Category: Flash 405

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.

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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”” →

Flash 405, April 2022: “Escape” Winners

Exposition Review

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:

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Call for Entries: Flash 405, June 2022: “Inheritance”

Exposition Review

Exposition Review is delighted to unveil the theme for our June 2022 Flash 405 contest guest-judged by Expo contributor and all-around literary powerhouse Sofía Aguilar: “Inheritance.”

Flash 405 is Exposition Review‘s multi-genre short-form writing competition, awarding cash prizes and online publication to the winners. Read on to learn more about this month’s contest:

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Flash 405, February 2022: “Routine & Ritual” Winners

Exposition Review

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:

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Call for Entries: Flash 405, April 2022: “Escape”

Exposition Review

Spring is in the air! For some people that means cleaning; for others, it’s time to break away. This April, Expo is opting for the latter and we want you to “Escape” with us!

Submissions for our next Flash 405 writing contest will open on April 4, 2022, judged by our own Kelly Esparza. Read on to learn more about the prompt for the upcoming round:

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Call for Entries: Flash 405, February 2022: “Routine and Ritual”

Exposition Review

Flash 405 writing contest

We’re very excited to kick off a new year of Flash 405 with new prompt “Routine and Ritual,” chosen by Guest Judge Mia Nakaji Monnier!

Mia was featured our “Wonder” issue with her beautiful creative nonfiction Kokoro Yasume; she was also a guest on A Very Special Episode of Transposition, in conversation with our co-EiC Mellinda Hensley and our August 2021 Flash 405 judge, Christopher Gonzalez.

Submissions will open on February 4, 2022, 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 2022: “Routine and Ritual”” →

Flash 405, August 2021: “House Party” Winners

Exposition Review

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” →