The Narratively x Belletrist True Romance Writing Prize: Shortread

We never need an excuse to lean into love, but this is something a little different than we’ve done before and it has us all aflutter. We’ve absolutely fallen in love with our latest project, a collab with actor Emma Roberts, acclaimed producer Karah Preiss, and their production company/book club, Belletrist. The Narratively x Belletrist True Romance Writing Prize will award remarkable memoir and reported stories, from love quadrangles, to lost-and-found soulmates, to unthinkable sacrifices and bizarre romantic connections that defy all odds. We’re seeking completely new perspectives that shift our understanding of romance and relationships and reignite our pride about being human in 2025. We’ll even be teaming up with Emma and the Belletrist crew to develop our favorite stories for the screen!

How it works: 

Submissions are open Friday, March 21, 2025, through Thursday, May 1, 2025.

We’ll award winners the following prizes in the shortread category (up to 999 words):

• One grand prize: $500 prize               
  • Two finalists: $250 prize each 

Submissions are $10 per entry.

Competition Info:

• Prize period opens: 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on March 21, 2025. 
• Prize period closes: 9 p.m. EDT on May 1, 2025. We will not accept entries once the prize period closes.
• Final decision announced: TBD; more on that soon. Entrants will be notified via Submittable and/or email.
• Entry fee: US$10, nonrefundable and due at time of entry; one free entry for paid subscribers (become one here!). If you’re already a paid subscriber, first of all, thank you for supporting indie journalism! Second of all, just email us at prizes@narratively.com to request the (paid) subscriber-only free submission link.
• Eligibility: Open to folks 18 years of age or older on or before 2 p.m. EDT on March 21, 2025, and who are not employed by, related to or sharing living quarters with Narratively staff or our guest judges. This competition is open to anyone, including past and current Narratively contributors. Current and former Narratively editors are ineligible.

What should my entry look like?

As with all Narratively stories, submissions should be composed of vivid, active scenes, unique characters and an engaging narrative arc. We have a few rules to follow, but encourage maximum creativity within these guidelines. The best way to get a sense of what we’re looking for is to read the stories on the list of examples we love below. (Full formatting info is available on our Submittable form.)

Here are a few examples of Narratively pieces about love that we, well, love:

• How I Wrote Myself into a Real-life Romantic Comedy — That Turned into a Survivalist Thriller
• My High School Girlfriend Became America’s Most Wanted Drug Queenpin
• I Professed My Love at Mile 15...But Not to My Husband
• The Day My Therapist Dared Me to Have Sex With Her
• My Secret Life as The World's Worst Professional Matchmaker
• The Donkey Farmer’s Magical Matchmaking Book
• Dead Batteries

Why do we charge an entry fee?

Your fee will allow us to compensate the people who are enabling us to effectively and fairly evaluate every single prize submission — from our freelance readers to our prize editors, copy editors, fact-checkers, visual editors and producers.

How do I enter for free?

If you’re already a paid subscriber, first of all, thank you for supporting indie journalism! Second of all, just email us at prizes@narratively.com to request the subscriber-only free submission link for one free submission.

Submission Guidelines:

• Ready-to-publish pieces only — no pitches accepted
• Word count: Up to 999 words
• Nonfiction and in English (translations permitted)
• Original and previously unpublished as a written work (exceptions: self-published and small pubs; please disclose).
• Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but must notify Narratively ASAP if entry is accepted elsewhere.
• Multiple submissions from a single author are permitted, but each must be submitted and paid for individually.
• Adaptations from other media (podcasts, scripts, etc.) are permitted with disclosure.
• Any citations should be in endnote form and listed at the end of the submission.
• Please remove your name and contact information from your submission.
• Narratively prefers common fonts such as Times New Roman and Arial, at 10-12-point size, double spaced, for ease of reading. 

To answer your questions: 

• We will accept stories that have been previously published on personal blogs and very small websites.
• We will permit adaptations from other media (podcasts, scripts, etc.) with disclosure.
• This competition is open to anyone, including past and current Narratively contributors. (Current and former Narratively editors, however, are ineligible.)
• The grand prize winner and finalists will be required to sign our standard contributor agreement.

Also please take a look at our FAQ page here. For full prize eligibility and rules, click here. Still have questions? Email us at prizes@narratively.com.

We can’t wait to be invited into your world. Best of luck!