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ANYONE is welcome to submit a story to FiftyFiction. Young, old, spelling-bee whizz or spelling disaster-case, grammatician or fan of phonetics, from London to Lahore and way beyond. (Hi. Are you a teacher? We’ve got resources for you too.)

There are two different routes to submitting stories. See below for details to decide which way you want to go. Or do both. Howzzat.

Online Contests Secret Stories
When do they take place?

Every so often, let’s say about once a month.

Continuously. Always. Never-ending. It’s on a rolling basis, so if you come up with an idea for a story, you can email it to us any time.
How is the story’s subject chosen?

FiftyFiction decides on a word or theme for the contest. This is announced in a posting on the website.

The authors decide what they want to write about, but the title of the story always has to be one word, and based on some sort of object (animate or inanimate!). There’s lot more information in the rules section.
Are all stories published?

Yes, so long as they comply with FiftyFiction’s rules.

No. FiftyFiction picks the best stories submitted this way, and then turns them into prints to be sold for charity. Text copies of the stories are also uploaded onto the site, to be read by one and all.
How are the stories get submitted?

Authors upload their stories as “Comments” under the original contest posting.

Authors email their stories to editor@fiftyfiction.org.
Do readers know who has written the stories?

Yes, usually. Authors typically identify themselves, although they can also use a pen-name or remain anonymous if they’d prefer.

No. These entries always remain anonymous. We want to mix up our famous authors (such as Dave Eggers and Michael Morpurgo) with our unknown stars. We want people to like the stories in their own right, not because of who wrote them. We want to keep it, um, democratic.
Can readers rate the stories?

Yes. There’s a 1 to 5 star rating button for each comment.

Yes.  Same goes.
Are there winners?

Yes. But that doesn’t mean there are losers.

No. Well—if the stories are sold, then the money goes to charity, so the kids win!
Are there prizes?

Yes. Sort of. You get a sweet looking certificate (and a deep inner glow of pride?).

No. Well—if you buy a story, then you get to hang it on your wall. Does that count?
Do the stories get turned into prints?

No. But they stay on the site for ever and ever.

Yes. Beautiful, handsome prints. They are uploaded to our shop on a rotating basis, so there are never too many to choose from. You can even have them framed to your liking too.
Do the stories get sold?

Nope. Open access, online. That’s it.

Yes. All stories (regardless of who wrote them) get sold for £15. Who knows, you might pick up a limited edition, signed story by Michael Morpurgo. Proceeds to charity.
Do the authors get paid?

Nope. It’s all for fun.

Nope. It’s also all for fun. And, if they get sold, for a good cause.

If your story wins an Online Contest, you might get a prize that looks a bit like this:

And if your story is accepted as a Secret Story, it could end up looking something like this:

Got all that? It’s a little complicated, but it’s worth figuring out. And if you want to submit a story, check out any current contests to be guaranteed instant publication. Or alternatively, come up with a subject of your own, and email your Secret Story to editor@fiftyfiction.org and we’ll have a look. Please submit just one Secret Story at a time. Though you can enter Contests and email us a Secret Story all at once if you’d like.

Regardless of which route you choose,  please remember to follow our rules, and be warned that if they aren’t adhered to then your story won’t be published.