Once a year, Whitefish Review offers a $1000 prize, winner-takes-all, for the best story submitted to our fiction contest, judged by author Rick Bass.

The only theme for this prize is a good story.

What Rick looks for in a submission:  "I'm so hungry for good stories, I will simply choose the best submission regardless of theme. That said, Shakespeare reported that all literature is about loss....so the odds are that the winning story will look at loss in some way. But who knows? Surprise me. What makes me smile when I read a good story? The basics. Beauty. Attentiveness. Crystalline specificity in an era of great uncertainty. The basics. Hold the adverbs."

There is no word count limit, but it should be a "short story" (not a novel!)

The submission fee helps support the operations of our journal. Thank you for your support.

Although there is only one grand prize winner, we will consider all submissions for publication.

Send us your best 3 poems. (One document, please.)

#32 Theme: "Love the World Anyway"

Frustration and disappointment with the world and humanity can harden a heart. Still, can you remain open to all the beauty, hope, and goodness there is? Maybe think of someone or something that makes you smile. Do you have a story of another person's kindness that gives you hope? What have you survived with grace? How can awareness of beauty change your world and then the world of others?  Is there something you do that makes someone else smile? What makes you smile and shine light even on the darkest days? What do you love?

In spite of all the reasons it would be easy not to... we are looking to love the world anyway with you for our 32nd issue. Share your art and literary submissions with us to help add light to this energy and song.

Thank you to Estee and Jeremy for the inspiration for this prompt.

Publication September 2026

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Whitefish Review prides itself on being accessible to the entire community of writers, artists, and readers that we serve. Our nonprofit organization has implemented a $5 administrative fee to help offset, in part, some of the expenses incurred in producing a literary and arts journal. This project is a challenge to pull off, a "doomed, beautiful venture." We still aspire to be as inclusive as possible. If the $5 administrative fee prohibits you from submitting your work, please email editor@whitefishreview.org with a brief explanation of your circumstance and we will waive the fee.

#32 Theme: "Love the World Anyway"

Frustration and disappointment with the world and humanity can harden a heart. Still, can you remain open to all the beauty, hope, and goodness there is? Maybe think of someone or something that makes you smile. Do you have a story of another person's kindness that gives you hope? What have you survived with grace? How can awareness of beauty change your world and then the world of others?  Is there something you do that makes someone else smile? What makes you smile and shine light even on the darkest days? What do you love?

In spite of all the reasons it would be easy not to... we are looking to love the world anyway with you for our 32nd issue. Share your art and literary submissions with us to help add light to this energy and song.

Thank you to Estee and Jeremy for the inspiration for this prompt.

Publication September 2026

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Submit one (1) story under 5000 words. 

      Prose should be typed double-spaced in 12-point Times font.       Indicate word count at the top of your piece.       Include a title and your name at the top.       We appreciate pieces under 5000 words, but use your best judgment. We do not want to limit long-form writing.    ---

Whitefish Review prides itself on being accessible to the entire community of writers, artists, and readers that we serve. Our nonprofit organization has implemented a $5 administrative fee to help offset, in part, some of the expenses incurred in producing a literary and arts journal. This project is a challenge to pull off, a "doomed, beautiful venture." We still aspire to be as inclusive as possible. If the $5 administrative fee prohibits you from submitting your work, please email editor@whitefishreview.org with a brief explanation of your circumstance and we will waive the fee.

#32 Theme: "Love the World Anyway"

Frustration and disappointment with the world and humanity can harden a heart. Still, can you remain open to all the beauty, hope, and goodness there is? Maybe think of someone or something that makes you smile. Do you have a story of another person's kindness that gives you hope? What have you survived with grace? How can awareness of beauty change your world and then the world of others?  Is there something you do that makes someone else smile? What makes you smile and shine light even on the darkest days? What do you love?

In spite of all the reasons it would be easy not to... we are looking to love the world anyway with you for our 32nd issue. Share your art and literary submissions with us to help add light to this energy and song.

Thank you to Estee and Jeremy for the inspiration for this prompt.

Publication September 2026

Send us your best nonfiction story or essay under 5000 words.

Prose should be typed double-spaced in 12-point Times font. Please indicate word count at the top of your piece. We appreciate pieces that are under 5000 words but use your best judgment. We do not want to limit long-form work. Whitefish Review prides itself on being accessible to the entire community of writers, artists, and readers that we serve. Our nonprofit organization has implemented a $5 administrative fee to help offset, in part, some of the expenses incurred in producing a literary and arts journal. This project is a challenge to pull off, a "doomed, beautiful venture." We still aspire to be as inclusive as possible. If the $5 administrative fee prohibits you from submitting your work, please email editor@whitefishreview.org with a brief explanation of your circumstance and we will waive the fee.

#32 Theme: "Love the World Anyway"

Frustration and disappointment with the world and humanity can harden a heart. Still, can you remain open to all the beauty, hope, and goodness there is? Maybe think of someone or something that makes you smile. Do you have a story of another person's kindness that gives you hope? What have you survived with grace? How can awareness of beauty change your world and then the world of others?  Is there something you do that makes someone else smile? What makes you smile and shine light even on the darkest days? What do you love?

In spite of all the reasons it would be easy not to... we are looking to love the world anyway with you for our 32nd issue. Share your art and literary submissions with us to help add light to this energy and song.

Thank you to Estee and Jeremy for the inspiration for this prompt.

Publication September 2026

            → Art: Up to 10 pieces of art (all genres)             → Photography: Up to 10 color photos AND/OR 10 black and white photos             → Fiction: 1 piece (under 5000 words)             → Non-fiction: 1 piece (under 5000 words)             → Poetry: up to 3 poems in one document        Please only submit in one category at a time. (You would create a separate submission if you are sending poetry and then sending some art.) (Label your submission title in the genre you are submitting.

All art and photography - Submit up to 10 files.

#32 Theme: "Love the World Anyway"

Frustration and disappointment with the world and humanity can harden a heart. Still, can you remain open to all the beauty, hope, and goodness there is? Maybe think of someone or something that makes you smile. Do you have a story of another person's kindness that gives you hope? What have you survived with grace? How can awareness of beauty change your world and then the world of others?  Is there something you do that makes someone else smile? What makes you smile and shine light even on the darkest days? What do you love?

In spite of all the reasons it would be easy not to... we are looking to love the world anyway with you for our 32nd issue. Share your art and literary submissions with us to help add light to this energy and song.

Thank you to Estee and Jeremy for the inspiration for this prompt.

Publication September 2026               

Submission format: *VERY IMPORTANT - PLEASE FOLLOW*                

 → JPEG (.jpg) format                → 300 dpi                → 6 x 9 inches (in either orientation)            

We need to review submissions in resolution as we might print them.            

***IMPORTANT***            

1. Mac users, please be sure you save your file so the filename includes the ".jpg" file extension.         

2. PLEASE NAME YOUR DOCUMENT USING THIS STANDARD                    → File Naming Standard: "art_yourlastname_ytitleofwork.jpg"                 → File Naming Standard: "photo_yourlastname_titleofwork.jpg"   

Pieces we select are sometimes offered a page to talk about their work -- it may help if you write a short narrative about your submissions.