Mark your calendars for our UI Alumni and Friends Flash Writing Contest—a free, online short story competition for a variety of age groups. You don’t have be an Iowa Writers’ Workshop graduate or an accomplished author to join in the fun.

The contest begins on Friday, Jan. 17, 2024, at 4 p.m. CST, and runs through Sunday, Jan. 19, 2024, at 4 p.m. CST. At the contest's start, we'll provide a genre, character, and specific object to incorporate into your story. The rest is up to you!

Submissions must be 1,000 words or less and composed in their entirety during the contest period. All entrants will receive the same writing prompts, which we will post on https://www.foriowa.org/write-now/flash-writing/ on Friday, Jan. 17, 2024, at 4 p.m. CST.

The contest is free and open to UI alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends.