Category: Flash 405

Call for Entries: Flash 405, February 2025: “Anchor”

Exposition Review

As our editors are hard at work putting together our “Spring” annual issue, we are also springing into 2025 with our first Flash 405 contest of the year!

From February 4 to March 5, we are accepting entries on the theme “Anchor,” chosen by judge and Expo Associate Editor Ashley Moon. Ashley is not new to Flash 405, having curated Composition: Reach, our second chapbook comprised of previous Flash 405 winners! We are thrilled to have her now take on the mantle of judge for our February contest.

Learn more about Ashley and this round of Flash 405:

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Flash 405, August 2024: “Otherworldly” Winners

Exposition Review

We are pleased to finally share the winners of “Otherworldly,” our August 2024 Flash 405 contest. With this announcement, our Flash 405 2024 season officially come to a close, but we are ending an incredibly strong note! Overall the submission quality for this contest was very high, and there were no easy decisions for our guest judge Dr. Cecilia Caballero! In the end, though, decisions were made, and our winners and honorable mentions truly encapsulate the call for stories that contain “something a bit strange about otherworldly ways we survive the every day.” We hope you enjoy these five stories as much as we do.

Congratulations to our winners! Their work can be read below.

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Flash 405, June 2024: “Persona” Winners

Exposition Review

When Expo Associate Editor Madeline Grimm posed the theme “Persona” for our June 2024 Flash 405 contest, we were excited to see what stories it would inspire. This versatile theme encompasses explorations of  “shifting identities and self-fashioning,” but Madeline also asked writers to confront our own personas—how we as writers create “a range of literary alter egos that tell [our] stories.”

The entries we received did not disappoint, pushing the theme beyond our expectations, and after much deliberation, we are excited to share the results with the world.

Congratulations to our winners! Their work can be read below.

Continue reading “Flash 405, June 2024: “Persona” Winners” →

Call for Entries: Flash 405, August 2024: “Otherworldly”

Exposition Review

Get ready for another round of Flash 405! Starting August 4, we’ll be accepting submissions on the theme “Otherworldly.” Whether you write prose, poetry, or experimental flash, we welcome your short-form masterpieces.

The theme for August was selected by our guest judge, the talented Dr. Cecilia Caballero, who introduced us to her own out-of-this-world work at a panel we co-hosted at Skylight Books earlier this year. We are thrilled to have her select the winners of our final contest of 2024.

Submissions will close September 5, so don’t miss your chance to enter! Before you submit, however, learn more about Cecilia and her “Otherworldly” theme below:

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Flash 405, April 2024: “Home” Winners

Exposition Review

In April, author Liza Olson stepped into the role of guest judge for Flash 405 and crafted her contest around the theme “Home,” looking for stories that invited us into the contours and concepts of what a home can be. After receiving a number of incredible micro-narratives and careful consideration of each entry, we are now ready to announce the winners!

Our 1st and 2nd place winners received a cash prize, and their work, along with our honorable mentions, can be read below.

Continue reading “Flash 405, April 2024: “Home” Winners” →

Call for Entries: Flash 405, June 2024: “Persona”

Exposition Review

Mark your calendars – on June 4, our next round of Flash 405 will open for submissions! Our Flash 405 writing contest is a celebration of short-form narratives, accepting work in multiple genres, from prose to poetry to hybrid and experimental forms. This round, we are looking for flash work inspired by the theme “Persona.” The theme was chosen by Expo Associate Editor Madeline Grimm, who will be serving as judge for our June contest!

Learn more about Madeline and this month’s contest theme:

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Flash 405, February 2024: “Host” Winners

Exposition Review

We are excited to announce our first Flash 405 winners of 2024! “Host” closed for submissions in early March. Judged by our “POP!” co-Fiction editor Sam Burt, this round called for entries to explore what it means to be a good host—or a bad one—in all it’s various interpretations. We received many incredible entries that weren’t afraid to question the unspoken rules of hospitality and relationships, and narrowing them down to a final three was no easy feat for Sam!

That said, we are happy to reveal our winners and “Host” their stories in Exposition Review:

Continue reading “Flash 405, February 2024: “Host” Winners” →

Call for Entries: Flash 405, April 2024: “Home”

Exposition Review

It’s almost time for our April 2024 Flash 405 contest, and we couldn’t be more pleased to welcome author Liza Olson into our Expo “Home” as the guest judge for this upcoming round!

Flash 405 is Exposition Review’s multi-genre short-form writing competition, awarding cash prizes and online publication to the winners. We will accept entries starting April 4 through May 5, 2024.

Learn more about Liza and this month’s contest theme:

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Call for Entries: Flash 405, February 2024: “Host”

Exposition Review

An image advertising a call for entries for

Hello 2024, and welcome back to another year of Flash 405! Our first contest, with the theme “Host,” will be judged by Sam Burt, Fiction Co-Editor for our “POP!” issue.

Flash 405 is Exposition Review’s multi-genre short-form writing competition, awarding cash prizes and online publication to the winners. Submissions will open on February 4, 2024, via Submittable.

Before submitting, we encourage you to check out the full prompt below. You can also see further guidelines and see past contest winners by visiting our Flash 405 page.

Learn more about our first contest of 2024 below:

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Flash 405, August 2023: “Secret” Winners

Exposition Review

The winners of “Secret” are secret no more!

We ended this season of Flash 405 with a flourish—a final round judged by Vol. VIII: “Lines” contributor L Mari Harris. Her call for submissions asked for secrets—positive, negative, happy, peaceful, sad, angry. No topic was taboo, but each word had to count.

We received many wonderful entries, and are excited to reveal the winners of “Secret”:

Continue reading “Flash 405, August 2023: “Secret” Winners” →