Premise: For this mini-contest, tell, show, or evoke a complete story between 25 and 50 words long that is written in the form of a list. A to-do list, a grocery list, an inventory list... anything. You can write it as a paragraph of items separated by commas or semicolons, or you can make it a bulleted or numbered list. (Though remember that a numbered list implies a specific order.) If you use a numbered list, the numbers won't count as part of the 25-50 words any more than a bullet point would.

Deadline: Friday, October 2, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern US time. 

Publication: Winners will be published on or around Sunday, October 11, 2026, when the next short story contest launches.

Hyphenated Words: Words that are normally hyphenated, but generally considered one word, are considered one word for this contest. Examples: "Twenty-three", "Jack-o-lantern", and "Mother-in-law" are each one word. However, stringing a bunch of words together with hyphens for artistic effect will result in each connected word being counted separately. Example: "It was a get-out-of-my-way day." That hyphenated phrase counts as five words.

Prizes: First place pays $35, second pays $25, and third pays $15, all in US dollars. Honorable mentions get published, but make no money. If international currency exchange fees are necessary to pay an author, up to $5 of that fee comes out of the mini-contest prize money.

Other Rules: One entry per author. There is no fee for entering this contest. On The Premises never charges a fee for entering its contests.