In August, guest judge Charles Jensen asked writers to “tell us about a time an unexpected event shook you to your core.” The winners certainly shook us, making waves with their intensity, imagery, and emotional resonance. We are thrilled to share the winners of Flash 405, August 2026: “Quake”!
Our 1st and 2nd place winners received a cash prize, and their work, along with our honorable mention, can be read below.
Judge’s Comments:
“Writers responded to the “Quake” theme with a variety of approaches and forms. While many included literal earthquakes, such as the winning entry, most examined rupture from an emotional standpoint, exploring the rifts we cannot see but that are as real to us as the widening earth.
The work that rose to the top among the entries featured a strong, identifiable voice that felt like it was coming from a lived experience, true or not. They focused on sensory input, like what the narrator could see and feel, or crafted a vivid world through carefully selected details—be they real or just imagined in the narrator’s mind.
I was drawn to work where the rifts and ruptures felt urgent, present, and real, whether they were physical or emotional. Where the people in the story had something meaningful at stake and where the world had somehow made choices that pushed them to their climactic moments whether they liked it or not.”
– Charles Jensen
Congratulations again to our winners!
1st Place:
View from above by Bernard Steeds (Fiction)
2nd Place:
Buffalo Road by Juliana Rappaport (Nonfiction)
Honorable Mention:
National Geographic by Chey Dugan (Fiction)
Want to read more flash? Check out our past Flash 405 contests and winners.
Want to submit? Flash 405 has wrapped for 2026, but we are now in the reading season for our annual issue! We will be accepting submissions for Vol. XII: “Trip” through December 15, 2026.
In the meantime, follow us on social media or sign up for our newsletter to get the latest news from Expo, including submission opportunities, publications, events, community news, and more.
Photo by Petro Popesku