By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff
While it’s hard to believe the Reader’s annual 208 Fiction contest is coming up on its fifth anniversary, they do say “truth is stranger than fiction.”
Submissions for the writing competition are being accepted until 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, and the rules are straightforward: to be eligible, submissions must be exactly 208 words long — minus the required author’s name and story title — and they must be an original work of fiction.
That means no memoir or biography, no poetry, no recollections of favorite summer vacations or long-gone pets you had when you were a kid. And by “original” we mean actually written by the entrant, not clipped from another author or — God forbid — generated by AI.
The competition is open to any and all writers of all ages living in Bonner and Boundary counties, with the first-place winner receiving a $150 cash prize, plus dining gift certificates.
Second- and third-place winners will also take home prizes, which will remain a surprise for now.
Top stories, as well as honorable mentions, will be selected by a panel of judges composed of Reader Publisher Ben Olson, Editor-in-Chief Zach Hagadone and Senior Writer Soncirey Mitchell, and published in the Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 edition of the Reader.
The cost to enter is $5 per story, and authors are invited to submit as many as they want. To participate, send entries to [email protected] and include the subject line “208 FICTION.”
When submitting your story — or stories — make sure to clearly identify your name and the title of the piece(s). In addition, include your full name and “208 Fiction” with your payment information. If we can’t match your submission with the payment, then your story won’t be considered.
Send payment for entries to paypal.me/sandpointreader, or pay by check or cash at Sandpoint Reader, 111 Cedar St. Ste. #9, Sandpoint, ID 83864.
Until then, good luck putting together the best 208 words you can.
