Like the repeating phases of the moon highlighted with our new issue LUNAR and our AAPI contest, we acknowledge how despite embracing our changes, we often find ourselves circling back to our roots—the traditions, culture, and people we love that are a significant part of our upbringing. 

This struggle in understanding our heritage in the presence of societal expectations and pressures to assimilate hurts the way we perceive ourselves. As Isabel J. Kim in Homecoming is Just Another Word for the Sublimation for the Self portrays, assimilation splits the human identity into two parts: one—the person before immigration and two—the person after immigration. We may become a foreigner to ourselves, justifying our actions against prevalent stereotypes and microaggressions, most notably the title of the “model minority” in regard to cultural practices and superstitions.

At Fleeting Daze Magazine, we believe these stories deserve to be told and highlighted. With the 32nd AAPI Heritage Month, we want to bring this fervor of appreciation and acknowledgment of AAPI culture to the writing community. 

We are looking for pieces that explore reminiscence, contemplate, reflect and celebrate all parts of Asian American heritage and culture. Feel free to write about any aspect of your individual, unique experiences. We seek pieces that not only hold a distinctive voice, but also bring new perspective and nuance to the AAPI community.

The Staff team will shortlist standout entries. Final winners/placements will be selected by a guest judge.

Cash Prizes:

1st place: $100

2nd place: $50

3rd place: $25

Winners will be contacted individually to receive and distribute awards.  All shortlisted pieces are guaranteed publication in Issue II: LUNAR. 

recognition

1. To be eligible to enter, all entrants must have Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry.

2. We look for writing submissions only- prose (fiction/nonfiction/memoir), poetry, or hybrid.  

3. Please use the linked Google Form for contest submissions. Please do not submit AAPI Contest materials to our general Issue #2 submission form.

4. Remove all identifying information (name, etc) from your submitted file.

5. You may enter as many pieces as you want. However, please separate each piece into its own individual file. Multiple pieces within one entry file will be disqualified.

6. Work must be original. Any submission created from AI or plagiarized will be immediately rejected.

7. Submissions expressing anything homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist, etc. sentiments will be immediately rejected. 

8. If your piece contains sensitive topics, please indicate this in your submission. If you have questions regarding the content of your piece, reach out to fleetingdazemag@gmail.com with your inquiry.

9. If accepted, we ask for first North American serial and electronic rights. All rights return to the author after publication.

10. If the form doesn't work for whatever reason, feel free to email us with your submission at fleetingdazemag@gmail.com . Please format the subject line as follows: AAPI CONTEST SUBMISSION- [TITLE OF WORK]. Please include a short bio no longer than 100 words.

guidelines