UndergraduateShort Story Scholarship Contest

Select participants will be chosen to receive various prizes.

• Grand Prize: One student will receive a one-time $1,000* CU scholarship to be redeemed on the student’s account for the 2026-27 academic year, plus a CU Prize Pack. The Grand Prize story will also be featured in an upcoming online and print volume of The Makeshift Review.
• Runners-up: Two students will each receive a one-time $250* CU scholarship to be redeemed on the student’s account for the 2026-27 academic year, plus a CU Prize Pack.
• Honorable Mentions: Three students will receive CU Prize Packs.

*Scholarship recipients will have their scholarship amount added to their Cornerstone University student account during their first semester. Scholarships cannot be redeemed for cash. One $1,000 one-time scholarship and up to two $250 one-time scholarships will be awarded.

Future Cornerstone freshmen and transfer students who have applied to our university for fall 2026 are invited to participate in this year’s Short Story Scholarship Contest, sponsored by the School of Ministry, Media & the Arts.

Judge Criteria

Stories will be judged on its strength of characterization, description, plot mechanics and thematic coherence.

Story Guidelines

Submit a fictional story of 1,000-2,000 words in any genre (e.g., fantasy, mystery, science fiction, romance, conventional literary). Your story can be a completed short story or a chapter of a longer work.

If your submission is a chapter of a longer work, it must be able to stand on its own as a comprehensible story.

Format Guidelines

Stories should be typed in an 11- or 12-point standard font (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial), be double-spaced and include a word count at the top right corner of the first page. Put your contact information at the top left corner of the first page. Page numbers should appear at the bottom right corner of each page.

Entry Form

Please submit your story in PDF format using the form below.

Submission Deadline: Sunday, March 1, 2026

Submit My Short Story

Questions about the Short Story Scholarship Contest should be directed to the Admissions Office at admissions@cornerstone.edu, or you can contact your admissions counselor directly.