NEW CONTEST! Drabble of the Month
Drabbles are exactly 100-words long (not counting your title). They are mini stories with a beginning, middle & end. It is a test of how to write concisely.
Every month we will choose among the entries the “Drabble of the Month”. The winning work will be posted on CommuterLit.com the first Friday of each month (September through June) and the winning author will receive a cash prize of CAD$25.
The first contest will be in May 2026.
This is an on-going contest. Submissions will always be open and those not picked one month will be in contention for future monthly contests (unless you withdraw your submission). Enter as many times as you like — but please only one drabble per entry. Original drabbles only (no previously published work this time around). Simultaneous submissions are okay, but please if your drabble is published elsewhere, withdraw your entry from the contest.
If your entry is over the 100-word limit, it will be disqualified. There is an entry fee of $2. We will keep this as low as possible, but they are necessary to keep the contest running. Good luck.
Our Four Annual Writing Contests
CommuterLit‘s four annual writing contests are listed below. Simultaneous submissions, submissions of reprints (stories or poems previously published in print or online) and multiple submissions are welcome. The top five submissions in each contest are posted on CommuterLit and receive cash prizes:
First-place: CA$100
Second-place: CA$50
(3) Honourable Mentions: CA$25
Entry fee: CA$4
CLOSED — Valentines Week 2026 — Love Stories (max. word count of 2,500). Submission window: Jan. 12-26, 2026. Winning entries will appear on CommuterLit the week of Feb. 9-13, 2026.
Poetry Week 2026 — Poem or series of poems (max. word count 1000). Submission window: April 13 – 27, 2026. Winning entries will be posted the week of May 11-15, 2026.
Flash Fiction Week 2026 — Flash Fiction stories (max. word count 500). Submission window: May 19 – June 1, 2026. Winners will be posted on CommuterLit the week of June 15-19, 2026.
Halloween Week 2026 — Scary Stories (max. word count of 2,500). Submission window: Sept. 21-Oct. 12, 2026. Winning entries will appear on CommuterLit the week of Oct. 26-Oct. 30, 2026.