This spring, Short Fiction Break is partnering with The Write Practice to host a writing contest in which everyone gets published.
WINNERS OF THE SPRING WRITING CONTEST
We received hundreds of excellent submissions. After much deliberation, our judges selected the following winning stories:
Grand Prize:
Happy and You Know It by James Whittaker
Runners Up (alphabetized by author):
One Final Leap by Jennifer Chance
I Am Not A Crook by Joslyn Chase
Honorable Mentions (alphabetized by author):
Forgive Me by Jessica Deen
A Visit From Death by Christopher Hikari
White Blanket by Sevan Ivory
A Thousand Fires by Samran Ramzan
To Keep the Beast Away by Sam Roche
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.
Making Things Right With Ziggy by Joe Arcara
Draw! by Valorie Clark
The Ritual by Ichabod Ebenezer
He Thinks He’ll Keep Her by Jodi Elderton
Here There Be Monsters by Cheyenne Freligh
Beyond Human Capacity by Michael Hotchkiss
By Maiden’s Hand by Monique Legaspi
FREE AS A BIRD by Gayle Woodson
READERS’ CHOICE AWARD
While the judges considered 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 The Maze by Kimberly Dawn Rempel. Congratulations, Kimberly!
SPONSORS
The prizes for this contest are provided by the following sponsors:
Story Grid: Story Grid Editors is the editing service arm of the Story Grid. If you need an editor who fully understands your story and where it needs to go to be successful, working with a Story Grid Certified Editor is your best option. You can learn more and get matched with your editor here.
Becoming Writer: Becoming Writer is the premier workshopping community from The Write Practice. Contest participants receive six weeks’ access to the workshopping community to get feedback on their short stories, novel chapters, and other writing pieces.
SPRING WRITING CONTEST STORIES
You can find all the stories writers chose to publish in the contest below.
If you chose to publish your story, we encourage you to read this guide to help you get the most out of publication on Short Fiction Break.
Unsinkable by Trynda E. Adair
A Mother’s Sacrifice by Kayla Aldan
Third Shift by Michael Alden
Making Things Right With Ziggy by Joe Arcara
The Appraisal by Odet Aszkenasy
So Much Darkness by Judy Atterberry
Time Will Tell by Prakriti Bakshi
The Turning by Levli Barzel
White Anemones by L.S. Beddes
In God I trust by Dominick Bianco
Punching the Clouds by Judy Blackburn
Cheeseburger and A Bang by K.J. Blanco
Jail by Joslyn Boissiere
The Sweetness by Zia bon Signore
Trip by Claude Bornel
Too Soon by Mia Botha
There is Nothing Outside by Rey Braccini
Critique by James Braun
Time to Go by Roberta Brown
The Hanging Tree by Liam Buck
Test Story by Joe Bunting
Neighbor Danger by Sheila Burns
Lake Reveur by B.M. Burns
The Never List by Rita Campbell
Hobson’s Choice by J Hardy Carroll
Peyton Got His Gun by Tom Chambless
One Final Leap by Jennifer Chance
The End of the Struggle… by David A. Chase
I Am Not A Crook by Joslyn Chase
Now Or Never by T.M. Taylor
Impossible Choice by Justine H. Cho
The Yellowskins by Jonathan Chung- Young
Draw! by Valorie Clark
The Scoutmaster by Donald J. Claxton
The Way Home by Teresa Coffey
Just Getting By by Victoria Collins
BUGGED by Bernadette Conroy
Sacrifice by Eleanor Hartley
