Flash Fiction Competition Winners: Judge Picks

The winners of our Flash Fiction Competition are officially here! Their extraordinary skill for developing fully-fleshed, beautiful stories in under 100 words earned them the winning title from Guest Judge Samantha Stone. Don't you want to know who won? Read on below to uncover the winning pieces alongside our guest judge's powerful commentary.

Winner:

“Red,” by Tamanna Mathur (United Arab Emirates), age 17

This is a moving and deeply evocative piece. You are able to capture a sense of fear and heartbreak, coupled with a glimmer of hope, that allows your reader to relate to the character and want to know more about the world. The way you combine traditional storytelling with the use of imagery helps paint the picture of the story and invites us in immediately. I like the way you switch between tenses in the first couple sentences, keeping the sense of urgency alive and tempting the reader to want to know more. I also appreciate the juxtaposition between the use of smaller and larger details to illustrate the narrator’s relationship to their proximate and more distant worlds. The use of subtle description—such as the mother realizing the narrator’s sister’s “dress was never red”—conveys an ability to say so much in so few words. 

I have read this story through several times now and have been able to pinpoint new accomplishments of the prose each time I read it. You already have so much talent as a flash fiction writer and much promise in establishing a wonderful writing career and portfolio. Congratulations on a fantastic story; I look forward to reading what you write next!

Runner-Up:

“Rupture,” by Revisha Dudeja (United States), age 14

This is a beautiful and unique story, and I love the way you combine the use of poetic language and literary devices such as personification to drop me right into the world of it. You make a small, contained setting feel huge by the way you identify the objects as characters essential to the urgency of the circumstance. The short, fragmented sentences feel almost lyrical, which bolsters the idea that the world is shattering, literally and figuratively. To that point, you switch back and forth between describing the physical and metaphysical nicely, alternating the use of literal and figurative description—both of which provide the story with truth, just in different ways. For example, stating that the jar shattering brings a “sound of something final” is a wonderful way to think about not just finality of the mundane but finality in a greater sense. 

You use the power of suggestion excellently in this piece, giving the reader much to think about as well as many questions to answer, all in less than 100 words. I appreciate the way you bend genres a bit in this short form as well, as it helps deepen the scope of your piece. Congratulations on this accomplishment; you show immense talent and potential as a writer!

Best Peer Review:

“Project Mowgli,” reviewed by Srini C. (United States), age 15

This is a kind, thoughtful, and helpful peer review. Your marginal comments do a great job illustrating your experience as a reader, both chronologically and based on significance of the text. (It is very useful for a writer to be able to understand how a story is received while it is being read!) I also think you ask the author strong and productive questions, many of which I had myself. I like the way you interpreted the piece’s style as you examined it, acknowledging the challenge of writing in this medium and considering how the author uses the short form to not just achieve but elevate the story. I also think it is beneficial to guide constructive feedback through the mechanism of asking questions, as this illustrates your experience (and occasional confusion) as a reader, rather than acting as prescriptive suggestions—so I very much appreciate that you took this approach in your responses to some of the questions. 

Lastly, I love that you noted that your feedback is meant to be helpful and are merely suggestions, as that shows you acknowledge the writer’s authorship of the piece and are only trying to help them make it the best that it can be. Well done!

Piece Finalists: 

“Aisyah, I miss it.” by jovanka. (Indonesia)

This is a beautiful and emotional piece. You do a good job describing the characters and their relationship. You also create a complete narrative from the beginning to end of the story, which is hard to accomplish in so few words. I like the way you use language to build and define the world around a small yet meaningful moment. The imagery of the paper airplanes holds more weight than just representing a childhood activity, and allows the reader to interpret the ending of the piece in many different ways. You show a lot of potential and talent as a writer. Congratulations on a wonderful story!

“Coffee Keeps You Regular,” by SophieL34343 (Canada)

This is a humorous and thoughtful piece. You do a wonderful job illustrating the personalities of the narrator and their mother and showing how they differ from one another. I like the way you play with the concept of regularity and its various meanings, as well as how you use imagery to illustrate the extraordinary. I'm curious if there are ways to strengthen the arc of the story and make the final sentence feel more like a definitive ending. With flash, no matter how short, it is helpful to think about the journey of the character from start to finish, the way you would with any piece of fiction. You definitely show a lot of potential and talent as a writer and congratulations on a great story!

“Long Division,” by Bella Le (Australia)

This story invites thought, empathy, and a sense of nostalgia. You paint a picture of summer as well as describe a sense of youth that feels relatable, regardless of where you grew up and how old you are now. The use of short and realistic dialogue helps build the world and secure the structure of the story. The subtle but visceral description such as “mango nectarine upon the lips,” and “Mother Nature under my nails,” shows your attention to detail and already present ability to find a unique voice. Congratulations on a wonderful story and I wish you luck with your future writing!

“Practice,” by Anna <3 (Australia)

This is a thoughtful and very emotional piece. You are able to pack so much into so few words, creating a complete arc as well as rich backstory for the narrator and the other characters. The combination of imagery with clear and specific dialogue allows the world to feel fully formed and invite empathy from the reader. After reading through the story a few times, I have many questions, but not necessarily ones I want or need the answers to. You have accomplished a lot here; congratulations!

