This summer, Short Fiction Break is partnering with The Write Practice to host a writing contest in which everyone gets published.
WINNERS OF THE SUMMER WRITING CONTEST
We received hundreds of excellent submissions. After much deliberation, our judges selected the following winning stories:
Grand Prize:
Sinking Feeling by Jace Hawkins
Runners Up (alphabetized by author):
The Darkness of Space by Laura Cookson
Murphy’s Law of Home Improvement by M. R. Tevebaugh
Honorable Mentions (alphabetized by author):
To See The Sun by Joslyn Chase
Into Skye by Stacey Horton
Family Affairs by Karen Kinley
After the Storm by Ashlyn McKayla Ohm
High by Julie Stroem
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.
The Flight by Ken Carriere
Darla, His Last Love by Paul
One Room, Two Devils by T.V. Phelps
The Open Door by Cathy Ryan
A Smaller Box by Gabrielle Sanders
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 Who’s There by Anthony Mantuano. Congratulations, Anthony!
SPONSORS
The prizes for this contest are provided by the following sponsor:
The Write Practice Pro: The Write Practice Pro 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.
SUMMER WRITING CONTEST STORIES
You can find all the stories writers chose to publish in the contest below.
The Lecture by Thomas Lee Abshier
Entangled by Trynda E. Adair
Carosel by Tom P. Alberti
Unlocked by Kenda Alexander
Sitting In My room by Riana Alkaff
The hope by Mizoun Alsadouni
The Pools of the Dying by Kasey Anderson
Masterpiece by Ben Anderson
King Life’s Heart by Zane S. Andrew
“Wheels of Gold” by Stephanie Archangelus
Forked Tongue by Jess Bagnall
The Mercy of Trees by Lila Bakke
The Room by Marta Aleksandra Balinska
Vyrolent by Jorin M.T. Balynas
No Warning by Austin Bartolo
Please Rewind by Christin Baumgart
Josh by Laura Beiler
Trading Paint by Marlene M. Bell
Iris and her mother by Karen Bellinger
The Turned Tables by Sahil Bharwani
A Simple Flash of Time by Judy Blackburn
The Postcard Arrived by Michael F Blankenstein
A Room at the Back of My Mind by Katie Borley
The Mother by K.C. Bouy
Through Her Eyes by Anouchka Oppinger Bowne
The Liturgy of the Hours by Heather K. Bradley
No Mercy by Phyllis Brandano
No Choices by AA Brown
Final Reprimand by C. Richard Burge
The Storm by Cynthia Callard
Regression by Scarlett Boleyn
THE LOCKUP by Debra Campoli
The Flight by Ken Carriere
Object Argus by William Carter
Tommy Pulls His Pen by Tom Chambless
For the Glory of the Dread Lord by David A. Chase
To See The Sun by Joslyn Chase
Another Day in Clearwater by Sarah Chen
Win or Lose by Nicohle Christopherson
The Raid by D G Coates
The Empathetic Dark by Marshall Coleman
Wild Pigs, Bucking Broncs, Yukon Jack equivalent of Tequila by John Collier
Silence by Mike Conradt
The Darkness of Space by Laura Cookson
All In by Donny Cooper
Before the Pruning Sheers by Tamara Paxton Copley
Wheel of Fortune by Ben Coppin
7 Seconds in Heaven by Robert Corra
I’LL GET AROUND TO IT by Roseann Cotton
OLD SPICE by Karen Crawford
The Pact by J. H. O’Rourke
Three Fingers by Melanie Daniels
The Conspirators by Sandra Moyers
Just Like Always by L.W. Davie
The Final Sum by Joyce-Eliah Dean
Together Again by Jessica Deen
The Crypt by Matthew Delaney
Helluva Good Company by Megan Dineen
An Empty Room by Hritik Dutta
Like Flowers to the Sun by Maxwell Dyke
Alive. by CeeCee Elaine
KILL SEQUENCE by David Elderton
Captive by Jodi Elderton
