The editors of Dappled Things are happy to announce that submissions for this year’s J.F. Powers Prize for Short Fiction are now open. Named after one of the greatest writers of the 20th century Catholic literary renaissance–often called a writer’s writer–the contest aims to honor his legacy by awarding stories that, like the priests he wrote about in his fiction, have “one foot in this world and one in the next.” The contest awards prizes of $500 to the winner, $250 to its runner up, and publication for any additional honorable mentions at the discretion of the editors. Submissions will close on November 30, 2020.
Send us your very best short stories here.
You can read the winner of our 2019 contest in our Sts. Peter & Paul 2019 issue.
The winner of our 2020 contest is forthcoming in our next issue. You can subscribe here to read it.
Dear Ms. Ullo,
I touched base with you a while back about re-submitting “Asteroid”, my short story that made last year’s first cut. Brand new ending, twice as long–about 9,500 words. Is this too long a story?
Sincerely,
T. M. (Tom) Doran
I believe last year’s winner was close to that length. Whether or not it’s too long for this story is a matter for the judges.