FLASH NONFICTION SUBMISSIONS FOR PRIME NUMBER MAGAZINE, Issue 277

Prompt for Issue 277: PARTY (but please read our guidelines before submitting)

Flash Nonfiction Editor: Shuly Xóchitl Cawood, author of A Small Thing to Want: Stories; Something So Good It Can Never Be Enough: Poems; What the Fortune Teller Would Have Said: Flash Essays 

A note from Shuly: Though I do not fact-check, I expect that every nonfiction piece is exactly that—the truth. Please, please, NO FICTION PIECES in this category. 

Sometimes I’ll give a prompt for the submissions*, sometimes I’ll give you a title to write to, and sometimes I’ll ask for a specific type of flash nonfiction piece, so be sure to read the guidelines every time. I will consider simultaneous submissions with the understanding that you will quickly withdraw your essay if it is accepted by another publication. 

I love a good micro essay, so please don’t feel a need to pad your piece to hit 750 words. I would rather have a mini piece that packs a good punch. I adore a good story, and I’m a sucker for a strong piece that centers on a relationship. Please, no anecdotes. A good flash essay goes deeper than an anecdote. Find examples of essays I love at these links.

https://brevitymag.com/nonfiction/swerve/

https://brevitymag.com/nonfiction/snowbound/

*Prompt for Issue 277: PARTY (interpret however you like) 

Submission period: May 1-June 30, 2025 or until we reach 101 submissions (a prime number)

Publication Date: September 1, 2025

Reporting Time: We will do our best to notify writers of acceptance or rejection at least two months prior to publication date. Submissions will be open tri-annually (Jan-Feb; May-Jun; Sept-Oct) and will close either the last day of the second month or when we have received 101 submissions (a prime number). 

Reading Fee: None

Submit ONE unpublished flash nonfiction piece of no more than 750 words (please include word count under title), shorter pieces are very welcome. Be sure your story is double spaced with numbered pages, written in English and set in a standard 12-pt. font (Times, Garamond, etc). Please limit your submission to one story per submission period.

This will be a “blind read,” so please DO NOT include your name on your submission.

Simultaneous submissions are acceptable but please withdraw your essay immediately if it is accepted elsewhere. You will find the "Withdraw" button in the upper-right corner of your submission. Only original, unpublished works will be considered. Publication includes on a blog, website, or anywhere on social media.

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 book from Press 53. All other writers will receive a PDF version of a Press 53 book.

Questions/Comments should be directed to Kevin Morgan Watson, Publisher and Editor in Chief (kevin @ Press53.com (no spaces)

The 2026 Press 53 Award for Poetry guidelines

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

If a Runner-Up is named, prize is publication as a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection; $500 cash advance; 25 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, 2025–July 31, 2025. 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, 2025, on the Press 53 website, and via email, Facebook, and by through Submittable to all who entered. 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 2026 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. If a Runner-Up is selected, the author of the manuscript will receive an advance of $500, publication of the manuscript as a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection, and 23 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:

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. Only the poems are read and considered. 

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 number 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 at Kevin@Press53.com