A Smoke-Filled Room by Gregory Faraone
A Taste of Life and a Slice of Death by Valerie Feigen
Bob’s Job. by Shane Fitzpatrick
Four Corners by EJ Flynn
Darla, His Last Love by Paul
The Light by Markesha Fountain
The Letter by Ann Fowler
Homeboy by Vernon Friday
Sunday Best by Lance Fulton
Astride the Fence by Eve Garnier
The Mural by Iyana Assan
Destiny’s Call by TrueTheory
The Ballroom by Evelyan Briar
8:45 A.M. by Daniel Gonzalez
I Wish I had a Nightlight by Alicyn Grace
The Dish by Heather Jasmine
The Waiting Room by Carlene Griffith
What Do You Do with a Broken Bible? by Ruby Grove
Pink by Laurel Jean
Ernaline by Melissa Bisbano Guckin
Wooden Mirrors by Abigail Hamann
Fresco by Nychelle
A Change of Space by Ayesha Harben
The Tear by Bethany Heston
Celestia by Natalie Hibberd
1,528 Days. by Jade Hinder
The Boy and the Girl by David Hinebaugh
“MY” Room by Coleen Holley
My Brother Sees Demons by Katy Hope
Into Skye by Stacey Horton
The Nick of Time by Sharri Hough
Virtual Connection by Tom Housden
“Free Fall” by Linnea Brigid Douglas Ayers Houskeeper”
A Constraint on Having a Good Vacation by John C Hughes
Determined by Mary E. Humphrey
Love Finds A Way by Robert Leigh-Hunt
Patient 1313 by Lorraine Hurley
A Piece of History by Mercy Jackson
That Room by Gloria
Vicarious Victoria by Cheryl Jenkins
Essence by Lina Jenson
Paige and the Epiphany by Chris T.N. Jenson
IF ONLY by ZANNU
The Shoebox(formerly called A Long Life Lived) by L.M. Johnston
Clean Laundry by Ray Kelly
Hidden Words by Alan Kennamer
Triptych by Justus Kessler
The Joy of Tight Spaces by Linda Kiefer
It’s Not Just Rita by Wanda Kiernan
Quick Changes by Shonda Kimmel
Forever by Lauren King
Here by Sarah M. Kipp
Candle Wax by Auman Landry
cowabunga by jenna langbaum
Platitudes by Pamela Lear
Time’s Farewell by S.O. Rhapsody
The Outhouse by Susan J. Liddle
In This Room by Gary G Little
Jail Cell #109 by Marijade Long-Bélair
To Protect Those You Touch by J Brooke L
The Magic Portal in my Room by Arundhati Madhusudan
Cora Griffin by Imogen Mann
An Equal Opportunity Invader by Barton K Mann
Who’s There by Anthony Mantuano
Sweet Dreams by Kristin Martiniello
The Attorney by Gilbert Masie
Bare Landscape by Desiree McCullough
The Power to Veto by JoAnn McGrath
A New Light From a Dark Hotel by Darrell Eugene McGuire
Should the Mind Need to Hide by S.E.McKee
A Belated Muse by Robert McMeen
Bubbles by Daniela McBeal
The Way Home by Julie Meier
SIGNS OF THINGS TO COME by Sue Moreines
The Institute’s Last Doll by Laurie
A Prisoner of fear by Sophie
The Light Is Bluer by Jeffrey Muchuweni Becker
Behind the Wallpaper by Monisha Mukherjee
Confidence by Sabina Muller
The Sound of Death by Michael Munson
The Resident in Room 163 by Chris Murphy
PLAYING ALONG WITH BATA by JANE NANNONO
Interrogation Room by Ellis Nash
The Sentence by Elizabeth Nettleton
Barbara by LJNewlin
Conning Irma by Vuyo Ngcakani
Butterfly Rain by Christian Nicholls
Circles by Lisa
The irony of my life by Fatimah Nyamekye
The Wake by EndlessExposition
Trapped by Emily O’Neal
Death and Blue-Cheese by Tyler O’Sullivan
They are Monsters by N. Perry
After the Storm by Ashlyn McKayla Ohm
Moth Ado About Nothing by Marien Oommen
In sickness and in health by Alena Oosthuizen
Turning Point by Marka Ormsby
Frostfell by Aliyah Kaitlyn
These Four Walls filled with our present, future and flaws by Evita Pagan
Deep Dive by Charles Parker
