'Money Chronicles' Story Contest Opens for Submissions

Principal Foundation, in collaboration with French publisher Short Édition and the literary nonprofit Center for Fiction, has announced a 2024 round of Money Chronicles: A Story Initiative, a contest launched in 2023. Authors are invited to submit short works of fiction and creative nonfiction “that reflect lived experiences with money,” a project aligned with the Principal Foundation’s goal of boosting financial literacy. The submissions portal will be open through October 2.

The Money Chronicles jury includes authors Zakiya Dalila Harris (The Other Black Girl), Casey Parks (Diary of a Misfit), Joe Wilkins (Fall Back Down When I Die), and Cecily Wong (Kaleidoscope). Up to 20 Money Chronicles finalists will receive $150 each, and the winner receives a $1,000 honorarium.

All of the finalists’ stories, which must be 7,500 characters or fewer, will be made available on Short Édition’s website and in six short story dispensers across the U.S. This year, Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C., has its own short story dispenser; other locations include the New York Public Library, the Charlotte Mecklenberg Library (Charlotte, N.C.), Elliott Bay Book Co. (Seattle), Prairie Lights Books and Café (Iowa City), and Sip & Sonder (Inglewood, Calif.).

In addition to collecting short stories about money and helping authors reach audiences, Principal Foundation also is partnering with We Are Teachers, an online community that shares free classroom resources with educators. Together, Principal Foundation and We Are Teachers plan to develop K–12 lesson plans around financial literacy and storytelling, using Money Chronicles stories as reading assignments and writing prompts.