The 2023 Prime Number Magazine Flash Fiction Prize, open June 1 – July 31

Open to writers around the world! (must be 18 years of age or older to enter)

First Prize: $251 (a prime number) and publication (All winners published in Issue 251 of Prime Number Magazine, January 1, 2024)

Second Prize: $151 (a prime number) and publication

Third Prize: $53 (a prime number dear to us) and publication

Winners will be announced no later than October 1, 2023

Open: June 1, 2022

Deadline: July 31, 2022, midnight Eastern (US)

Reading fee: $11 (a prime number). Entries will only be accepted through Submittable, your online submissions manager.

Judges: Press 53/Prime Number Magazine editorial team

Winners Announced: by October 1, 2023

How to Enter:

· Submit one unpublished story that is no more than 751 words (please include word count), double-spaced in 12-pt. type with numbered pages.

· Multiple entries require separate reading fees.

· Reading fee is $11 per entry and is nonrefundable.

· The judging process is “blind,” so author’s name should not appear anywhere on story.

· Writer will be prompted by Submittable to give name and contact information so no cover letter is necessary.

· Open to any writer anywhere in the world who is at least 18 years of age and whose entry is unpublished, and written in English.

· Authors who have published a book with Press 53 are not eligible to enter.

· Entries will only be accepted through Submittable, your online submissions manager.

· Requests to open your entry for editing via Submittable cannot be accepted after the deadline.

· Writer is asked to withdraw the submission through Submittable should the story be accepted for publication elsewhere. If entry is withdrawn, reading fee is not refundable and entry cannot be replaced with another piece.

· The winning story must remain unpublished until it appears in Prime Number Magazine, otherwise the prize and publication will be forfeited.

· Cash prize awarded upon publication. ​ Prime Number Magazine is granted First Worldwide Serial Rights with the right to archive the story indefinitely. All other rights, including copyright, remain with the author.

· Confirmation of entry will be sent via e-mail by Submittable immediately after submission. An announcement of our winners will be sent to all entrants via email through Submittable, and posted on Facebook, Twitter and on the Press 53 website contest page.

Questions should be directed to the publisher, Kevin Morgan Watson, at kevin@press53.com

Welcome to our annual "Prime 53 Poem" Summer Challenge! 

This is a free contest to celebrate a poetry form invented in 2019 by Press 53 poetry editor Christopher Forrest and publisher & editor in chief Kevin Morgan Watson: the Prime 53 Poem.

Open to writers around the world!

This summer challenge runs from June 1 until July 31, midnight Eastern time (US). Sorry, no exceptions.

The challenge is to write a Prime 53 Poem, and our top four poems, judged by Chris, will be published in Issue 241 of Prime Number Magazine on January 1, 2024.

Four winners will receive a free paperback book of their choice from Press 53, unless the writer resides outside of the United States (or one of its territories), the United Kingdom, Australia, or New Zealand. Anyone residing outside these countries will receive publication only (our printer has printing facilities in the countries mentioned, which makes it affordable for us to print and ship books to these areas).

Your poem must adhere to the following rules:· Total syllable count of 53

· Eleven total lines

· First three stanzas are three lines each with a 7 / 5 / 3 syllable count

· Final stanza must be two lines with a 5 / 3 syllable count, for a total syllable count of 53

· Rhyme scheme (slant/soft rhymes work) aba cdc efe gg

The total line count is a prime number (11), the syllable count in each line in first three stanzas is a prime number (7 / 5/ 3), and the syllable count in each line of the last two-line stanza is a prime number (5 / 3), making the poem’s total syllable count a prime number (53).  

Prime 53 Poem Sample 

Road trips, beaches, and one-wish

trips, backdrops for your

reading lists.

Why not, too, write poetry?

Count your syllables:

fifty-three.

Pens and pads, your tools to pack.

Leave ideas there, bring

poems back.

You will feel better,

and smarter.

Four winners will be announced via Submittable, and on the Prime Number Magazine and Press 53 Facebook pages, Twitter pages, and to our subscribers (get your free subscription at https://www.press53.com/subscribe).  By entering this competition, the author grants Press 53/Prime Number Magazine First Worldwide Serial Rights to publish their Prime 53 Poem in Issue 251 of Prime Number Magazine and the right to permanently archive the poem on our website. All other rights, including copyright, remain with the author upon.

Questions should be directed to kevin@press53.com

SHORT FICTION SUBMISSIONS FOR PRIME NUMBER MAGAZINE, Issue 251, January 1, 2024

Guest Short Fiction Editor: Joseph Rein, author of Roads without Houses: Stories

Submission period: May 1 – June 30, 2023 midnight Eastern time

Publication Date: September 1, 2023

Reporting Time: We will do our best to notify writers of acceptance or rejection no more than two months prior to publication date. Submissions will be open the first two months of every quadrimester (every four months) with a new guest editor. Writers are encouraged to submit again during the open submission periods (Jan-Feb; May-Jun; Sept-Oct). Please limit your submissions to one story per submission period.

Reading Fee: None

Submit ONE unpublished story of 53 to 5,300 words (please include word count under title), double spaced, numbered pages, written in English in a standard 12-pt. font (Times, Garamond, etc). Please limit your submission to one story per submission period.

Simultaneous submissions are acceptable but please withdraw work immediately if accepted elsewhere. You will find the "Withdraw" button in the upper-right corner of your submission. Only original, unpublished works will be considered.

Please Note: Due to the high volume of submissions, we now have a two-month submission period for each issue to give our guest editors more time to make their selections. Sorry, no exceptions.

Eligibility: Submissions are open to writers anywhere in the world who write in English.

Rights: Prime Number Magazine will be granted First Worldwide Serial Rights, including the right to permanently archive the accepted work in Prime Number Magazine. After the work is published, all other rights revert to the author.