“Project Mowgli,” by Mahati V. (United States)

This is an engaging and thought-provoking story. You reference the original story from which this is inspired only slightly and have created a piece that stands completely on its own; that is a big achievement of any adaptive piece. I like the juxtaposition between small and specific details with larger rhetorical questions and statements that comment on the theme of human connection in a greater sense. This piece uses sensory detail well to help the reader see, hear, and truly experience this world. You show a lot of talent and potential as a writer and I wish you luck with your future work. Well done!

“Sanctuary,” by frogge (United States)

This is a lovely, thought-provoking piece; you paint a complete picture of this character’s world and illustrate the way she thinks based on the sounds she picks up on. I like the way you use rhetorical questioning to build the stakes of the world as well as deepen the urgency of the individual moment you write about. In some ways this piece reads a bit more like poetry than prose, which is common when writing in this form. Going forward, try to identify the wants and needs of your character throughout the entire arc of the story you are writing, regardless of the length, and use this to guide your work’s structure. Congratulations on a great piece and good luck with your future writing!

“Saudade,” by Azizah Alosaimi (Kuwait)

This is a lovely and thought-provoking piece. I like the way you combine vivid description with active language to illustrate the urgency of the story and the wants of the character. You do a good job juxtaposing the descriptions of physical and emotional hunger and combining these two ideas to paint your larger picture. In so few words and just one paragraph you have created a complete narrative that gives your reader much to think about. Congratulations on a wonderful story and good luck with your future writing!

“The Captain,” by archstrand (United States)

This is a lively and humorous piece that packs a lot into so few words. The characters are well drawn by the way you write their actions and dialogue. I like the use of simile and imagery as well, and would have liked to see a bit more of these devices throughout the entire story, to keep the visualization more easily accessible. However, you have created a complete arc in such a short piece which is very impressive. Congratulations on a wonderful story!

“There will come Salty Days,” by Adenosined (United States)

This is an exciting and curious piece of flash fiction. I love the combination of the first person narrative with the use of present tense so that the reader feels like they are experiencing the story alongside the narrator. The juxtaposition between the literal and abstract descriptions help build the scope of the story and bolsters the themes of humanity and mortality. The brevity of the piece (due to the form) and some of the imagery does allow for it to feel a bit like poetry rather than prose at times, but you keep the narrator active in their journey the entire time to avoid this to the best of your ability. Congratulations on a great piece and good luck with your future writing!

“The Sun Out There,” by Gaby Petrey (United States)

This is an exciting and thought-provoking piece that uses a nice combination of vivid imagery and active language to ask an important question about humanity and one's relationship to the world around them. I love the use of repetition at the end to bolster the narrator's existence and recognition of such at the end. The short form makes it hard to tell a complete story—which you do nicely, but next time think about how you can further use the power of suggestion to fill in any areas of uncertainty the reader may have. Congratulations on a great story and good luck with your future writing!

“The Train Ride Home After Couples Therapy,” by tess154 (United States)

This is a strong and thought-provoking piece that shows a clear understanding of the flash fiction genre. The title gives the reader some extra context before dropping into the clear, well-drawn world. The first-person point-of-view also helps guide the reader through the short yet significant narrative, against the backdrop of a clear and exciting setting. The final line makes me want a bit more from the story and its characters, which is a common challenge for a reader of such short prose. I think a bit more action or definitiveness from the narrator could help strengthen the story's arc. That said, the word limit makes this task challenging. You have a lot of talent and potential as a writer and I wish you luck as you continue to build your craft!

“Who is the next Cinderella?” by Belinda (United Kingdom)

This is an engaging, clever, and evocative story. I like the way you imagine the well-known story in a new and unique way, drawing your own conclusions about humanity, devotion, and obsession. You combine imagery with action well to create a complete arc that references the original story but also stands on its own as a successful piece of short fiction. I am finding myself wanting a bit more, a common challenge for a flash fiction reader (and writer), but am very impressed with what you were able to create in such few words. Congratulations on an excellent story!

Peer Review Finalist:

“Unhappiness,” reviewed by Sultanas Tales (Bangladesh)

This peer review does a good job specifying what is and isn’t working for the reader. I appreciate that you not only identify in their marginal comments which parts you like but why you like each part. It is always helpful for a writer to be able to get inside the mind of the reader and understand what they do and don’t connect with. I think you evaluate the multi-genre element of this story nicely and identify that you have a clear sense of what the author was trying to do and say with the story. I understand your point when requesting clarification on the Jupitarians’ motivations, but must acknowledge that in a flash piece it is hard for a writer to expand without overwriting or (in cases like this) exceeding a word limit. 

I think to deepen the peer review, it would be helpful to ask a few more questions for the author to think about to help guide them towards a stronger piece or valuable revision, rather than relying only on descriptive and prescriptive feedback. That said, you do a good job encouraging the writer, who is new to writing, and keeping them excited about this piece and any they may write in the future! Nice work!