The Anxious Nihilist Prize For Fiction

(A contest for people who hate contests is officially now open)

Let’s not pretend this means anything.

There are a million writing contests out there. Most charge you money to read your work. Then ghost you. Then give the prize to a writer who name-dropped James Baldwin in their cover letter and wrote a story about a dying plant as a metaphor for capitalism.

This isn’t that.

This is the Anxious Nihilist Prize for Fiction — the only award that openly admits nothing matters and still wants to read what you’ve got.

Because maybe the world’s on fire. Maybe your inbox is full of rejections. Maybe your story is a festering, honest mess.

Good. That’s exactly what we’re looking for.

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THE PRIZE

• One unwell writer will receive $100 and a place in literary hell — a.k.a. publication with A Thin Slice of Anxiety (the only lit mag left not jerking off to its own mission statement.)
• Runners-up may also be published or simply praised in private and ignored in public.
• The winner will be crowned The 2025 Anxious Nihilist Laureate — a title with no clout and even less comfort.

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THE RULES (IF YOU CARE ABOUT RULES)

• Deadline: August 1, 2025
• Word Limit: 4,000 words max
• Genre: Any. Just make us feel something: dread, nausea, shame, etc.
• Submission Format: Word doc
• Email To: theanxiousnihilist@gmail.com
• Subject Line: Anxious Nihilist Prize – [Your Name]

Include with your submission:

• A short bio (be honest, or don’t)
• A one-sentence synopsis (we probably won’t read it, but it looks nice)
• Any social media links (so we can tag you if this somehow gets attention)

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THE FINE PRINT

• No submission fee. Because pay-to-play is just legalized begging.
• No genre restrictions. But we will reject anything that feels like homework.

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THE JUDGES (aka THE ONES WHO WILL REGRET THIS)

• Cody Sexton – Managing Editor at Anxiety Press.
• Leia John – Writer of blistering truth and beautiful scars.
• Paula Deckard – The literary equivalent of a basement flood.
• G.R. Tomaini – Buried in books. Still clawing back with a red pen.

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WHY YOU SHOULD BOTHER

Because you’ve got nothing to lose. Because you’ve written something no other contest would touch. Because maybe your story deserves something more than another form rejection and a coupon for a feedback workshop.

This isn’t about being “the best.” It’s about being unpublishable, unmarketable, and completely fucked and finally landing in the right hands.

Send it. Burn the bridge while you’re at it.