For the month of August 2023, Black Fox is accepting contest submissions for our Fox Tales series. The theme for August is “Art of Deception.” We are open to loose interpretations of the theme in any genre, as always.
Our Fox Tales contests are month-long mini contests that run between our two main contests. They allow us to publish more writers and creative work outside of our usual biannual issues!
Fox Tales will be published as “mini books” on our Instagram account and website! Instagram carousels remind us of turning book pages, and we thought it would be fun to transform carousels into mini books! We will design carousel pages for the winning stories and poetry. Writers should keep in mind word counts. We are not opposed to longer stories and will consider them, but be aware shorter stories tend to resonate better with us for this project. We suggest keeping submissions around 500-2,000 words. Poets may submit 3-8 poems. If a work is too long for 8 Instagram squares, we will break it up into several parts.
Do you have characters who are living in a realm of deceit or spinning webs of lies? We want to read about them for our August Fox Tales Contest! We’re looking for work that challenges perceptions, showcases characters caught in a labyrinth of lies, and/or leaves readers stuck in a gray area. Show us truth camouflaged by falsehoods, the blurred line between fact and fiction, or the entanglement of half-truths and illusions. Whether you submit a short story, poem, or creative nonfiction piece, we want to explore complex emotions. Will the result be redemption or ruin?
Please submit your strongest fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, and we will choose 1-3 winners. The prize is $100 and publication as an Instagram carousel mini book and on our website as part of our Fox Tales series. Winners will also receive a Black Fox Writer Pack which contains writerly items from our sister company Writer’s Atelier and more. In each pack:
- One back issue of Black Fox Literary Magazine
- A one-year digital subscription to Poets & Writers
- A copy of The Write Gym Workbook by Racquel Henry
- Little Book of Writing Affirmations by Racquel Henry
- Writing Stickers
- A “Just F***ing Write” Pencil
- A “Get the Book Done” Tote Bag
- Sticky notes
The contest entry fee is $9 and submissions must be submitted before midnight (EST) on August 31, 2023.
Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced with 12-point font. Submissions should be between 500-2,000 words. For poetry, send 3-8 poems in the same document. Author’s name and page number should appear in the top right-hand corner of every page. We also ask that you specify the category/genre of your work in the cover letter. Submissions are accepted through our submission manager found here.
Please DO NOT submit work that isn’t ready. Take your time and polish your work to the best of your ability before sending it in. No changes can be made to your submission after we receive it.
We will select a winner by the end of October, and each entrant will receive a response to their submission.
***Writers, please note that entry fees are non-refundable, and payment to winners is awarded via PayPal. We reserve the right to extend the contest deadline if necessary.***
The Black Fox team looks forward to reading your wonderful submissions!