The Fairtales

This isn’t a fairytale. This is The Fairtales

The Fairtales won’t hold your hand.

We believe stories should both comfort but also challenge. This is a space for fiction and non-fiction that wrestles with fairness in all its forms: social, economic, philosophical, human.

Based in Frankfurt, The Fairtales publishes writing that cuts through noise and digs into what matters. From sharp short stories to essays on systems and society, we care about clear voices, original ideas, and bold perspectives.

We publish emerging and established writers from anywhere — but we’re especially here for voices from underrepresented groups. We publish winning stories to give new writers a platform beyond borders. Stay tuned for our competitions!

We like stories that are smart. Stories that take risks. Stories that don’t flinch.

Essays: "The ordinary life" Fee: eur €5.00 Open

When did an ordinary life stop feeling enough? And did it ever?

Today it seems everything around us celebrates ambition, careers, extraordinary experiences and a film-like life.

Amidst it all, the question remains: Are we still beaneath our ambitions and still chasing the same ordinary things like love, purpose, belonging or has the definition or ordinary changed completely?

Perhaps even the most extraordinary lives, given sufficient time, become ordinary?

For this edition of our Modern Life series, we invite essays that explore the idea of the ordinary life.

We don't look for a definitive answer, but rather for perspectives and observation, a clever presentation and a fresh way of seeing modern life.

The deadline for this contest entry is July 31st. We will announce the shortlist within five to ten weeks of the contest's close. All writers will be notified when the results are final.

We will award EUR 50 to the winner and EUR 25 for the runner up. All entries will be considered for publication.

Guidelines:

Non-fiction essays
Only ONE submission per writer
Up to 1000 words
We only consider unpublished work —we do not review reprints, including self-published work (even on blogs and social media). Reprints will be automatically disqualified.
Simultaneous submissions are okay—please notify us and withdraw your entry if you find another home for your writing
All entries will also be considered for publication in The Fairtales
Double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 (or larger if needed)
We only read work in English, though some meshing is warmly welcomed.
AI-generated or -assisted submissions will be automatically disqualified
The Fairtales holds first serial publication rights after publication. Authors agree not to publish, nor authorize or permit the publication of, any part of the material for three months following The Fairtales first publication. For reprints, we ask for acknowledgment of its publication in The Fairtales first.

Submit

Finding the Fairtale Temp Closed

Not every story is a fairytale.

But sometimes, in unexpected places, at unexpected hours, maybe after long searching for it in the dark, you will be able to find one.

We call these moments Fairtales.

For this competition, we invite you to tell a story about finding the Fairtale. At Fairtales, we believe stories should both comfort but also challenge. We like character that resurrect from ashes, events that are impossible but still happen (call them miracles if you want), and places that should not exist yet somehow become real.

We’d love to hear how you found your Fairtale.

For this competition, we expect short fiction, of up to 1000 words.

Guidelines:

You are allowed up to two stories with one submission - if submitting two stories put them both in a SINGLE document.
For this competition, we expect short fiction of 1000 words or fewer
We only consider unpublished work for contests—we do not review reprints, including self-published work (even on blogs and social media). Reprints will be automatically disqualified.
Simultaneous submissions are okay—please notify us and withdraw your entry if you find another home for your writing
All entries will also be considered for publication in The Fairtales
Double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 (or larger if needed)
We only read work in English, though some meshing is warmly welcomed.
AI-generated or -assisted submissions will be automatically disqualified
The Fairtales holds first serial publication rights for three months after publication. Authors agree not to publish, nor authorize or permit the publication of, any part of the material for three months following The Fairtales first publication. For reprints, we ask for acknowledgment of its publication in The Fairtales first.

The deadline for contest entry is April 30, 2026. We will announce the shortlist within five to ten weeks of the contest's close. All writers will be notified when the results are final.

Prize: The first prize winner will receive EUR 300 plus publication on Fairtales, while the second- and third-place winners will receive publication and EUR 100 and EUR 50, respectively. All entries will be considered for publication.

Not Open

Inheritance Temp Closed

The FAIRtales Prize: Inheritance

We inherit more than money.

We inherit borders. Languages. Wars. Religions. Debt. Bodies. Expectations. Systems. Trauma. Power. Stories.

We inherit too much, or we inherit nothing.

Some of us spend their life trying to escape the inheritance, while others are searching for it.

For this competition, we accept stories about inheritance — personal, political, cultural, emotional, ecological, spiritual.

We are looking for short fiction of 200-500 words.

The deadline for this contest entry is June 30th. We will announce the shortlist within five to ten weeks of the contest's close. All writers will be notified when the results are final.

We will award EUR 50 to the winner and EUR 25 for the runner up. All entries will be considered for publication.

Guidelines:

You are allowed up to two stories with one submission - if submitting two stories put them both in a SINGLE document.
For this competition, we expect short fiction of 200-500 words
We only consider unpublished work for contests—we do not review reprints, including self-published work (even on blogs and social media). Reprints will be automatically disqualified.
Simultaneous submissions are okay—please notify us and withdraw your entry if you find another home for your writing
All entries will also be considered for publication in The Fairtales
Double-space your submission and use Times New Roman 12 (or larger if needed)
We only read work in English, though some meshing is warmly welcomed.
AI-generated or -assisted submissions will be automatically disqualified
The Fairtales holds first serial publication rights for three months after publication. Authors agree not to publish, nor authorize or permit the publication of, any part of the material for three months following The Fairtales first publication. For reprints, we ask for acknowledgment of its publication in The Fairtales first.

Not Open