FLESH Fiction Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ relates to our erotic fiction competition, the Not Quite Write Prize for FLESH Fiction (also known as FLESH Fiction). Frequently Asked Questions about our regular quarterly competition, the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction can be found at https://notquitewritepodcast.com/prize/faq/
The Not Quite Write Prize for FLESH Fiction (also known as FLESH Fiction) is an erotic flash fiction competition hosted by the Not Quite Write Podcast and running for the first time in 2025.
The competition is free to enter and calls for erotic stories of no more than 1,500 words written in response to the theme: “Making the unsexy irresistible.”
More information about the competition, including the theme and judging criteria, can be found below and in the Competition Rules.
Unless otherwise specified, all dates and times associated with the competition are based on Sydney, Australia time (AEST or AEDT as applicable).
| Submissions open | Midday Friday 14 February 2025 AEDT |
| Submissions close | Midnight (end of day) Sunday 24 August 2025 AEST |
| Judging window | 25 August 2025 AEST – 25 November 2025 AEDT |
| Results announced | December 2025 |
It is your sole responsibility to mark relevant dates and times in your calendar, noting the time zone, and ensure that you have all the information necessary to enter the competition before the submission deadline. We note that Sydney time is ahead of most time zones in the world.
We reserve the right to modify any of these planned dates at our discretion.
Erotic fiction or erotica encompasses stories for which sexual themes and encounters are integral to the narrative, driving plot and character development.
Flash fiction is a very short form of storytelling, typically limited to 1,500 words or fewer. The category is defined by its concise word count rather than by genre or narrative style.
Taken together, erotic flash fiction encompasses very short stories for which sexual themes and encounters are integral to the narrative.
The Not Quite Write Prize for FLESH Fiction is an adults-only competition.
Anyone over the age of 18 anywhere in the world is eligible to enter. Because judging is blind, the competition remains open to friends and family of the judges.
All entrants will have the chance to win a cash prize. We note that some non-cash prizes (such as writing association memberships) may be location-specific.
No. The competition is free to enter!
When submissions are open, you may enter using the form located at https://notquitewritepodcast.com/fleshfiction/submit. Please note the judging criteria (provided below in this FAQ) before submitting.
The entry form will ask you for some basic personal information as well as a Pen Name if you use one. The judges will only access information entered in the ‘Title’, ‘Story’ and ‘Content warning’ fields during the judging window. For this reason, you must not include any information in these fields which could reasonably identify you as the entrant. This includes characters, themes and settings that could identify a writer known to the judges. We may exclude identifiable entries from consideration for monetary prizes if we believe it will impact fairness.
You must accept the Competition Rules before submitting your entry.
It is your sole responsibility to ensure we receive your entry by the deadline.
We are looking for erotic flash fiction of no more than 1,500 words written in response to the theme: “Making the unsexy irresistible.”
We take a relaxed approach to how you might interpret this theme and encourage you to get creative!
The only limitations to your creativity are the following rules around permissible content:
1. ALL CHARACTERS MUST BE CONSENTING ADULTS.
Stories featuring paedophilia, zoophilia or any other unconsented sexual content, imagined or otherwise, are expressly prohibited.
Stories featuring supernatural and fantasy characters are permitted, provided any parties to sexual activity could reasonably be classed as “consenting adults”.
Stories featuring “sentient object” erotica or other creative concepts are also permitted, provided any parties to sexual activity could reasonably be classed as “consenting adults”.
2. ALL CHARACTERS MUST BE FICTIONAL.
Stories featuring real people as characters, whether by name or direct implication, are expressly prohibited.
In limited circumstances, it may be acceptable to make a passing mention of a public figure – for example to help describe a character’s appearance by comparison – however the public figure must not feature as a character in the story.
We will accept stories featuring all gender identities and sexualities, and we will accept a wide range of subgenres. Stories will be split into Categories for judging, and a winner will be selected for each. The Overall Winner will be selected from the six Category Winners at the sole and subjective discretion of Not Quite Write (in consultation with the judging panel). Prizes will be distributed in accordance with the Competition Rules. More information about the Categories can be found below in this FAQ.
While writing quality will be a relevant factor in judging, the judging process will be entirely subjective. We believe that erotic fiction is less about technical proficiency and more about eliciting a physical and/or emotional response in the reader. With this in mind, the members of the judging panel will be given the following questions to help guide their decision-making:
- How well did the story fit the theme?
- Did the story hook you and maintain strong engagement throughout?
- Did the story provide a satisfying reading experience?
- (Being as objective as possible…) Was it sexy?
When submitting your story, you will be asked to select the one Category in which you would like your story to be judged.
