Category: Flash 405

Flash 405, April 2025: “Quitting” Winners

Exposition Review

Summer may be in full swing, but here at Expo, we’re still basking in the glow “Spring.” And, in the spirit of not “quitting” the season, we have even more new work to share: the winners of our latest Flash 405 contest.

“Quitting” was the theme of our April contest, judged by Francesca Spiegel. As our Associate Nonfiction Editor, Francesca asked for stories that condensed the big, hard truths of quitting into beautiful micro narratives. 

Congratulations to our 1st and 2nd place winners, who both received a cash prize. They, along with two honorable mentions, can be read below:

Continue reading “Flash 405, April 2025: “Quitting” Winners” →

Call for Entries: Flash 405, June 2025: “Illumination”

Exposition Review

Flash 405 is brighter than ever for June 2025! We are thrilled to introduce our incredible guest judge, Melissa Llanes Brownlee, and share her chosen theme for this round: “Illumination.”

Flash 405 is Exposition Review’s multi-genre short-form writing competition, awarding cash prizes and online publication to the winners. Whether you write prose, poetry, or experimental flash, we want to read your short-form supernovas.

Continue reading “Call for Entries: Flash 405, June 2025: “Illumination”” →

Flash 405, February 2025: “Anchor” Winners

Exposition Review

In her call for submissions for our February 2025 Flash 405 contest, “Anchor”, judge Ashley Moon asked for stories about what “holds you down.” We received many incredible entries, but the winners of this round held our attention down to the very last word with their complexity, their dreaminess, and their visceral descriptions.

We are pleased to share the winners of our first contest of 2025!

Continue reading “Flash 405, February 2025: “Anchor” Winners” →

Call for Entries: Flash 405, April 2025: “Quitting”

Exposition Review

Spring is in full swing, and that means it’s almost time for April Flash 405!

Our 405-themed contest has historically opened the fourth day of each contest month, closing on the fifth of the following month. However, in the spirit of this round’s theme, we’re “quitting” our typical schedule and opening early! We will start accepting submissions on March 27, the same day as our our tenth-anniversary celebration at AWP Los Angeles!

The celebration will also feature readings by several previous Flash 405 winners.

Want to attend? If you’re in Los Angeles and/or attending AWP, our event at Truly LA is free!

Want to be featured in an Expo reading? Submit! Winners receive publication, a cash prize, and the opportunity to be featured in future Expo community events.

Keep reading to learn about how to submit, the contest theme, and the judge, Expo Associate Nonfiction Editor Francesca Spiegel.

Continue reading “Call for Entries: Flash 405, April 2025: “Quitting”” →

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:

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

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.

Continue reading “Flash 405, August 2024: “Otherworldly” Winners” →

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:

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

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 Review2 Comments

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:

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