Summer Writing Contest

This summer, Short Fiction Break is partnering with The Write Practice to host a writing contest in which everyone gets published.

THE SUMMER WRITING CONTEST

In June of 2020, we hosted our Summer Writing Contest in partnership with The Write Practice. The theme was Isolation.

Alone in a room. Alone in the world. Trapped together. Or . . . free from other people? Wherever your story goes, and however many characters pass through it, be sure to incorporate isolation.

WINNERS OF THE SUMMER WRITING CONTEST

We received hundreds of excellent submissions. After much deliberation, our judges selected the following winning stories:

Grand Prize:
Dark Time by Demi LeJeune

Runners Up (alphabetized by author):
The Aisle by Stacey Barnes
A Study in Cashmere by Joslyn Chase

Honorable Mentions (alphabetized by author):
Crowds of Light by Ryan Freeman
Behind Her Mask by Sharon Hetherington
Freedom by Jordy Hines
Eleven Birthdays by Erica Roberts
Should Have Waited by Carole Wolfe

SHORTLISTED STORIES

There were so many good stories in this contest, the judges were hard-pressed to narrow their selections to just a handful of winners. While the following stories didn’t win a prize, the judges noted them as some of their favorites.

Alone with All You’ve Created by H.P. Borley
Sequestered in Grief by des Anges Cruser
The Closet Door by Christy DeRienzis
Alistair In Isolation by Lisa Hoenisch
The Doors by Kacy Hogg
The Three of Us by F T Jackson
The Outside by Alex Klarke
Annie by Chris LaRoche
Shadows of the Chateau d’If by Darrell Eugene McGuire
Low Tide by Anita Merriman
Unlocked by Ashlyn McKayla Ohm
Decay by April Renee Russell
Womb by Kerri Scott

READERS’ CHOICE AWARD

As the judges sifted through the entries, we invited you to vote for your favorite story to win the Readers’ Choice Award.

The winner of the Readers’ Choice Award is Till the Last Breath by Bisan Mourad. Congratulations, Bisan!

JUDGES

At Short Fiction Break, we believe there are two groups of stars in every writing contest. The first group is obvious: all the writers who enter their stories, who bravely offer their writing for critique, judging, and publication.

The second group is less obvious, but equally important: the contest judges, working hard behind the scenes to read every story and select a handful of the very best.

This contest was judged by a panel of two judges, an author and editor team.

The Editor: Abigail K. Perry is a Story Grid certified editor with a sharp eye for a great story. She received a B.S. in TV, Radio, and Film from Syracuse University (Newhouse) and a Master’s in Secondary Education from Endicott College before receiving her Story Grid editor certification. Now, she teaches writers at her local bookstore, her DIY MFA column, and her podcast, Story Effect. And of course, she shares her best storytelling wisdom with writers through her editorial services.

Find out more about Abigail’s editing services here.

The Author: M MacKinnon worked for several years as a middle school English teacher before returning to her love of storytelling. Now, M MacKinnon is the author of three novels that combine paranormal romance, modern mystery, and humor. She loves to write emotions: love, hate, fear, redemption, second chances. She lives in New Jersey and spends one month each year in the Scottish Highlands, her happy place and source of her inspiration.

Explore M MacKinnon’s writing, including The Comyn’s Curse, the first novel in the Highland Spirits series, on her website.

Find out more about the panel and the judging process here.