Editor’s Choice Award ($1000)
- “Mall, 2004” by Alice Martin (2021)
- “Hot Pink” by Susan Mockler (2020)
Contest Winners
Learn More about Our Contest Here
First Place Winners ($500)
- “Ballad of the Wren” by Luis Garcia Romero
- “Dandelion Ghosts” by Jen Knox
- “Here We Are” by Robyn Allers
- “Regular John” by Dustin Walker
- “Boys” by Jody M. Keene
- “Exterminating Angel” by Kathryn Kulpa
- “He Opens One More Door” by Andrea Goyan
- “Last Seconds” by Jack Zaccaro
Second Place Winners ($300)
- “A Childhood Ago” by Amanda White
- “Spanish Ham & Cigarettes” by Annie Kuster
- “The Night Chisel” by Phoebe Brueckner
- “How I Learned to Read” by Kathryn Kulpa
- “Hock” by Michael Kozart
- “We Are the Welcoming Committee” by Tracy Neiman
- “Bertha’s Big Break” by Hannah Sears
- “Compromise” by Michael Gigandet
Third Place Winners ($200)
- “Kettlebell Kate and Handsome Jake” by Elisabeth Giffin Speckman
- “Mathieu” by Stephanie Grella
- “Donuts; A Piece of an Image or an Image of a Piece” by C.A. Coffing
- “Don’t Move” by Barbara Ridley
- “Just a Girl” by Kait Leonard
- “The History Shop” by Mathew Channer
- “Clown Shoes” by Michael Kozart
- “Ruin” by M. J. Bekelian
Best Microfiction Nominations
2022
This year we chose a fantastic selection of microfiction, up to 400 words, to nominate for Best Microfiction 2022. These nominations are judged by award-winning microfiction writer/editor Meg Pokrass, Flannery O’Connor Prize-winning author Gary Fincke, and guest judge Tania Hershman.
Though these pieces are short, they left lasting impressions on our editors.
“This Is the Room” by Finnian Burnett
Editor Susan Jessen says, “‘This is the Room’ examines the scars left behind from a home where unspeakable horrors happened.”
“The Rain in My Chest” by Marissa Meche
Editor Sean Cunningham says, “‘The Rain in My Chest’ explores the conflicting thoughts and emotions of a child with a peculiar gift.”
“All The Things They Couldn’t Hand Back” by Emma Phillips
Editor Susan Jessen says, “‘All The Things They Couldn’t Hand Back’ provides a poetically poignant look at loss as memories of a ruptured relationship haunt the protagonist.”
“As Told at the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville, Texas” by Maxwell Radwin
Editor Rhonda Schlumpberger says, “The story reveals a tale of a grieving wife who enters the U.S. illegally following her husband’s gruesome, unnecessary death. This story will hit anyone who reads it between the heart’s ventricles.”
Excitingly, “All the Things They Couldn’t Hand Back” by Emma Phillips was chosen by final judge Tania Hershman to appear in Best Microfiction 2022.
To see the full list of selected stories, you can read the Best Microfiction 2022 announcement here.
Pushcart Prize Nominations
The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses, which was established in 1976, showcases a selection of poetry, short stories, and nonfiction in its annual publication. The included works are selected from those nominated by magazine and book editors.
2021
“Becoming Roadkill” by James Cato
Editor Susan Jessen says, “‘Becoming Roadkill’ provides an absurdist view of the workplace, showcasing how younger generations are often forced to rely on their chutzpah and creativity to adapt and innovate in order to navigate a world filled with financial worries.”
“Candy Eucharist” by Michelle Bellman
Managing Editor Keely Gardiner says, “Juxtaposition is what draws you into the heart of ‘Candy Eucharist. It’s a story of frustration, faith and hope that takes place in a public restroom. The journey the reader is taken on feels spiritual and profound. The image of fizzing Necco candies will stick with you and continue to resonate long after reading that final killer line.”
“Falling” by C.A. Coffing
Editor Rhonda Schlumpberger says, “‘Falling’ tells the tale of friends looking for solutions inside a trailer on a cold night, and one girl, Layla, finds unexpected answers only a horse, the stars, and magic bring.”
“Growing Season” by Molly Weisgrau
Editor Susan Jessen says, “‘Growing Season’ dissects an intimate relationship much in the same way the male character autopsies mice as part of his research.”
“Mall, 2004” by Alice Martin
Editor Susan Jessen says, “‘Mall, 2004’ reminisces about teenaged trips to the mall. Even as time passes and friendships fade, all it takes is a visit to the mall for the feelings of comfort, belonging, and sanctuary to surface.”
“The Night Chisel” by Phoebe Brueckner
Editor Rhonda Schlumpberger says, “Phoebe Brueckner’s ‘The Night Chisel’ releases Lara’s powerful story of time and its ravages and the battle Lara wages silently in the hands of the master sculptor.”
2020
- “The Big Ear: A Cautionary Tale” by Mary Roher-Dann
- “Everyone Needs a Little Granny” by Anne Howkins
- “How to Keep from Sinking” by Jan Alexander
- “A Childhood Ago” by Amanda White
- “Ballad of the Wren” by Luis Garcia Romero
- “Promises” by Suzanne C Martinez
2019
- “Birds of Prey” by Coco Mellors
- “A Chicago Story” by Megan Catana
- “Eden” by Allison King
- “In Other Words” by Liz Hufford
- “Luigia and Saint Francis” by Nathan Bogart
- “A Lesson on the Properties of Life” by Patrick Lind