Writing Contests

Beampen runs monthly contests in three categories: Microfiction, Poem and Worst Paragraph.

Prize: 12 months of Beampen Pro plan.

Fee: No fee

Schedule: Contests run monthly. New contests start on the 1st of every month at 12:00am EST.

Deadline: The last day of every month at 8:00pm EST.

Original work only: All submissions must be original and previously unpublished (including personal blogs, Medium, newsletters, Wattpad, etc.).

How to enter: Sign up at beampen.com, then in the app go to Profile → Submit To… and choose a contest category.

Note: By submitting, you confirm the work is yours and you have the rights to share it.

Submit

Microfiction

Any genre, any topic. Submit a compact passage that reads smoothly as a complete story or self-contained excerpt from a larger work.

We’re looking for clarity, voice and emotional impact in a small space: a sharp scene, a strong turn or a clean ending that lands. Edit for rhythm and flow, every sentence has to earn its place.

Poem

A lyrical composition on any topic, in any form or meter (free verse is welcome). Submit one poem that aims for precision and feeling.

We’re looking for inventiveness and a strong poetic approach: fresh language, imagery, sound and line breaks that create momentum. If it’s experimental, make the experiment intentional.

Worst Paragraph

Write your worst paragraph, on purpose. One sentence or twenty, any genre, any topic: if it makes us cringe, eye-roll and facepalm, it qualifies. Make it so broken it’s almost beautiful.

“Worst” can mean clumsy, overwrought, confusing, melodramatic, cliché, wildly inconsistent—anything that’s delightfully painful to read. Keep it intentionally awful, not hateful: no harassment, slurs or targeted abuse.

General Rules

  • One winner per category each month
  • No previously published work; submissions must be your original writing.
  • Pro Plan is not required to enter. Free users can submit one work in one category per month. Existing Pro users can submit to to all categories, one work each.
  • Keep it legal and safe: no plagiarism or hate speech. No AI-written works, duh.
  • Judging: Beampen team selects winners based on craft and fit for the category.
  • Language: All works must be submitted in English. Translations are welcome as long as you own the rights to both the original and translated piece.
  • Prize delivery: Pro plan is applied to the winning Beampen account (existing Pro users get +12 months).
  • Rights: Author retains full right to their work. We ask not to publish submitted works anywhere until the 20th of next month. We retain rights to publish winning and shortlisted works on our blog, Instagram and other platforms for non-commencial use.
  • Winning works are announced on or around 15th of next month.
  • Winners' and shortlisted authors' names are tagged in the posts. Users can add IG handles for better discovery. To add IG/TikTok/Substack etc. handles, go to Profile → Account → Social Links.

Questions? Contact info@beampen.com.