Fall Black Prize: Fragments of Time
Black Fox is accepting submissions for its Fall 2024 Black Fox Prize. The theme for this round is “Fragments of Time.” We are open to loose interpretations of the theme in any genre, as always.
When we think of time, we often think of a ticking clock. But time is more than merely seconds, minutes, hours, or measurements. Time also has the power to shape our lives. It can be a fleeting moment, a seemingly endless stretch, or a loop. Time can be a guardian of memories, the signal for change, and the constant that connects us to the world around us.
For this contest, we’re looking for writers to explore the intricacies of time: How does it mold us, ruin us, or set us free? Is time a friend or an enemy? Does time heal or wound? Whether it’s traveling through centuries, racing against the clock, or pausing in a single, spectacular moment, we want work that investigates the mysteries, difficulties, joy, or wonder of time.
Please submit your strongest fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, and we will choose one winner that we feel interprets the theme best. The prize is $325 and publication in the Winter 2025 issue. All submissions are considered for publication in the Winter 2025 issue. The contest entry fee is $12, and submissions must be submitted before midnight (EST) on December 1, 2024.
Please make sure your manuscript is double-spaced with 12-point font. Submissions should be no more than 5,000 words. For poetry, send up to three poems in the same document. For flash fiction, send up to two stories 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 January 2025, 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!
Do you accept previously published stories?
Thanks!
Submittable says June 6 but here it says June 5. Which is correct?
We will honor the 6th because it is stated in Submittable that way.
Can a prisoner get a waiver of the entrance fee for this contest?
Yes, that is possible. Please email me at elizabeth@blackfoxlitmag.com for details on how that works.
If a submission is still noted as “received” , should the submitter reach out to the Black Fox team for review?
Hi Kelly,
As noted on our submission page: “Please note: we aim for a 3-4 month response time, but please feel free to inquire if you haven’t heard from us in 6 months.”
We love hearing from our contributors.
Best,
Elizabeth
I’m a little confused by the timing of this contest and receiving notifications regarding submissions. In the description, you mention that all submissions will receive a response. But, in the comment above, you write that it could take 3-4 months. Can you please clarify the correct timing for the 2022 Contest?
Hi Cassie,
We are in the process of reading all of our contest submissions and hope to have answers to everyone by the end of the month. We received so many great submissions! And it’s hard to make the call… but we will have notifications out soon.
Thank you
Elizabeth
Thank you, Elizabeth! 🙂
Just to clarify: before midnight (EST) on December 9, 2023. — Is really December 9, 2022 for the Winter 2023 issue. Thanks
Yes, Phyllis, the deadline is December 9, 2022. Thank you.
Is the submission deadline 12/23 or 12/22?
Elizabeth, the submission deadline is 12/9/22. Thank you for checking.
I’d like to send a manuscript. Would you send a link?
Our contest is currently closed, but we do have some submission options open here https://www.blackfoxlitmag.com/submit/
Best wishes!
I have an 8700 word story to submit. How strict is you 5000 word rule?
Our 5000 word limit is firm.
Any chance you’re thinking of extending the deadline on the “Secrets” themed contest? I just found you, and I have the perfect story! Thanks.
Hi Ed,
So sorry you missed the submission cut off! We hope you’ll keep an eye out for future contests!
Best wishes,
Elizabeth
For poetry submissions, is it required to have at least 3 poems where one is permitted to submit between 3-8? Or is it permissible to submit between 1 poem.
Hi Sierra, I think that we are looking for a minimum of 3 poems in submissions for this particular contest. Thanks for checking!
I have a story for this August 31st deadline comp. Will you let another one in?
Sorry Tom, the deadline is firm. Please keep an eye out for future Fox Tales contests!
Hello. I am interested in submitting a work for the contest and a fiction piece winter issue, but would it be allowed to submit to both? Thank you for your time.
A paid submission in addition to an unpaid submission is allowed. Thanks for checking
Hello– Just checking that, yes, you do want poetry to be double spaced just the same as fiction and non-fiction.
Thank you for clarifying,
Linden
No, poetry does not need to be double-spaced.
I couldn’t find any information on what you would like for us to include in our Cover Letter.
Please advise how to submit Thank you
Submit through our submission manager. https://blackfoxlit.submittable.com/submit
Hi there, do you accept international submissions as well? Thanks for being so attentive to your commenters here 🙂
Yes, we do!
Can published books that address the theme be submitted?
We do not consider books or any already published material.
Greetings,
Does the poetry have to be previously unpublished? Thanks!
Yes, we only consider previously unpublished material.
Hi, I’m sorry if I somehow missed it in the contest description, but is there a word limit?
5000 words for prose submissions.
Question: Does this mean that you want a space between each line of a poem?
No. we don’t need to see a space between lines on poetry submissions.
❤️
Do you accept previously published work?
Hi Lorraine. No, we do not consider previously published work.
Hi! For the Fairy Tale Remix, you only mention Poetry or Flash – do you also accept short stories of up to 5000 words?
For Flash, is there a max length that the two stories can be? (2,500 each?) Thanks!
Hi Nic, I apologize I didn’t see this comment before our contest ended! You’ll see above that we consider fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for the contests. For future reference, our fiction and nonfiction prose word count is 5000 max and our flash fiction pieces are up to (2) pieces at 1000 words max each. Best wishes, Elizabeth
I submitted and did so through my phone, when I went back to check the submission, my name was not in the correct place and the pages did not line up like on the phone. My poems themselves are fine, but I am concerned about the formatting issue. Will this disqualify me?
Kristina, I checked your submission and it looks fine.
I am in. Let’s do this.
May one submit to the contest and also to another category at the same time?
Yes, Ruth.
Hello, I am interested in submitting a story for your contest (Montage of Misfortunes). I was wondering if you could please answer a couple of questions I have: is it ok to submit work that’s been previously published online on Substack and Medium? And is there a limit for how many entries I can make?
Thanks so much!
Stella
Hi Stella. We do not consider previously published work. And there is no limit to how many entries you can make! Good luck!
Do you accept simultaneous submissions to the Montage of Misfortunes contest?
Yes, we do, Faith.
Hey, sorry to bug you guys! Can I submit a story to the “Portraits of Failure” contest and also submit a different story as a general submission?
Yes, Jack. Thank you for asking!
Hello,
Do you allow work that is punctuated by a handful of small line drawings done by the writer?
We do not have the ability to publish drawings in our issue at this time.