Category: Flash 405

Call for Entries: Flash 405, August 2023: “Secret”

Exposition Review

We’re thrilled to round out our 2023 Flash 405 season with our next contest, “Secret,” guest-judged by the wonderful L Mari Harris!

L Mari’s own flash was featured in our latest issue, the subject of which—“Our Mothers”—knows a thing or two about secrets.

Flash 405 is Exposition Review’s multi-genre short-form writing competition, awarding cash prizes and online publication to the winners. Submissions will be open August 4–September 5, 2023.

Learn more about our final contest of 2023 below:

Continue reading “Call for Entries: Flash 405, August 2023: “Secret”” →

Flash 405, April 2023: “Flight” Winners

Exposition Review

For our April Flash 405 contest, guest judge Lucy Zhang wanted to read about flight, asking, “How do we fly, but also how do we float, fall, or glide?” In the winning pieces, imagery around her theme—birds, planes, space—soared in unexpected ways, with poignancy and whimsy.

Learn more about Lucy’s selections and read the winning pieces below:

Continue reading “Flash 405, April 2023: “Flight” Winners” →

Call for Entries: Flash 405, June 2023: “Crescendo”

Exposition Review

Exposition Review is pleased to share the theme for our June 2023 Flash 405 contest judged by our own Fiction Co-Editor Shze-Hui Tjoa: “Crescendo.”

Flash 405 is Exposition Review’s multi-genre short-form writing competition, awarding cash prizes and online publication to the winners. Submissions will be open June 4–July 5, 2023.

Read on to learn more about Shze-Hui and her prompt:

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Composition: ‘Reach’ Is Now Available

Exposition Review

We are proud to announce the publication of the second issue of our chapbook, Composition: Reach. Like its predecessor, Rearview, Reach is the brainchild of an Expo intern—this time, Ashley Moon. It contains selected flash fiction from our past Flash 405 writing contests and visual art from our annual issues. As Chapbook Editor, Moon curated a collection of art constructed from different media and then selected Flash 405 fiction pieces to act as bridges linking one artwork to the next.

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Flash 405, February 2023: “Tacky” Winners

Exposition Review

In our February Flash 405 competition, Judge Krista Nave sought entries that celebrated kitsch, embraced the garish, and indulged in excess without shame. Sifting through the entries, she discovered pieces infused with more than just gaudy jewelry—and work that embraces timeless subjects of grief and hope.

Learn more about Krista’s selections and read the winning pieces below:

Continue reading “Flash 405, February 2023: “Tacky” Winners” →

Call for Entries: Flash 405, April 2023: “Flight”

Exposition Review


Another round of Flash 405 is taking “flight” with guest judge Lucy Zhang!

Lucy’s flash fiction piece “Unstable Relationship” appeared in Exposition Review Vol. VII: “Flux”, and was nominated and selected for Best Microfiction 2023. She’ll now be selecting the winners for this Flash 405 contest, which is based on her chosen theme, “Flight.”

Submissions will open on April 4, 2023, 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.

Continue reading “Call for Entries: Flash 405, April 2023: “Flight”” →

Call for Entries: Flash 405, February 2023: “Tacky”

Exposition Review

We are delighted to kick off another round of Flash 405 with a new prompt, “Tacky,” chosen by our own Kes Nave!

Kes started her journey with Exposition Review as a participant in our annual “Share Your Voice!” publishing workshop and a contributor to our “Wonder” issue with her first published poem “Justice Favors Fortune.” Then she was an intern on our “Act/Break” issue and an associate editor on “Hunger” and “Flux.” And for our upcoming issue, “Lines,” Kes is serving as Stage & Screen Editor.

Submissions will open on February 4, 2023, 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.

Continue reading “Call for Entries: Flash 405, February 2023: “Tacky”” →

Flash 405, August 2022: “Burn” Winners

Exposition Review

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:

Continue reading “Flash 405, August 2022: “Burn” Winners” →

Flash 405, June 2022: “Inheritance” Winners

Exposition Review

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” →

Call for Entries: Flash 405, August 2022: “Burn”

Exposition Review

Exposition Review is thrilled to round out our 2022 Flash 405 season with our next contest, “Burn,” guest-judged by the amazing Cathy Ulrich! 

Cathy’s own flash was featured in our latest issue. “A Different Kind of Smoke” is a beautifully searing piece of fiction and her theme is a perfect match—just waiting to be lit.

Submissions will open August 4–September 5, 2022. Winners will be awarded cash prize and publication. Before submitting, we encourage you to check out the full prompt below. You can read the full guidelines and past contest winners on our Flash 405 page.

Continue reading “Call for Entries: Flash 405, August 2022: “Burn”” →