Competition Rules
Last updated 27 October 2025. Please note there have been significant changes to these rules since the last round of the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction to accommodate our new writing prompt format.
These Competition Rules set out the agreement between Not Quite Write (“we”) and entrants (“you”) regarding entry into a round of the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction (“the competition”). The Competition Rules constitute the terms and conditions for entry.
Anyone in the world can enter the competition, however we ask that entrants under 18 years of age seek parent/guardian permission to enter. Parents and guardians should note that entries are not censored, and young entrants may be exposed to themes and language deemed inappropriate for their age.
The competition is run from New South Wales, Australia. All times, dates and monetary amounts are of that region unless otherwise specified.
By entering the competition, you declare that your entry is a work of original fiction composed by you specifically for the competition, and that it was not written wholly or in substantial part prior to commencement of the competition, or for another purpose.
Key dates
The competition runs quarterly and commences at midday Sydney Australia time (AEST or AEDT as applicable) on the fourth Friday of the relevant month (January, April, July, October) (“commencement”).
At commencement, we will announce the prompts by email to current ticket holders. We will also publish the prompts in the Participant Lounge on our website. We may also publish the prompts on our social media accounts.
The competition closes at midnight (end of day) on the following Sunday AEST or AEDT as applicable (“deadline”). Late entries will not be accepted except in the event of a catastrophic technological or other failure on our part, or otherwise at our sole discretion.
The 60-hour period between the commencement and deadline of the competition is referred to as the “competition window”.
The judging process will begin the next day and continue for approximately 6 weeks (“judging window”). We will announce the prize winners on our website and podcast alongside each author’s name (or, where provided, pen name) on or before the final Sunday of the judging window (“announcement”). We may also announce longlisted entries prior to this date at our discretion.
We reserve the right to modify the judging window and/or advance or delay the announcements at our discretion.
How to enter
You must hold a ticket to enter the competition. Your ticket is valid for one entry to the current round of the competition. (Annual passes include a ticket for each round of the given year).
In addition to entry, your ticket grants you access to our Participant Lounge and Not Quite Write Community.
The Participant Lounge is an exclusive online space available to ticket holders and acts as your portal to the competition entry form and Not Quite Write Community. Occasionally, the Participant Lounge may also provide access to exclusive content and discounts.
The Not Quite Write Community is an exclusive online space for members to share work, give and receive feedback on their writing, and chat with other entrants.
Your access to the Participant Lounge and Community will begin when you purchase your ticket and continue into future rounds of the competition regardless of whether you purchase a ticket for those rounds. Access is subject to change without notice.
You must log in to submit your entry using the form in the Participant Lounge (“entry form”). The entry form will only appear to current ticket holders in the Participant Lounge during competition window.Email entries will not be accepted.
It is your sole responsibility to ensure we receive your entry via the entry form by the deadline.
We reserve the right to make reasonable accommodations to allow entrants with relevant disabilities to participate in the competition. What is “reasonable” in this case will be at our sole discretion, however must, at a minimum, allow the judges to consider the entry without being able to identify the entrant.
Refer to our Refund Policy for details about how and when we offer refunds.
Required entry format
At commencement of each round of the competition, we will issue two sets of writing prompts under the headings “Team Ed” and “Team Amanda” (“the prompts”).
You must choose ONE set of prompts (either the Team Ed prompts or Team Amanda prompts), and your entry must demonstrate that you have addressed ALL THREE of your chosen set of prompts.
Each Team’s prompts will follow this structure:
- Word prompt: You will be given a word which must appear somewhere in the main body of your story. You must use the word in full, with no spaces or interrupting punctuation, however you may include it within a longer word provided you retain the original spelling. For example, if the word were “ice,” we would accept “iced,” “splice” and “jaundice” but we would not accept “icicle”, “icy” or “I.C.E.”
