Category: Flash 405

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.

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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:

Continue reading “Flash 405, April 2022: “Escape” Winners” →

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:

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

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:

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Recap: Our Digital Stories Vol. 8 with Exposition Review

Exposition Review

Our Digital Stories

Our Digital Stories (ODS) is a group of writers, directors, and performers who during the pandemic created a new form of storytelling set in and created within the digital world. Using video conferences, phone calls, and text messages as settings, they call this hybrid between a short play and a short film “Digital Stories.”

After kicking off our first Flash 405 contest of the 2021 season with the theme “Your Digital Stories,” ODS brought the three winning scripts to life for Volume 8 this summer!

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Flash 405, June 2021: “Alchemy” Winners

Exposition Review

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!

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Call for Entries: Flash 405, August 2021: “House Party”

Exposition Review

Flash 405 - Flash Contest Judged by Christopher Gonzalez - "House Party"on Content

When it comes to rounding out our Flash 405 season this year, we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than with, well, a party theme. As we prepare for a new season at Expo and celebrate seasons past, Barrelhouse fiction editor Christopher Gonzalez knows how to kick off the festivities with the theme “House Party” for our August Flash 405 contest.

Entries for this round will be accepted until September 5, 2021 via Submittable. We also encourage you to visit our Flash 405 page where you will find the full guidelines and can read past contest winners.

Read on to learn more about this month’s contest:

Continue reading “Call for Entries: Flash 405, August 2021: “House Party”” →