Fiction League

Fiction League

Write a story and see if it wins.

Fiction League is a free-to-enter, anonymous short story competition. You submit a story and it enters an eight-story tournament, where it's paired against another writer's work in the quarter-finals. No names or profiles are attached. Fellow writers simply vote on which story wins. Win enough tournaments and you can compete for a real publication deal.

How It Works

1. Write

Submit an original short story to an eight-person tournament. Every entry is anonymous.

2. Read & Vote

You're given four head-to-head pairings from other tournaments. Read both stories, pick the better one.

3. Compete

Stories advance through a bracket. Each match is decided by multiple voters, not a single judge.

A Path to Publication

Writers who reach League 5 can enter publication competitions, larger tournaments where the community votes to select a winning story. The winner gets a publication deal: their work is printed in a run of two hundred copies and sold through the site, with editing services available and royalties shared with the author.

It's a route from first draft to published work, and the only thing that decides it is the quality of the writing.

Ten Leagues

Stories run to around 900 words, and everyone starts in League 1. Win tournaments and you move up: stronger competition, and new features like your Writing DNA profile and the community message board. By League 5 you're competing against the best on the platform, with publication tournaments open to you. Keep winning and Leagues 6 to 10 put a crown beside your name on the leaderboard. There's nothing to pay at any level.

From the Blog

What Is Good Writing?

Christie vs Joyce vs Dan Brown. Why it's easy to spot bad writing but hard to compare good writers.

Write something

Tournaments are running now and they're free to enter. See where your writing stands.

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