Death at a Funeral: A Short Story by A.V. Cottingham
Who Am I? by Karen Crawford
A Sense of Foreboding by J. H. O’Rourke
A Gift for the Daughter of Demeter by Emily Currie
A Curse and A Prayer by Hannah Custer
The Queen Bee by J. C. Darcy
So Pretty by Molly Mack
The Miraculous Hand of Fatima by Jan Darling
Life Saver by John Dawson
Forgive Me by Jessica Deen
Crisp Money by Junior Demerara
Auto Reply: Out of Office by J. A. VenDeor
To Save Her by Rae B Zuka
Lucky by Carmine DiCostanzo
American Hero by Des Dixon
Sins of the Father by William Douglass
Winning at Any Cost by Joie Michaels
The Blue Strip by Catharina Hof
The Ritual by Ichabod Ebenezer
My Darling Boy by Laura Eiras
He Thinks He’ll Keep Her by Jodi Elderton
She by Jewel Eliese
Don’t Make Me Shoot You by Jeff Elkins
The Walls of Whitechapel by CM Eubanks
White Blanket by Sevan Ivory
Pride by Gregory Faraone
To Say Goodbye by Susan Walker Finlay
Legacy or Chocolate Broccoli by Shane Fitzpatrick
Doctor’s Orders by Ann Fowler
Here There Be Monsters by Cheyenne Freligh
The Difference Between Blood and Water by Beleria J. Fulks
The Crow by KG
The Courtyard by Eric Gahagan
The Cocktail Dress by Amanda Garzia
Through the Flames by Cora Gascon
Bond of Crimson by J. M. Gill
Strength by Michelle Glassley
The Price of Entry by David Hylands
A Look in the Mirror by Gabriela Gonzalez
The Pit by Alicyn Grace
Line of Sight by Sarah Elizabeth Graves
Prisoner by Janet Leigh Green
‘Worthy Of Honor’ by Melissa Bisbano Guckin
Better in the Trees by P.J. Hack
Sounds in the Night by Scott Hamilton
Disobeying Orders by Grumps
Tamar’s Counsel by Verbieann Hardy
Seven Seconds by D. A. Harrell
Mystery, Kansas and ” The Case of the Missing Bus Money” by Rochelle Herman
Teenage Amusement Park Love by Roman Ambrosia
Accidents Will Happen by Laurie Holding
Beyond Human Capacity by Michael Hotchkiss
The Cost by Mari Hotchkiss
JUSTICE by Jacqueline Houchin
My Cold, Dead Carcass by Sharri Hough
The Decision by Tom Housden
Melody by Ashleigh House
CHOICES by Lorry Hubbard
One Summer Night by Michael Hughes
Pass the parcel by Lorraine Hurley
Talking Bodies by Michael Ingco
Dubium by Paul Isaac
Dark Blessing by Mercy Jackson
The Vacation by Theresa Jacobs
Hangman by Shukran Jacobs
Unravel by Asma’ Jailani
Best Bad Choice by Gloria Jainchill
Ticket to Hell by Julie Jensen
Sisters by Lorraine Johnston
Family Comes First by Elizabeth Jones
My Mothers’ Love by Cheri K Jones
A hundred dollars a day is not worth it! by Mara Jorge
Ravi’s Story by Narayan Kamath
True Colors by Diane Kane
The Last Day of Summer by Colleen Ashley Karl
The hope of Overseas by Adie Kaushik
Kill Shot by Rylee Ann
America, 11:17 by Traci Keel
Make It Right by Larry M. Keeton
Trickster by Cheryl Kesling
Runway by Krystyna Khara
Last Time by Last Time
Never Think Twice by Ty Kirchner
The Boar Room by Stacey Knox
The Great Escape by Michael Konigsberg
The Rivet by Angel M. Kwok
The whole ocean in you by Kostiantyn Kyrpach
A Future Victory by Catherine Lamb
By Maiden’s Hand by Monique Legaspi
Think Tank by Katana Lemelin
People who Care by A.R. Harlow
Flight or Fight by Gary G. Little
A Drop in a Dry Ocean by Raymond Lowengard
The Fork by Nalini MacNab
A Distinct Light by Shahroze Malik
Trapping Hope by Amy Moone
Christmas Angel by Jeff L Mauser
