We were thrilled to have Cathy Ulrich guest-judge our final Flash 405 contest of 2022, and now we are thrilled to be able to share her selected winners! The theme of this round, “Burn,” called for writers to consider what was “making you smolder and spark.” The winning pieces reflect this, with stories about rites of passage, body parts, and comic book characters—exploring the theme figuratively and literally.
Learn more about Cathy’s selections and read the winning pieces below:
For our June Flash 405 contest, judge Sofía Aguilar asked, “What have you inherited? What do you wish you could? What do you hope will be buried?” Our winners answered with genetic traits, morning rituals, and generational trauma—poignant, painful, and haunting.
Learn more about Sofía’s selections and read the winning pieces below:
Continue reading “Flash 405, June 2022: “Inheritance” Winners”
In our call for submissions for our April Flash 405: “Escape” contest, judge Kelly Esparza sought stories that would evoke that feeling: “a place, an image, a story to bring us peace and excitement while uncertainty and chaos surround us.” Our winners delivered both, whisking us away from our everyday lives with stories of longing and hope.
Learn more about Kelly’s selections and read the winning pieces below:
For the first Flash 405 of 2022, guest judge Mia Nakaji Monnier asked us to consider how “we mark the small moments”—an apt request for a flash writing contest, where the smallest stories can still connect us to the bigger picture. Our winners did just that, using ritual and routine to explore full histories in a few brief paragraphs.
Learn more about Mia’s selections and read the winning pieces below:
Continue reading “Flash 405, February 2022: “Routine & Ritual” Winners”
Looks like this party’s over (or maybe just beginning) with the announcement of our 2021 Flash 405 contest “House Party” winners. Judged by Barrelhouse Fiction Editor Christopher Gonzalez, this round of Flash 405 wanted pieces that made us crave community and conflict, heat and heated discussions, raw and unfiltered potential. After much deliberation, we have our winners!
Learn more about Christopher’s selections and read the winning pieces below:
Continue reading “Flash 405, August 2021: “House Party” Winners”
It’s time to announce the results of our June 2021 Flash 405 contest “Alchemy”! Judged by Exposition Review Nonfiction Editor Ramona Pilar, this round of Flash 405 called for works that ignited transformation: discovery, curiosity, experimentation, failure, success. While all the entries we received were gold, only a select few could be chosen as the winners. After much deliberation, we have our winners!
Read on to learn more about Ramona’s selections and read the winning pieces!
Announcing the winners of our April 2021 Flash 405 contest! Expo Associate Editor Anya Johnson served as judge for this round and asked for submissions around the theme of “The Other”, exploring what it means to be or contend with an Other, whether that be a disparate identity, an ostracizing designation, or otherworldly encounter.
Read on to learn more about her selections and read the winning pieces!
Continue reading “Flash 405, April 2021: “The Other” Winners”
We kicked off 2021 with a twist: a special collaboration with OUR DIGITAL STORIES, calling for short-form work set within the digital world and above all designed to be performed. This unique prompt was a reflection of the past year and how the social limitations of the pandemic also created new opportunities to tell and share our stories.
We are excited to present the winners who shared their own take on digital storytelling: from Zoom plays to Virtual Reality poetry. The winners will also be performed in the next volume of OUR DIGITAL STORIES, airing later this summer.
Read on to discover them for yourself!
Continue reading “Flash 405, February 2021: “Your Digital Stories” Winners”
It’s time to share the results of our final Flash 405 contest of this year! 2020 has been a wild, unwieldy, and at times horrifying rollercoaster, but we kicked off this season with “Bright Spot,” and Flash 405 has continued to remain as such for Exposition Review. The winners of 2020 have delighted us, moved us, and connected us in our love of good writing. With “Invented Language,” the winning works took this a step further, exploring the construction and meaning of words themselves to evoke powerful emotion. We are pleased to share those works now, selected by guest judge Rita Bullwinkel.
Read on to discover them for yourself!
Continue reading “Flash 405, August 2020: “Invented Language” Winners”
With the theme “International Travel,” judge Dave Gregory asked to “see the world through your words,” and received numerous entries that did just that: stories that made us richer, even at a time when the desire to travel and boundaries—physical, emotional, and social—seem more keenly felt than ever. We are now pleased to share the best of those stories with the world! Plus, with a portion of the entry fees and Exposition Review matching the amount, we were able to donate to an important nonprofit in the Los Angeles community.
Read on to discover them for yourself.
Continue reading “Flash 405, June 2020: “International Travel” Winners”