The Categories, including broad definitions, are as follows:
Erotic Comedy | Stories where sexual activity plays a central role, but the primary aim is to entertain and amuse rather than arouse. These narratives often incorporate humour, satire, or absurdity to explore erotic themes in a light-hearted or playful manner. |
Erotic Romance | Stories that blend eroticism with romance, where sexual activity is integral to the narrative, but the focus remains on the development, continuation, or dissolution of a loving relationship. The tone is emotionally driven, emphasising intimacy, connection, and character growth. |
Fantasy & Supernatural Erotica | Stories in which sexual activity is central to the narrative, featuring fantasy or supernatural elements such as mythical creatures, magic, or otherworldly settings. This Category includes a broad spectrum, from romantic paranormal encounters to more extreme “monster sex” and myth-inspired erotic fantasies. |
Literary Erotica | Erotic stories that prioritise artistic expression, experimentation, or non-traditional narrative structures. This includes works that explore sexuality through poetic forms, stream-of-consciousness writing, abstract storytelling, or avant-garde techniques, often emphasising style and thematic depth as much as arousal. |
Kink & Taboo | Stories that explore unconventional or socially controversial aspects of sexuality, such as BDSM, power dynamics, or age-gap relationships. While these narratives may push boundaries, in accordance with the Competition Rules, all parties to any sexual activity must be consenting adults. |
Other Erotic Subgenres | Erotic stories that don’t fit neatly into the Categories above but still place sexual activity at the core of the narrative. This includes erotic horror, historical erotica, science fiction erotica, and other niche subgenres that explore sexuality through distinct stylistic or thematic lenses. |
We note that stories featuring characters across the spectrum of gender and sexual identities will be accepted in all genres.
A Category Winner will be selected for each of the Categories. The Overall Winner will be selected from the six Category Winners at the sole and subjective discretion of Not Quite Write (in consultation with the judging panel). Prizes will be distributed in accordance with the Competition Rules.
Due to the nature of erotic fiction, we expect some of these Categories to attract significantly more entries than others. Note that this may impact your chance of winning as you may be competing against a different total number of stories than entrants in other Categories. Additionally, different judges will be assigned to judge different Categories, each bringing their own subjective biases. Regardless of these differences, we encourage you to select the Category which best represents your story, as your story will be evaluated on that basis.
We acknowledge that some stories will straddle multiple Categories. In such cases, please select the Category that most accurately reflects your work and under which you would prefer it to be judged.
We reserve the right to merge any Category receiving fewer than twenty-five entries with another Category, and to redistribute the prize money accordingly.
Not Quite Write has adopted its own set of spice ratings to help describe the entries we receive. When submitting your story, you will be asked to select the spice rating you believe best represents your story from the following:
- Demure – Sexual content is implied or conveyed through euphemisms and indirect language, avoiding explicit detail.
- Explicit – Sexual content is described openly and in vivid, sensory-rich detail, leaving little to the imagination.
- Intense – Highly graphic sexual content is depicted in raw, unfiltered terms, pushing the boundaries of mainstream acceptability.
We note that the spice ratings will not be visible during the blind judging process and will not impact the judging process in any way.
The members of the judging panel will be published at https://notquitewritepodcast.com/fleshfiction.
As all judges are volunteering their time, the panel is subject to change without notice.
Entrants will compete for a share of AU$1,000 cash:
- Overall Winner
Category* Winners (x5)
- AU$500 and a trophy
AU$100 (excludes the Overall Winner)
*Stories will be split into six Categories for judging. More information about the Categories can be found above in this FAQ.
In the unlikely event of a tie, prize monies will be split evenly between the affected entries at the sole discretion of Not Quite Write.
Winning and shortlisted entries may be read aloud on the Not Quite Write Podcast and published in a print collection. More information about publication opportunities and rights can be found below and in the Competition Rules.
In addition to the cash prizes, a range of sponsored prizes is up for grabs. The prize list is growing all the time, so check https://notquitewriteprize.com/fleshfiction for updates.
All entrants will also receive a coupon code for AU$5 off a regular entry ticket for the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction.
All Australian entrants will also receive a coupon code for a 10% discount on a 12-month membership to the Romance Writers of Australia.
In accordance with the Competition Rules, all entrants must agree to assign Non-Exclusive Worldwide English Language rights to us. That means you assign to us the right to publish your story! As the assigned rights are non-exclusive, you also retain the right to publish your story elsewhere, including paid markets.
Winning and shortlisted stories may be read aloud on the Not Quite Write Podcast. It is also our intention to publish a collection of winning and shortlisted stories via our imprint, Not Quite Write Press. We will make the decision of whether or not to publish based on the entries we receive.
If published, the collection will be made available for public sale, and all contributing authors will receive a free electronic (eBook) version of the collection in which their story appears.
The competition closes at midnight, Sydney Australia time, however entrants who are already in the submission form by midnight are offered a few minutes’ grace to finalise their submission.
