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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

March 2026

Checks and Balances Shortlist

The Checks and Balances shortlist recognizes the prose and poetry that stuck...
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February 2026

Standing Still: An Interview With Cate McGowan

An interview with first-place winner Cate McGowan on working under pressure, finding...
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February 2026

Extra Minutes

A short story about time theft and stillness and resistance. Read our...
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February 2026

Bury It Good and Deep

A vivid and physical poem about work, grief, and what lies beneath.
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February 2026

The Regime

A poem about bodies, beauty, and pain.
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February 2026

“Cult of Productivity” Finalists

Our first challenge of 2026 asked for writing that pushed back against...
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Current Challenge

Redacted text over woman with hands up
Current Theme

Redacted

In theory, transparency and accountability protect the public. In practice, information is often shaped, cropped, obscured. Lies are presented as evidence without question. Powerful people are implicated in horrific crimes, and then show up to work the next day. What happens when redaction becomes a tool of power? Write about cover-ups: governmental, institutional, personal. Send […]

Start Date

March 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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REDACTED open now until March 15

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