Water Themed Flash Competition Results

As the slight delay in announcing these winners indicates, it’s been an agonising decision this time. So an extra big well done to everyone who reached the shortlist stage! As always thank you to everyone that entered too and I’d also like to shout-out everyone that has shared comments and well-wishes across social media throughout the year. Now, drumroll…

Winner: The Oxbow Parenthesis by Anne Howkins

Why Amanda chose it: Great voice for this troubled young girl with excellent use of language. Loved how the descriptions of the river in her geography lesson were used to reveal so much more about her life. Excellent take on the theme.

Read it here

 

 

Runner-up: The Fairytale Ending by Jan Kaneen

Why Amanda chose it: This epic flash tale covers such a huge span of time to tell a personal story of a family and also of the climate change issue the world is facing. Really clever writing.

Read it here

 

 

Runner-up: Climate Change by Epiphany Ferrell

Why Amanda chose it: Fantastic voice and a real sense of mystery set up around the narrator and what she’s up to right from the offset. Lovely imagery and like how the title misleads you so the real meaning of the story is slowly uncovered.

Read it here

 

 

Highly commended: The Absolution by Jude Hayland and The Last Piece of the Puzzle by Stephanie Percival

Both serious contenders and it was a tough decision to make.

 

 

The final themed comp deadline for the year (EARTH) is nearly here, 29th December 2019. Winners get cash prizes and published on the website. Get all the info here. If you’re regularly entering our Flash Fiction comps and interested in other flashy things, check out our new Flash Fiction Memberships, tailored to suit the flashing enthusiast.

 

Wind Themed Flash Competition Results

Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry in our latest themed comp! We had a great selection of stories to choose from, so well done if you made it to the shortlist stage and congratulations to our winners.

Winner: Emmylou, Patron Saint of Dirt-Poor Folks by Sharon Boyle

Why Amanda chose it: This feels epic for a flash. The poor hungry town and the people within it were so vividly portrayed that I was completely swept away by Emmy-Lou’s tale and loved the ambiguity of the ending. But I know who I think was going up rather than down.

Read it here

 

 

Runner-up: Zephyr Zefferelli by Nicola Ashbrook

Why Amanda chose it: Fantastic imagery and use of language and a huge life and world in so few words. Switching POV in a flash doesn’t often work but in this case, it really does. Love the last paragraph and the narrator’s realisation that she can be whatever she wants.

Read it here

 

 

Runner-up: The Perfect Word by Bev Morris

Why Amanda chose it: Sensuality and lust oozes from every carefully chosen word here. I loved how it wasn’t initially clear what kind of story this would turn out to be and I had no idea what was going to happen.

Read it here

 

 

The deadline for the next theme comp (WATER) is nearly here, 29th September 2019. Winners get cash prizes and published on the website. Get all the info here. If you’re regularly entering our Flash Fiction comps and interested in other flashy things, check out our new Flash Fiction Memberships, tailored to suit the flashing enthusiast.