The Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction deadline is nearing! If you're a budding writer, this is one contest you won't want to miss.

We're giving away $1000 to one emerging writer whose story stands out above the rest. Send in stories under 3,500 words for a chance to win. Eligible entrants have yet to publish their fiction in book form (publication in literary journals is OK).

Previous winners include Aaron Shepard, Matthew J. Trafford, Eliza Robertson (nominated for a Journey Prize), Zoey Peterson (nominated for a National Magazine Award), Kerry-Lee Powell, and Mark Rogers.

Fiction writers contributing to The Malahat Review have won or been nominated for National Magazine Awards for Fiction, the Writers' Trust / McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize, and the PEN / O. Henry Prize.

Read full contest guidelines on the Malahat website.

 

Read an interview with contest judge Mehdi M. Kashani

What are you looking for in a winning story?

The typical answer to this question is, “No preference at all” or “Anything, as long as it is good.” I’ve seen many judges (and editors) say that because otherwise they might bias some participants and scare off others. In a sense, what they say is true. In order to be recognized, a short story should start with a killer sentence and only get better. It should have tightened prose that avoids clichés and, of course, it should stay with the readers long after the end—ideally for a lifetime.

 

 

 

 

Read the full interview with Mehdi M. Kashani on our website.