Editor’s Choice Award ($1000)
- Hot Pink by Susan Mockler (2021)
- 2022 Coming Soon!
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
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
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
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