Write a short story on the theme “Out Of Time” and submit it for a chance to see your story published with The Pearl and win $100. It’s free to enter and open to everyone.

Fall is here. People are getting their pumpkin spice lattes. They’re hanging up bats and fake spiderwebs. The air is filled with a mix of old jazz and stuff from the 80s. Inspiration is everywhere!

The fall writing contest theme is “Out Of Time” and we want you to run wild with it. You could play around with time-travel, compose a heist, or pen a story about someone on a tight deadline to enter a contest—anything is fair game! 

New: We are opening a “teen division.” If you are less than 20 years old and you’d prefer to compete against other young writers, just check the box on the submission form. The teen division will have a separate prize only open to young writers.

Have fun with this, and don’t be afraid to get spooky with it. You can go down a classic time-travel avenue, or do something totally out of left-field. Whatever you decide, just write a great story and surprise us.

Your story does not necessarily need to include the words “out of time,” but it should embody the idea in one way or another.

This contest will be judged by Lucy Grecu, who’s currently a second-year apprentice at The Company! (Learn more about becoming an apprentice here.)

All genres and styles of narrative writing (storytelling) are accepted for this contest, as long as it’s 1,500 words or less. It’s completely free to enter.

Your story can be funny, scary, heartwarming, compelling, or invigorating. You can interpret the theme as creatively as you want.

The deadline to enter is 11:59pm ET on November 20th, 2025. We’ll announce the winners sometime in the month of December.

Fabulous Writing Contest Prizes

The winner of this contest will take home a $100 Amazon gift card and be published by The Pearl.

The winner of our “teen division” will receive a $50 credit to spend in The Company Store and have his or her story fast-tracked for consideration for publication to The Pearl. If you are under 20 years, you may choose to submit your story as a teen or as an adult. It’s up to you.

Member Bonus: Anyone can enter one story in this contest for free, but Premium Members of The Company with an account in good standing can submit up to three stories.

How to Enter this Writing Contest

Entering the contest is simple. If you don’t have an account with The Company yet, you can get one for free here. Simply register, log in, and then submit your story here. There’s some additional details on that page about file types, font sizes, and that sort of thing, so make sure you read all of the details on the submission page before you submit.

Details Roundup

Writing Contest Theme: “Out Of Time” – all styles and genres are welcome. Your story does not need to include the words “Out Of Time,” just the idea.

Word Limit: 1,500 words or less.

Deadline: 11:59pm ET on November 20, 2025

Contest Prize: Winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card and their story will be published by The Pearl.

Teen winner will receive a $50 credit to The Company Store.

Who can participate? Anyone. There is no cost to enter. The writing contest is open to writers of all ages and experience levels. You may live anywhere in the world, but you must have a mailing address in the United States to receive physical prizes. If you’re a Standard or Premium member of The Company, you can submit two additional stories for free.

Do I keep the rights to my work? Yes! We will only publish the contest winner to our website. All others retain complete control and copyrights of their work. Before The Pearl publishes the winner, they will ask for permission from the author. You can still win even if you’d prefer your story to not be published.

How do I enter? Register for a FREE account with The Company. Registration is easy. Once registered, log in to submit your work for this contest.

I need help! We’d love to help you. Shoot us an email at info@writers.company. Don’t wait until the day of the deadline to ask for help. You can also ask questions on “The Company Secrets” Facebook group.

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