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Write like it matters. Because it does.
If it feels like “I had to write this now,” we want to read it.

Featured Works

February 2026

“Cult of Productivity” Shortlist

Our shortlist recognizes the writers whose work resonated with our readers and...
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January 2026

Letter from the Editor: Closing Thoughts on “Cult of Productivity”

I’ve spoken with a lot of creatives who feel like they’re...
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January 2026

13 Writing Prompts to Spark Creativity

Do you have a writing goal this year? While the whole “New...
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December 2025

From the Team: What We’re Reading

As we close out 2025, we wanted to share a few of...
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December 2025

“Notions of Home”: An Interview With M. Colón-Margolies

An interview with first-place winner M. Colón-Margolies on notions of home, desperate...
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December 2025

Terms of Sale

Our first-place winning piece is a deeply layered poem about home, separation,...
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Current Challenge

Checks and Balances contest image
Current Theme

Checks and Balances

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” – Lord Acton Checks and balances exist to prevent governments, systems, and people from becoming too powerful. But what happens when those failsafes are broken? Write about what happens when those limits collapse—or the resistance that follows. Send us your fiction, poems, and creative nonfiction about […]

Start Date

February 1, 2026

Word Count

up to 1,000 words of prose or 2 pages of poetry

Fee

$10

About Us

Glossy Planet is a lit mag that responds to the world in real time. Every month, we drop a new challenge tied to what’s happening in the headlines, the culture, and the moment. Think: the literary version of a group chat, if your group chat included a bunch of writers trying to make sense of it all.

We want your flash experiments, microessays, poems, weird little lists—anything that makes us stop and feel something. We’re here for impact and heat, not polish or perfection. If you’re writing in response to the world, not hiding from it, we want to hear from you.

What do you publish?

Flash prose, lists, microessays, flash prose, poetry, and other short, genre-defying forms.

What’s the word limit?

Up to 1,000 words for prose and two pages for poetry.

Is there a prize?

$1,000 for 1st place, $200 for 2nd, and $100 for 3rd.

When should I submit?

Each challenge opens on the 1st of the month and closes on the 15th.

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NOW OPEN: "Checks and Balances" Writing Challenge

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