
Empty Lines
[Ring, Ring, Ring] The telephone rings but I don’t want to answer On the other side is someone who I’m running away from [Ring, Ring,
The Rollick Magazine Fiction Prize is valued at $1,000 and is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2,000–6,000 words).
Rollick’s mandate is to attract cutting-edge, quality stories that inspire real engagement. We will consider work that express unique and original thought. Ideally, we want you to share stories that let us explore the world through your eyes.
The Prize is open to writers of any nationality writing in English aged 16 and over at the time of the closing date.
Entries must be entirely your own work. Any evidence to the contrary will result in immediate disqualification.
Entries must not have been published, self-published, published on any website, blog or online forum, broadcast, have won or been placed (2nd, 3rd, runner up etc) in any other competition.
If your entry has been long-listed or shortlisted in other competitions, and provided it has not won a prize or been published, it is eligible.
Simultaneous submissions are allowed but will become ineligible should they win a prize elsewhere or be published prior to the date of prize giving. Entry fees will not be refunded.
You must inform us immediately should your entry be published or win a prize elsewhere.
Entries submitted posthumously are not eligible.
You can send in a range of writing that aligns to the broader category of fiction: Short stories, poetry, memoirs, confessionals, experimental writing, and anything else in between.
We accept simultaneous entries, meaning that your work can be offered elsewhere during the judging of the Rollick Prize.
However, if any entry is selected for our longlist, the entrant will have 24 hours to decide if they wish to withdraw their story or remain in contention for the Rollick Prize.
In order to be eligible to progress to our shortlist, all works must remain exclusive to the Rollick Prize.

[Ring, Ring, Ring] The telephone rings but I don’t want to answer On the other side is someone who I’m running away from [Ring, Ring,

Mister Pope stood in line at the Bank D’Amemzionne, where he’d come to make his regular cash withdrawal to cover the upcoming week’s expenses. Getting

You tell her you love her the day she graduates. It’s a carefree spring morning, the perfect kind for the endurance training you sometimes did—

*synth beats* bright plastic blue screen green screen *auto-tune screams* chunky glasses tuned-in apathy *boy band* drive fast die young pretty corpse *twangy guitar*

“I’m afraid your head will fall off,” Esme said. “What silly nonsense,” her friend replied. “No, this is serious,” Esme pushed. “I remember it happened

Three walls of the room are made of tin, but on the fourth side a polished floor opens, running like fabric into curtains of lace,