CONTESTS

FLASH FICTION CONTEST

Every year, we hold a Flash Fiction contest judged by a guest writer from the flash fiction world. Stay tuned for an announcement about our 2023 Flash Fiction Contest.

Until then, learn more about the winners of our 2022 Flash Fiction Contest, thoughtfully selected by guest judge Cheryl Pappas:

FIRST PLACE:

Honeytrap

About the author:

Michelle Champagne is the Editor-in-Chief of Susurrus, A Literary Arts Magazine of the American South. She earned her Master’s in English at Wake Forest University, where she was the Graduate Fellow for Fiction Collective 2. Her work has been published in The Pinch, Ligeia, Sledgehammer Lit, and more.

Cheryl's note:
“Honeytrap” dances between worlds, between elements of familiar myths and fairy tales and commonplace ones from our modern lives; it questions in delightful, awake language those age-old symbols—apples and sleeping girls—all while offering a narrative that tells the reader: This is a lie. Keep listening. The last line is deliciously fierce. The fatal flaw will surprise you. I kept reading this story again and again to understand its magic.

SECOND PLACE:

Gorgon

About the author:

Originally from the midwest, Alex now lives in Brooklyn, NY. She spends her days helping improve government services as part of the growing civic tech community. In her spare time she writes short fiction, runs, and tries to get her two cats to take her seriously. alexbisker.com

Cheryl's note:
I was absolutely captivated by this tightly woven modern retelling about Medusa, one of the three Gorgon sisters. In sensual, vivid detail, we see this young woman on the verge of transformation after she goes home with a man from the bar. I was impressed that the writer so judiciously incorporated backstory, as well, with fresh, haunting imagery.

For more about our winning writers, check out their Q&A on our Features page.