Flash Fiction Contest
The October 2026 Flash Fiction Contest: “Living on the Moon” co-sponsored by the Fremont Cultural Arts Council, Half–Price Books, Fremont Area Writers, Infinity Care, and NothingBundtCakes will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 10 am to 5 pm, once again hosted at Half Price Books, 39152 Fremont Hub, Fremont, CA.
SUBJECT: The October 10, 2026, theme is: “Living on the Moon”
WRITE a story about Living on the Moon of 300 words or less, including the title using 12 point type or larger and written on one sheet of 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper. Your name and contact information must be on the back of the submission or on a separate sheet of paper.
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: Received by Monday, October 5, 2026, at 11:59 pm for email entries, or US Postal Service entries by Tuesday, October 6, 2026, 12 Noon.
ENTRIES: Will be posted with the author’s name concealed at Half-Price Books, 39152 Fremont Hub, Fremont, CA 94538 on Saturday October 10, 2026, between the hours of 10:00 am and 5:00 pm.
VOTING: Will be done by persons entering Half-Price Books, on Saturday, October 10, 2026. , between the hours of 10:00 am and 5:00 pm. All votes are counted equally.
WINNERS: will be announced Saturday, October 10, 2026, at about 5:30 pm. in Half- Price Books and posted on the Fremont Cultural Arts Council website, shortly thereafter. Contestants do not need to be present to win,, but we’d love to congratulate you in person and get your picture!
PRIZES: 1st place $60 cash and a $25 gift card from Half-Price Books; 2nd place $50 cash and a $25 gift card from Half-Price Books; 3rd place $40 cash and a $25 gift card from Half-Price Books; 4th place $30 cash and a $25 gift card from Half-Price Books; 5th place $20 cash and a $25 gift card from Half-Price Books. Voting ties will be combined with the next cash prize(s) amount and divided equally between the tied authors. One author will receive the President Emeriti award by FCAC Past Presidents of a NothingBundtCake Trio, but only one prize per author.
This contest is open to any age and residency.
Entries must be 300 words or less, including the title. Stories without a title will be given a generic title (e.g., Moon #1).
Entries must be in English.
Maximum of three entries per person.
Submit each entry in 12 point (or larger) legible font, which will fit on a single printed 8 ½” x 11” sheet.
To submit by e-mail: Send your story as a Word-compatible or PDF attachment to fcacwriters@gmail.com. Include the author’s name and contact information in the body of the e-mail message.
To submit by postal mail: Mail your story to:
FCAC Flash Fiction Contest
c/o Fremont Cultural Arts Council
P.O. Box 1314
Fremont, CA 94538
NOTE: Entries will NOT be accepted at Half-Price Books.
The FCAC reserves the right to reject entries that do not meet these criteria, or contain plagiarism, or subject matter that would be offensive to the general reader.