The Itch Lit: The Itch Prize | Consumed | November Gold Star Program Gold Star Fee: usd $6.00

Deadline: Monday, November 30, 2026 11:59 PM CST (in 26 days).

The November Itch Prize | $50

November is CONSUMED.

The things we eat. The things that eat at us. Hunger, greed, obsession, desire. The things we swallow whole and the things that swallow us.

Maybe it's a family dinner gone wrong. Maybe it's a love that takes more than it gives. Maybe it's something with teeth.

We want writing that explores CONSUMED in whatever way your mind takes it. Make us laugh. Make us uncomfortable. Make us hungry. Make us wish we hadn't taken that last bite.

Just make it itch.

Submission Guidelines

Theme: CONSUMED
Genres: Fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry
Length: 1000 words maximum
Entry fee: $6 per submission
Prize: $50 to one overall winner
Publication: Selected finalists will be published in The Itch.
Deadline: November 30, 2026

One winner will be chosen across all genres. Finalists will be selected based on the strength of the work, not by genre quotas.

We welcome strange, unsettling, funny, tender, grotesque, and unexpected interpretations of the theme.

Give us something we can't get out of our system.

The Itch — writing that won't leave you alone.

Categories: Fiction/Nonfiction/Poetry
File type: .doc
Number of Pieces: 1 piece

Anonymous submissions are required (no identifying information in files).
Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Reprints are not allowed.
Multiple entries are allowed.
AI-assisted works are not allowed.

Return to overview / See other calls

You are not logged in. You need to log in before you can submit. Sign up if you haven't already. (A subscription is not required to submit.)