ernest hemingway legacy contest

contest format

• Genre or Style: Realist or literary flash fiction in sparse, concise prose

• Prompt: Write a complete story in 300 words or fewer using Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory (subtext > exposition)

• Word Count: Max 300 words

• Unique Rule: The story must imply something deeper without stating it directly

CONTEST details

Hemingway once said, “Courage is grace under pressure.” That’s what this contest asks of your writing: grace. Clarity. Subtext. You only have 300 words — so every sentence must carry weight. Hemingway's Iceberg Theory said most of a story lies beneath the surface. You’ll write just the tip.

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We’re not looking for loud voices or lyrical flourishes. We’re looking for restraint. Control. And buried beneath it, depth. The strongest entries will leave us thinking long after they end — even if nothing is explained.

Say less. Mean more.

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• Start in the middle. Hemingway rarely gave backstory. Drop us into the moment. Trust that we’ll catch up.

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• Every sentence must work. No filler. No transitions. No indulgent metaphors. Tighten until what’s left is only essential.

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• Cut what's easy to explain. Instead, leave space for the reader to feel what isn't said. Regret. Love. Rage. Grief.

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• Use setting and object with precision. A gun. A glass. A fishing rod. These can say more than a paragraph of explanation.

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• Write characters who are holding back. What aren’t they saying? What are they pretending not to feel?

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• Let the ending echo. The final line should ring out — quietly, but clearly. It should feel like the silence after something important.