Late entries will not be accepted except in the event of a technology failure on the part of Not Quite Write and at our sole discretion.
Unfortunately, we cannot consider entries received after the deadline unless agreed as a reasonable accommodation for a relevant disability. The only exception to this would be in the event of some catastrophic technical failure on our part (for example, the website being offline for an extended period during the competition window). In that case, we reserve the right to extend the deadline for all entrants. We cannot, however, accommodate late entries for reasons outside our control.
We strongly recommend allowing yourself enough time to account for any last-minute technical difficulties. It is your sole responsibility to ensure we receive your entry via the entry form by the deadline. This extends to ensuring you are aware of the correct time difference relevant to your respective time zone. We note that Sydney time is ahead of most time zones in the world.
If the deadline is approaching and you are experiencing technical difficulties submitting your entry, please don’t panic. Simply Contact Us before the deadline and await further instructions from us. DO NOT attach or otherwise identify the title or content of your story in any correspondence. Provided we receive your request before the deadline, we should be able to include your entry for judging.
If you still have time before the deadline, you may resubmit your entry within the competition window using the word RESUBMITTING before the title in the Title field. We will accept your most recent entry.
If you’ve missed the deadline, don’t fret. We’ve all been there, and a typo won’t rule your entry out of consideration. If we decide to publish your entry, we may fix any errors.
Yes. Your entry may contain fewer than, but no more than, 1,500 words. The official word count is determined by the entry form.
Your title is not included in the word count.
Our word counter uses spaces to count words, so hyphenated words will be counted as one word, but standalone punctuation – like spaced en dashes – will also be counted as words. The official word count may therefore differ from the word count you see in Microsoft Word and other writing programs.
If you find that there is a large discrepancy with your word count, try pasting it into the entry form as plain text and add any formatting within the form itself.
Note that stories which exceed our word count will be truncated. We highly recommend checking your entry for completeness before submitting.
This erotic fiction competition is a little different from our regular flash fiction competition. Instead of issuing prompts, we’re challenging entrants to write a story in response to the theme: “Making the unsexy irresistible.”
More information about the theme can be found below.
Stories must be written in response to the theme: “Making the unsexy irresistible.”
How you interpret this theme is entirely up to you. For example, you might take the mundane task of ironing and turn it into a steamy romp, or you might convince readers that vanilla really can be spicy. You might discover the sexy side of Plain Jane, or the sexy side of a dentist’s waiting room. We take a relaxed approach to how you might interpret this theme and encourage you to get creative!
The judges will consider all entries written “in the spirit of” the theme. Your number one priority should be to tell the best and sexiest story possible.
The only limitations to your creativity are the following rules around permissible content:
1. ALL CHARACTERS MUST BE CONSENTING ADULTS.
Stories featuring paedophilia, zoophilia or any other unconsented sexual content, imagined or otherwise, are expressly prohibited.
Stories featuring supernatural and fantasy characters are permitted, provided any parties to sexual activity could reasonably be classed as “consenting adults”.
Stories featuring “sentient object” erotica or other creative concepts are also permitted, provided any parties to sexual activity could reasonably be classed as “consenting adults”.
2. ALL CHARACTERS MUST BE FICTIONAL.
Stories featuring real people as characters, whether by name or direct implication, are expressly prohibited.
In limited circumstances, it may be acceptable to make a passing mention of a public figure – for example to help describe a character’s appearance by comparison – however the public figure must not feature as a character in the story.
We will accept stories featuring all gender identities and sexualities, and we will accept a wide range of subgenres. Stories will be split into Categories for judging. More information about the Categories can be found above in this FAQ.
Word count problems
Our word counter uses spaces to count words, so hyphenated words will be counted as one word, but standalone punctuation – like spaced en dashes – will also be counted as words. The official word count may therefore differ from the word count you see in Microsoft Word and other writing tools.
If you find that there is a large discrepancy with your word count, try pasting it into the entry form as plain text and add any formatting within the form itself.
The official word count is determined by the entry form. We highly recommend checking your entry for completeness before submitting. If necessary, you may need to edit your story to meet the required word count.
Difficulty accessing the website
We find that many problems can be resolved by clearing your cache (via your web browser’s ‘History’ settings) or accessing the website using an incognito window.
Other
If you are still experiencing a technical problem, please don’t panic. Simply Contact Us and we will assist. As long as we hear from you before or very shortly after the deadline, we should be able to include your entry for judging. DO NOT attach or otherwise identify the title or content of your story in your email. Note that we may exclude identifiable entries from consideration for monetary prizes if we believe it will impact fairness.
No. Provided your entry is substantially in the English language, alternative spellings are acceptable. The judging panel comprises Australian, British and American English speakers. You should write using the spellings that are most comfortable for you.