- Action prompt: You will be given an action which must feature in your story. you don’t need to use the exact wording we use, and you can feature the action prominently or as an aside. The action can happen before the beginning of your story or after it ends provided you reference it directly or by clear implication somewhere in your story or story title.
- The “Kicker”: You will be given one prompt known as the “Kicker”. The Kicker will vary between rounds and could be anything—from a challenge to adopt a particular setting for the story, to a challenge to include a song lyric. More information about how to address the Kicker will be provided at the start of each round.
Provided you meet the above criteria, you may interpret these prompts in whatever creative way you see fit. The judges will consider all entries written “in the spirit of” the prompts. Where necessary, you will have the opportunity to explain your interpretation of the prompts in the Brief Explanation field of the entry form.
Each round, the prompts will be aligned to a theme and accompanied by an artwork. The theme and associated artwork are NOT prompts and do NOT need to feature in your story.
Your entry must be strictly no more than 500 words. The title is not included in this count. Hyphenated words count as one word. Some forms of punctuation may be counted as words. Ultimately, the word count is determined by the entry form and entries will be automatically truncated at 500 words.
Your entry must be written substantially in the English language. You may use some words and phrases from other languages provided the meaning is clear in the context of your entry.
It is your sole responsibility to ensure you submit a complete and compliant entry.
Resubmitting
If you make an error, you may resubmit your entry within the competition window using the word RESUBMITTING before the title in the Title field. We will take your most recent entry for judging.
Cash prizes
There is a total prize pool of AU$4,000 for each round of the competition.
All entrants from both Teams will compete together in a single prize pool, resulting in one overall longlist, shortlist and winner.
Prize monies will be distributed as follows:
- 1st place AU$1,500
- 2nd place AU$1,000
- 3rd place AU$500
- 4th place AU$350
- 5th place AU$250
- 6th place AU$200
- Wildcard AU$100
- Wildcard AU$100
The two wildcard prizes may be awarded to any two entries which the judges wish to recognise, but which were not selected for the shortlist. One wildcard winner will be chosen from each Team. The possible reasons for awarding a wildcard prize are unlimited, and will be determined during the judging window in response to the entries received. In addition to the official prize pool described above, we may allow assistant judges to award their own wildcard prize, which they may award to an entry from either Team.
Cash prizes are calculated based on their Australian dollar value and will be distributed by bank transfer (if the recipient is in Australia) or PayPal (if the recipient is outside Australia). Any applicable currency conversion will be determined by the relevant financial institution at the time of transfer. All applicable fees and taxes are the sole responsibility of the prize winners.
In the unlikely event of a tie, prize monies will be split evenly between the relevant entries.
Non-cash prizes
The overall winner will receive a trophy.
All shortlisted entries will be published on the Not Quite Write website and produced as a dramatised reading on the Not Quite Write podcast. They will also be published in the Not Quite Write Prize Anthology.
Winning Team Prize Draw
We will assign points to each Team based on the following scoring system to determine the Winning Team:
1 point = Longlisting
2 points = Shortlisting
3 points = Win
All members of the Winning Team who did not receive a cash prize will then be entered into the Winning Team Prize Draw. The prize will vary between rounds and may include free tickets for the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction, Not Quite Write merch or discounts, or other items of value.
The Winning Team Prize Draw is governed by its own set of rules.
How we determine the winners
The Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction is judged blind by the hosts of the Not Quite Write podcast, Ed and Amanda (“the judges”). Where entry numbers exceed our capacity, we may engage the services of an additional assistant judge or judges (“assistant judges”) to help narrow down the pool of entries to be considered. Ultimately, all final decisions regarding the longlist, shortlist and winner rest with Ed and Amanda.
The competition is a game of skill. The judges will award all prizes on merit, and merit will be determined at their sole and subjective discretion. The longlist and shortlist may therefore feature an unequal representation of Team Ed and Team Amanda members.
