The short answer is everything, but the real answer is 'whatever gets clicks.' I'm so cynical about this now. Look at any big platform's contest: they'll list twelve genres, but the last five winners were all fantasy romantasy or cozy mysteries. Algorithms pick winners, not judges. A friend submitted a brilliant literary piece to a 'multi-genre' contest and got a form rejection; winner was a vampire detective serial. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but be honest about what you're curating.
I stick to small, specific contests now—ones for weird westerns or nautical horror. At least you know what you're getting into. The broad 'open genre' ones feel like a lottery where the house already picked the winning numbers.
Straight up—novels. I've noticed a sharp shift. Used to see flash fiction and short story calls everywhere, but the bigger contests with real prize money and agent eyes seem laser-focused on full-length manuscripts now. Historical fiction's having a huge moment, maybe because readers want that deep-dive escape? Also spotted a weird niche surge in 'climate fiction' and 'solarpunk' categories. Feels like the market's pushing for either big, immersive commercial projects or stuff that tackles the zeitgeist head-on.
Might be publisher-driven. They want contest winners they can actually sell, not just beautiful prose pieces. Saw a call for 'upmarket book club fiction' specifically—that hybrid literary/commercial sweet spot. Kinda makes sense, but I miss the wild experimental stuff winning. Everything feels very... polished and packageable this year.
Contests are chasing trends hard. Last year it was all about 'hopepunk' and noblebright. This cycle, it's grimdark fantasy again and Regency romance with a 'twist'—magic, spies, you name it. The lit-fic world is quietly obsessed with autofiction and ultra-minimalist prose, but good luck finding a clear category for that; they often call it 'general fiction.' Really, check submission guidelines—most have added 'romantasy' as its own thing now, which tells you everything.
2026-07-13 04:47:16
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