The Des Moines Public Library is partnering with Little Village magazine to create a short story competition! The contest, titled "This Time Next Year," asks writers to create a story that encompasses predictions about the year ahead. The winning story will receive a $200 prize and be featured in the January edition of Little Village.
Submissions are due by October 31, 2025 at 12 PM.
Rules and Submission Guidelines
The contest is open to anyone residing in Iowa who is 18 years of age or older
Submissions need to follow the theme of Predictions for the Year Ahead
Stories must be a maximum of 2,000 words and must be new, self-contained short stories
Generative AI usage is prohibited
Writers will be judged on technical writing skill, story development, and character development
Submissions will be accepted beginning September 2 at 5 AM
The submission form will close on October 31 at 12 PM
The submissions will need to be formatted in a .docx file
About our judges
Sophia Hanson: Editor, Havic Publishing; author of Water’s Break (2024)
Carol Hunter: Former executive editor, Des Moines Register; current Des Moines Public Library Board of Trustees member.
Carol Roh Spaulding: Author of Waiting for Mr. Kim and Other Stories (2023); 2024 Iowa Author Award recipient; professor of English at Drake University
Chuy Renteria: Arts & Culture Editor, Little Village; author of We Heard It When We Were Young (2021).