Coming Soon: 100-Word Microstory Contest
July 13–24, 2026
Mark your calendar for our 100-Word Microstory Contest—a free online writing competition for a variety of ages.
You don’t have to be an Iowa Writers’ Workshop grad—or even have participated in a writing contest before—to join the fun. Just create a story in 100 words or less that uses one of two specific writing prompts, which will be listed here on Monday, July 13, 2026, at 9 a.m. CDT.
Contest Details
The contest begins on Monday, July 13, 2026, at 9 a.m. CDT, and runs through Friday, July 24, 2026, at 4 p.m. CDT. At the contest’s start we’ll provide two writing prompts––the rest is up to you!
Submissions must be 100 words or less and composed in their entirety during the contest period. All contestants will receive the same prompts.
The contest is free and open to UI alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends from each of the following age categories:
- Grades 3 & 4
- Grades 5 & 6
- Grades 7 & 8
- Grades 9–12
- Current University of Iowa Students
- Adult (University of Iowa Alumni)
- Adult (Friend of the University)
Any participant who is 18 or older AND in high school should enter the grades 9–12 category. All other participants who are 18 or older should enter one of the adult categories.
We will select one winner from each category and post all winning microstories online on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2026, at 9 a.m. CDT.
Winners’ Prizes
Winners in each of the grade-school categories will receive a writing prize pack and a $25 bookshop.org gift card. Winners in the current University of Iowa student and adult categories will receive a $50 bookshop.org gift card and a handcrafted wooden pen carved from the branch of a tree located on Iowa’s campus.
In addition, the winner and honorable mentions in each category will be posted to the Write Now website.
More information
Deadline and submission format
- Deadline: You must submit your completed story by Friday, July 24, 2026, at 4 p.m. CDT. Late entries will be ineligible.
- Length: The maximum length for your microstory is 100 words. Entries with more than 100 words will be disqualified.
- File format: You must upload your story at foriowa.org/write-now as a Word document (.doc or .docx), text file (.txt), or rich text format document (.rtf). Stories submitted in Apple’s Pages format will not be accepted. The name of the file must be the title of the story. For example, if the title of your microstory is “Autumn,” then the name of your file must be “Autumn.doc,” “Autumn.txt,” or “Autumn.rtf.”
- Font: Your submission must be in 12-point Courier, New Courier, or Times New Roman typeface.
- Anonymity: Your name must not appear anywhere in the microstory document; you will submit your name only on the web entry form.
- How to submit: You must upload your short story through the contest website or submit it via email to write.now@foriowa.org.
Before the contest begins, enjoy some of these amazing writing samples from your fellow Hawkeyes. Check out entries from past winners and explore the University of Iowa's writing resources to inspire your own creativity.