LTHS Short Story Contest 2026
2025-11-21 - 2026-02-28
LITTLE TOKYO HISTORICAL SOCIETY SEEKS ENTRIES FOR 2026 SHORT STORY CONTEST
The Little Tokyo Historical Society (LTHS), which is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026, seeks fictional short stories for its 13th annual Imagine Little Tokyo short story contest in the categories of English language, Japanese language and youth (18 and younger). The deadline is February 28, 2026 midnight Pacific Time. The contest is presented by LTHS in partnership with the Japanese American National Museum’s Discover Nikkei project.
The purpose of the contest is to raise awareness of Little Tokyo through a creative story that takes place in Little Tokyo. The story has to be fictional and set in a current, past or future Little Tokyo in the City of Los Angeles, California. The short story committee will be specifically looking for stories that capture the spirit and sense of Little Tokyo. Both generative AI and plagiarism are strictly prohibited. Each category winner will be awarded $500 in cash with their short story being published in Discover Nikkei and Little Tokyo Historical Society website. A special anniversary hybrid (in-person and virtual) award ceremony and dramatic readings of the winning stories are also being planned for 2026 at the Japanese American National Museum.
For more information and guidelines, refer to the Little Tokyo Historical Society’s website: https://www.littletokyohs.org/.
If you would like to financially contribute to the contest, e-mail imaginelittletokyo@gmail.com