Their Purpose is to Destroy Us by Jack McDermot
D.N.R. by D.R. McElroy
His Bed by Amanda McFadden
The Family Pet by S. E. McKee
The Best Road to Life by Marlene McPherson
Young Sorrows by Josiah Mitchell
No Right Or Wrong by Maria Carmelina Montesano
Keep the Faith by Sue Moreines
Making the Grade: Final Exam by KT Morley
Call Me Number 9 by Jaimi Morrigan
THE BUCKET LIST by Morlino Morris
No Man’s Land by Monisha Mukherjee
Weed Killer by Chris Murphy
Line of Sorrow by LJ Newlin
The Savior by Jamie Hansen Niebergall
IN BETWEEN by Ioana Maria Nistor
Every choice you make, makes you by SJ O’Neill
The Anchor in My Waves by Marien O’
Kill Me or I Kill Myself by Angelika Orlowski
A Place of His Own by Joe Oswald
My Best Friend by R.K. Parker
Eliza’s Choice by Ingrid Pearce
#MeThree by ross riter
Cara’s Conundrum by Trish Perry
Trust Me by Timothy.911.2001@gmail.com
A Evil Named Bastard by Nicole Pilling
As Long as it Takes by John Pink
BEST MATES by Shane Pinnegar
The Hands Of Truth by FS Pollard
Stolen Reflection by Erik Porter
Between A Rock And A Hard Place by Didi Portia
Granting Grace by P Squared
The Significance of Snapdragons by Evelyn Puerto
The Offer. by Salim R
PLUG IT OFF by Raghav
Flesh-Eater by Andrew Milton
That Shakespeare Line by KD Northwich
A Thousand Fires by Samran Ramzan
In the Ring by K. Rawson
The Red Ball by Michelle Shinn
Anni-88 by T.R. Tennyson
Steel Still Standing by Lisa Marie Reiswig
The Maze by Kimberly Dawn Rempel
The dignity. by Izzy Richards
Power Play by Erin Riha
Shipwrecked by Miguel Rivera
Pretty Wreaths and Palm Trees by Kara Roberts
My Puppy Stays in the Basement by Kim Robinson
To Keep the Beast Away by Sam Roche
6 Weeks Ago by Shannon Rodger
Wave of Danger by Pernell Rogers
The ZeeMo Box by Caleb Ross
A Burden is Lifted by Alisa Russell
The Storm by Cathy Ryan
Ill Fated by Anna Savastano
The Royal Farm of Nem Thuong by Victor Paul Scerri
Dichotomy by Seth Sehon
The Medical Student by Sridhar Shankar
A Visit From Death by Christopher Hikari
At Dawn by Brittany Shockey
Iona Calling by Evelyn Sinclair
Vote or Die by Larnelle Sinegal
A Necessary Surrender by Doug Smith
Signed, I Love You by B. Shuan Smith
Marcy by Renette Steele
Your Choice by Sherrie L. Stewart
Safe/unsafe by B.Storm
An Unexpected Turn by DL Strand
Dry Well by Robert David Strawn
Raising Ghosts by Kris Traverse
MONSTER by Christina Trevino (also writing as Roegin)
‘Til Death Do Us Part by Aurelie Trine
The Hawk in an Aviary by Jun Tsang
The Freedom Thief by Hannah Tussing
The Lost Memories of Hyacinth Reeves by K.M. Updike
The Cost of a Legacy by Skyler Vincent
The Town That Time Forgot by Grace Walker
The Father, The Son, and The Holy Guitar by Terra L. Walker
A Death Roll and Hail Mary by Rod Wallace
To Protect by Jordan Washington
A Sister’s Choice by K.W. Riley
POWER OF THE RING AND THE AMULET by Karin E Weiss
Life’s Curveball – Sydney by LRW
Happy and You Know It by James Whittaker
Strong Enough by R. Scott Wiley
In the Lion’s Den by Joya Williams
The New Ramtha by J.L. Wilson
I do, I do by Jo Winwood
FREE AS A BIRD by Gayle Woodson
Murder of Morals by Lina Wrangert
A Mother’s Choice by Sofia Emory
The 9mm Kiss by Miguel A. Zamora
The Option by John D. Ziegler
The Wishing Well by Janna Zuercher
Congratulations to all who entered!