Bear in mind that different English-speaking cultures have different “cringe” levels associated with certain words, which may impact the perceived sexiness of your story for certain judges, however our judges are aware of the international nature of the competition and will not penalise you for using “cringe” words.
Yes. The only limitations to your creativity are the following rules around permissible content:
1. ALL CHARACTERS MUST BE CONSENTING ADULTS.
Stories featuring paedophilia, zoophilia or any other unconsented sexual content, imagined or otherwise, are expressly prohibited.
Stories featuring supernatural and fantasy characters are permitted, provided any parties to sexual activity could reasonably be classed as “consenting adults”.
Stories featuring “sentient object” erotica or other creative concepts are also permitted, provided any parties to sexual activity could reasonably be classed as “consenting adults”.
2. ALL CHARACTERS MUST BE FICTIONAL.
Stories featuring real people as characters, whether by name or direct implication, are expressly prohibited.
In limited circumstances, it may be acceptable to make a passing mention of a public figure – for example to help describe a character’s appearance by comparison – however the public figure must not feature as a character in the story.
We will accept stories featuring all gender identities and sexualities, and we will accept a wide range of subgenres from erotic comedy to kink.
We have provided the option of including a content warning with your entry should you feel this is necessary.
Yes. There is no limit to your creativity beyond the judging criteria. We welcome experimental approaches. Ultimately, your number one priority should be to tell the best and sexiest story possible.
No. Each participant is allowed just one entry.
If you resubmit before the deadline, we will consider your most recent entry. Please use the word RESUBMITTING in the title field to assist us in this process.
Yes. Some things are more fun in a group!
Provided the “someone else” is another human being (or human beings) and not A.I., we welcome you to submit a joint entry. You will need to choose one person to be the main contact and recipient of any prize money however you may enter all authors’ names in the Pen Name field. You should only submit the entry once.
We encourage you to share your entry privately with others during the competition window for the purpose of giving and receiving feedback (also known as “beta reading”). This includes sharing on the Not Quite Write Community. (Membership to the Not Quite Write Community is exclusive to those who have purchased a ticket to our regular quarterly competition, the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction.)
You may not publish or discuss any part of your entry (including the title, extracts or key themes) on any public platform until after the final results are announced. This is to preserve the integrity of the blind judging process.
When discussing the competition on social media during the competition window and judging window, we invite you to tag us and use the hashtag #FLESHFiction. Make sure that you do not share or hint at any detail that would allow the judges to identify your entry.
Note that we may exclude identifiable entries from consideration for monetary prizes if we believe it will impact fairness.
Yes! However, you must wait until the results are announced to preserve the integrity of the blind judging process.
To participate in the competition, you must assign to us Non-Exclusive Worldwide English Language rights including print, electronic and audio rights. This is to facilitate publication of your entry in audio on the podcast and in a printed collection and possible other works.
As the assigned rights are non-exclusive, you retain the right to publish your entry elsewhere, including paid markets, after the results are announced. More information about rights and publication can be found in the Competition Rules.
Even if your story doesn’t win or list, it may gain a new lease on life outside the competition. We strongly encourage you to publish your entries on your personal websites or blogs and to seek publication across a range of paid and unpaid markets.
If you end up finding a “forever home” for your FLESH Fiction entry, let us know! We’d love to share the news of your success with our followers.
At Not Quite Write, we welcome our new A.I. overlords. Having said that, this competition rewards human talent, not technological prowess. We recognise that A.I. tools have a place in researching and workshopping ideas as well as editing of grammar and basic syntax, so we allow you to use the available technology in this way. However, by entering this competition, you agree that your work is your own creation and not generated in whole or part by A.I. or similar means.
Entrants found to have generated any part of their entry by A.I. or similar means will be disqualified at our sole discretion.
No. Listeners to the podcast may have the advantage of additional or early information however it is not essential to listen to the podcast to enter and win the competition. Relevant details will be published on our website and emailed to entrants.
We encourage all entrants to follow us on social media for news and updates, giveaways, and live judging commentary. Our social media contacts are available in our website footer.
For official updates and reminders, we strongly advise those interested to register for email updates.
Yes. We welcome you to Contact Us to determine a reasonable accommodation for your relevant disability.
To be considered reasonable, any accommodations must allow for us to consider your entry without being able to identify you. For this reason, we will likely be unable to offer accommodations after the deadline has passed.
If you have a question about the Not Quite Write Prize for FLESH Fiction, please check this FAQ and the Competition Rules before contacting us.
For all other enquiries, including technical support, you can email us at contact@notquitewrite.com. When discussing the competition, DO NOT attach or otherwise identify the title or content of your story in your correspondence. Note that we may exclude identifiable entries from consideration for monetary prizes if we believe it will impact fairness.