quarter to read the winning pieces!

General Rules

All entries must be in English and original works of fiction.
Include your piece title and "Fiction Potluck" in your file name.
The competition runs on UTC time, beginning and ending at midnight.
You must keep your entry private until after we post the top three winning stories.
The judges' decisions are final.
The judges will not provide feedback for every piece submitted.
Winning entries are published as received.

The following are not accepted:

Simultaneous submissions (to protect your anonymity—you'll hear back within 15 days)
Previously published works (see above)
AI-assisted or generated content
Fanfiction, erotica, religious, or political content
Pieces longer than the word count limit
Pieces submitted outside the competition time

No identifying info inside your file.
Include your piece title at top of your doc
TNR or Arial, 10/12, single spaced
Indent paragraphs
Empty margins on all sides
Empty line for scene breaks

Name your file with piece title and Fiction Potluck

Accepted file types: .doc, .docx, .odt
Live, unlocked Google Docs or Microsoft Word links are accepted via email (submissions[at]writersworkout.net). Set your document permissions to "anyone with the link can [comment or edit]" so we can collect it. We will not request access and we are not responsible for locked docs.

Rights

Your submission grants The Writer's Workout (WW) exclusive electronic rights for up to 90 days, ending with the winner announcements. WW reserves non-exclusive rights to digitally publish winning entries indefinitely. Winning pieces will be published as received.

26-Q4: A Special Place Free Tip Jar Option Open

Closes on Sunday, November 15, 2026 11:59 PM UTC (in 30 days).

The October Fiction Potluck Challenge is: A Special Place
Send your best story in under 6,000 words.

This is a fiction-only challenge.

A tip from our guest judge, Brandon Cox: I’m looking for stories that embody the idea that places can be characters in a story. The setting should be specific, unique, and possess enough personality to influence your character(s). Most of all, these places should be an irreplaceable part of the narrative.

About our guest: Brandon is a father of two young children and an engineer who finds little gaps in his day to cram writing sessions into. He’s competed in the annual Writer's Games for 3 years and has some novel-length work brewing, albeit very slowly. His favorite genre is fantasy, but he does take time to read a few best sellers each year to keep himself grounded. Above all, he loves story and the impact a good one can have on his worldview.

No identifying info inside your file.
Include your piece title at top of your doc
TNR or Arial, 10/12, single spaced
Indent paragraphs
Empty margins on all sides
Empty line for scene breaks

Name your file with piece title and Fiction Potluck

If submitting by email, include your name/pseudonym and short bio in your email body.

Please check the Potluck page or our listing here for rules and rights information.
Deadline: November 15

Submit

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