Our entry form facilitates blind judging by allowing us to de-identify entries before judging begins. During judging, the judges and assistant judges will only see information entered in the Title, Entry, and Brief Explanation fields. 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 may identify you. We may exclude identifiable entries from consideration for monetary prizes in the interests of fairness.
Because judging is blind, the competition remains open to friends and family of the judges and assistant judges. Immediate family members and household members of the judges and assistant judges will not be eligible for cash prizes.
We reserve the right to make all decisions necessary to facilitate the competition, including determining the specific judging methods and processes of elimination, which may vary between rounds. The judges’ decision on all matters is final.
Privacy and Intellectual Property rights
By entering the competition, you agree to allow us to publicly discuss your entry on all Not Quite Write platforms and social media.
If you have purchased a Daredevil experience, you agree to allow us to publish your entire entry, including detailed critique, in perpetuity in audio on all Not Quite Write platforms and social media.
If you make the shortlist, you agree to allow us to publish your entire entry and your full name (or pen name) in perpetuity both in writing and audio on all Not Quite Write platforms, social media, and publications.
If you make the shortlist, in exchange for your prize money you further agree to assign to us Non-Exclusive Worldwide English Language rights including print, electronic and audio rights, for all editions, and in all media for full use of your entry in perpetuity including, but not limited to, the following formats:
- Printed Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction anthology (Anthology)
- Anthology eBook (PDF and ePub or similar)
- Anthology audio book
- All Not Quite Write platforms including podcast, website and social media accounts
- Other print, electronic or audio works not listed above including future anthologies and collections
You also agree to assign us the right to use your name or pen name and your entry in part or whole for advertising, promoting, or other publicity for Not Quite Write and its products and services.
The decision as to whether to publish your entry, and on which platforms (if any), remains at our sole discretion.
If we elect to publish your entry, we may ask you to provide an accompanying image or likeness and biographical information. We will only use personal information expressly provided and approved by you.
As the assigned rights are non-exclusive, all entrants retain the right to publish their entries elsewhere, including paid markets. You agree however to use best efforts to ensure all publications of your story bear the indication that the Work was originally written for the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction. You further agree not to sell or publish your entry until after the announcement to preserve anonymity in the judging process.
Refer to our Privacy Policy for more information about how we collect, store, and use your personal information.
Responsibility for notices
It is your sole responsibility to mark relevant dates and times in your calendar, noting the relevant time zone, and ensure that you have all the information necessary to enter the competition before the deadline.
We strongly recommend you add the notquitewrite.com and notquitewritepodcast.com domains to your email safe senders list to ensure timely communication about the competition. We also recommend you periodically check our website and social media for updates.
Plagiarism and bad faith
Plagiarism has no place in the competition. Entrants found to have plagiarised any part of their entry will be disqualified, and their entry fee and any prizes forfeited.
Further, any entrants found to have otherwise acted in bad faith may be disqualified and their entry fee forfeited at the sole discretion of the judges.
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)
By entering the competition, you agree that your work is your own creation and not generated in whole or part by A.I. or similar means.
We recognise that A.I. tools have a place in researching and workshopping ideas and editing grammar and basic syntax, so you may use technology in this way.
Entrants proven to have generated any part of their entry by A.I. or similar means will be disqualified, and their entry fee and any prizes forfeited.
Costs and indemnity
You agree to accept full responsibility for any costs you incur in connection with entering the competition.
You also agree to indemnify us from any liability associated with your entry to the competition including, but not limited to, claims of any violation or personal or proprietary rights associated with your entry or the publication of your entry by us.
We are not responsible for any entries lost, misdirected or otherwise mishandled. It is your sole responsibility to maintain a backup of your entry.
Unclaimed prizes
We will make reasonable efforts to contact all prize winners using the details provided at the time of entry. If the winner cannot be contacted or the prize is not claimed within 3 months of the announcement, the prize will be forfeited, and no substitute or cash alternative will be offered.
Contact
If you have any questions about these rules, please consult the F.A.Q. before emailing us at contact@notquitewrite.com