Eggs for Sale by M.J. Patrick
Lunchtime! by Adrian Mike Pearce
The Witness List by Leo Perez
TO GET A ROOM WITH A VIEW YOU NEED A LITTLE LUCK by www.rossriter.com
One Room, Two Devils by T.V. Phelps
Rapunzel by Nicole Pilling
Terrarium by Nicholas Popkey
Estimated Time Of Arrival: To Be Determined by Perrin Pring
The Bright, Fluorescent Side by Elizabeth Quigley
REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED SILENT by Raghavendra Prasad
Taking The Leap by Lisa Swain
Good Medicine by C. S. Rambo
Spring by Yajiv
Winter Symphony by Nathaniel Ravencraft
An Undeserved Miracle by T.R. Tennyson|
Reparation by SD Reid
On the Bridge by Christi Reynard
Mortality by Arin Roberson
Where am I? by Ruth Rodenbeck
The Librarian’s Ghost by Rowan Rook
Limbo by John Pink
The Open Door by Cathy Ryan
Witness of Harmony by Shannon Sacoman
A Smaller Box by Gabrielle Sanders
Mind Over Matter by N.G. Sarrate
Enough by Keneesha Saunders-Liddie
Out of Office by Alexa Schmitz
Family Affairs by Karen Kinley
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades by Marge Sells
Blood Moon by Talia Semeniuk
Where is He? by Alberta Sequeira
“My God! Which is the Starboard Engine?” by George Shaddock
Ginnie’s Room by Nidhi Sharma
A Note by Esther Shongwan
Souls R Us™ by C.L. Sigurdson
Jeremiah’s Best Trick by Madeline Slovenz
Baby of Theirs by Mahlon Smoke
Tattoo Artist by Katherine E. Soto
Far From Home by Jonathan Srock
Black and White by Malcolm Allen
An Unexpected Guest by Sydney Steuernagel
High by Julie Stroem
The Eighth by Onassa Sun
Conversations with Myself by Joanne Swain
Truth Be Told by S.T. Te
Memories Unhinged by Ashley Taylor
Murphy’s Law of Home Improvement by M. R. Tevebaugh
The Heart by B.L. Thom
Catherine & George — An Unlikely Union by Mari Wagner
The Dying Room by Lauren Timmins
In a Moment by Laura Timpson
1457 by Keegan Tippetts
April by Katrina Tite
My wrong sided Room by Bruce B. Tryon
The Player by Tiffany Wright
Prisoner by Keegan Usher
Funeral Thoughts by Krishna Vaidya
A Day She Will Live Forever by Gabriel Valenzuela
Entrapped by Dawn Van Beck
The Election by Iris Marsh
The Sanctuary by Write30
The Room by David J. Vowell
The night three weeks ago by Anna Vreeling
The Stranger in the Auditorium by Dennis Wagers
You Can’t Go Home Again by Terra L. Walker
The Tear Collector by ShuJen Walker Askew
Three Fingers by Mary Ellen Wall
In Swine’s Skin by Sam Ward
Family Elixir by Tina Weaver
The Blowfish by Daniel Weaver
A Room With a View by Rev. William O. Websster,Jr.
Another Rose by D.C. Weigel
The Door by Quill Treestone
EXPOSED by Joya Williams
The Anteroom by B. O’ree Williams
The ED Room by Christopher Williams
Grow Toward the Light by Rachel Wilson
The Exit by Irene Wintermyer
The Punch by Johanne Winwood
Our Tiny House by Gayle Woodson
Abstract Captivity by B. Wright
Clues Unseen by William Yoder
The Photo Album by Sandra Yoong-Chia
Room of Terrors by Jesse Robert Zabel
A Meditation by Awais Zaka
La Muneca by Miguel A. Zamora
Family Values by Justin Zoller
A Sparrow at the Door by Samran Ramzan
Hidden Words by Alan Kennamer
The Room In The Basement by Rita Boateng
The Party’s Over by Marie casper
How He Eats His Eggs by Sharon Bell
The Man in the Mirror by Marjory Harris
Heat by Jacqueline Parker
Weeding the Garden by Ronnie Wood
The Love Spell by T. Nicole Indigo
Grand Slam by Mo Huang Rolfe
One Way Out by Nick Smith
Congratulations to all who entered!