The Top 30 Places to Publish Flash Fiction — 2022 List

Terena Bell
2 min readJun 23, 2022

For the second year in a row, I’m sharing my list of the best literary journals to submit flash fiction (stories under 1000 words), as determined by international creative writing awards.

One point is awarded for every winning story from a journal honored by Best Small Fictions, Best Microfiction, the O Henry Prize, Best American Short Stories (BASS), the Wigleaf Top 50 (longlist mentions receive half a point), and the Pushcart Prize (as determined by Clifford Garstang’s list here). Winning flash fiction stories from both 2021 and 2022 are included, since journals build reputations over time.

To see last year’s list, go here. And for an inside look at how literary journals select which stories to submit to award competitions, read this interview with an editor.

2022 2021 Literary Journal            Total Points
Rank Rank
1 14 The New Yorker 38.5
2 2 X-R-A-Y Literary Magazine 15
3 new Ploughshares 14
4 1 Wigleaf 13
5 5 matchbook 12.5
6 6 No Contact 12
3 Okay Donkey 12
7 8 American Short Fiction 11.5
6 HAD 11.5
4 Smokelong 11.5
8 4 Cincinnati Review 11
5 Fractured Lit…

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Terena Bell

Book publicist & writer; debut short fiction collection TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE; 1 short story per month in your inbox for $5 here: patreon.com/terenaelizabethbell