Premise: For this mini-contest, tell, show, or evoke a complete story between 25 and 50 words long that is also exactly three sentences long. The first sentence must be the story's beginning. The second sentence is its middle, and the third sentence is its end.

Deadline: Friday, September 4, 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern US time. 

Publication: Winners will be published on or around Sunday, September 13, 2026, when the next mini-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.