Payment: Writers living in the United States, UK, and Australia will receive a free copy of the guest judge's book from Press 53. Writers living outside these countries receive publication of their story as compensation. (Our printer has facilities in the US, UK, and AU, which allows us to print and ship from those locations. Due to high shipping charges outside those countries, we have to establish these limits.)

Questions/Comments should be directed to Kevin Morgan Watson, Publisher and Editor in Chief, at Kevin@Press53.com

POETRY SUBMISSIONS FOR PRIME NUMBER MAGAZINE, Issue 251, January 1, 2024

Guest Poetry Editor: Mary Jane White, author of Dragonfly. Toad. Moon.

Submission period: May 1 – June 30, 2023 midnight Eastern time.

Publication Date: January 1, 2024

Reporting Time: We will do our best to make sure poets receive an acceptance or rejection two months prior to publication date. Submissions will be open the first two months of every quadrimester (four months) with a new guest editor. Poets are encouraged to submit again during the open submission periods.

Reading Fee: None 

Submit ONE unpublished poem of up to three pages, written in English in a standard font (Times, Garamond, etc.) in whatever style you wish to see the poem presented to readers. Please limit your submission to ONE poem. Guest editors are instructed to read only the first poem if more than one poem is submitted. Note: Since we allow for simultaneous submissions, our one-poem submission rule eliminates confusion if a poem in a multi-poem submission is accepted elsewhere. This saves us a lot of time and grief. We hope you understand.

Simultaneous submissions are acceptable but please withdraw work immediately if accepted elsewhere. You will find the "Withdraw" button in the upper-right corner of your submission. Only original, unpublished works will be considered.

Eligibility: Submissions are open to writers anywhere in the world who write in English.

Rights: Prime Number Magazine will be granted First Worldwide Serial Rights, including the right to permanently archive the poem in Prime Number Magazine. After the work is published, all other rights revert to the author.

Payment: Writers living in the United States, UK, and Australia will receive a free copy of the guest editor's poetry book from Press 53. Writers living outside these countries receive publication of their story as compensation. (Our printer has facilities in the US, UK, and AU, which allows us to print and ship from those locations. Due to high shipping charges outside those countries, we have to establish these limits.)

Questions/Comments should be directed to Kevin Morgan Watson, Publisher and Editor in Chief, at Kevin@Press53.com

2024 Press 53 Award for Poetry

Award includes: Publication by Press 53 of the winning poetry collection as a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection; $1,000 cash advance; 53 copies

The Press 53 Award for Poetry is awarded annually to an outstanding, unpublished collection of poems. This competition is open to any writer, regardless of his or her publication history, who is 18 years of age or older, provided the manuscript is written in English and the author lives in the United States or one of its territories. 

Dates for submission: April 1, 2023–July 31, 2023. Submissions will close at midnight Eastern Standard Time on July 31. (Note: Deadline can be extended at the discretion of Press 53.) 

Winner and Finalists announced: The winner of the Press 53 Award for Poetry will be announced on or before November 1, 2023, on the Press 53 website, and via email, Facebook, Twitter, and by email through Submittable. We will also include a list of finalists. 

Award: The author of the winning manuscript will receive a cash advance of $1,000, publication of the manuscript in April 2024 as a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection, and 53 copies of the completed book with an option to purchase unlimited copies at a discount for as long as the book is in print. Prizes awarded upon publication. 

How to submit: Submit here with Submittable!

Reading fee: A reading fee of $30 must be paid for each entry. Reading fees are nonrefundable. 

Judging: Press 53 Poetry Series Editor Tom Lombardo will be the only judge for this contest; the contest will be judged solely on the strength of the poems as a collection. 

Eligibility: The competition is open to manuscripts written in the English language from writers at all levels, 18 years years of age or older, who live in the United States or one its territories. Note: authors and editors who work for Press 53 or have published a book with Press 53 are not eligible to enter. 

Manuscript Guidelines: 

1. Manuscripts should be approximately 50 to 120 pages in length. We do not favor one length over the other. We are only concerned with the quality of the poems. 

2. The author's name should not appear on the manuscript. This is a blind read. 

3. Manuscript should include a Table of Contents with numbered pages. 

4. An acknowledgments page for previous publication of poems in the manuscript is not necessary, but may be included. 

5. Use a standard, easy-to-read font such as 11- or 12-point Times New Roman, Minion, Garamond, etc. 

6. Poems previously published in journals, magazines, or anthologies, and poems that have won awards, may (and should) be included in the manuscript. Selected poems from chapbooks are fine, but please use only a reasonable selection of poems, not the entire chapbook. 

7. Previously published collections are not eligible, including self-published collections available as ebooks or in print. 

8. Authors may submit more than one manuscript to the competition for consideration. Each submission will require a separate reading fee. 

9. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, but please withdraw your manuscript if it is accepted by another publisher. Withdrawal can be completed via Submittable by opening your submission and clicking "Withdraw" in the upper-right corner of your screen. Reading fees are not refundable and withdrawn manuscript cannot be replaced with another manuscript. 

10. Confirmation of receipt will be sent via e-mail by Submittable immediately after submission. An announcement of our shortlist and winner will be sent to all entrants via email through Submittable, and posted on the Press 53 website, Facebook, and Twitter on the dates indicated above. 

11. The Deadline for entering is July 31. Requests to edit a manuscript will not be honored after the deadline. If a manuscript is withdrawn, it cannot be replaced with another manuscript, but you may enter another manuscript before the deadline, which would require another reading fee. 

If you have any questions or concerns other than technical issues with the submissions manager, please contact Kevin Morgan Watson, Publisher & Editor in Chief