Category: Flash 405

We are excited to announce our first Flash 405 winners of 2024! “Host” closed for submissions in early March. Judged by our “POP!” co-Fiction editor Sam Burt, this round called for entries to explore what it means to be a good host—or a bad one—in all it’s various interpretations. We received many incredible entries that weren’t afraid to question the unspoken rules of hospitality and relationships, and narrowing them down to a final three was no easy feat for Sam!

That said, we are happy to reveal our winners and “Host” their stories in Exposition Review:

Continue reading “Flash 405, February 2024: “Host” Winners” →

The winners of “Secret” are secret no more!

We ended this season of Flash 405 with a flourish—a final round judged by Vol. VIII: “Lines” contributor L Mari Harris. Her call for submissions asked for secrets—positive, negative, happy, peaceful, sad, angry. No topic was taboo, but each word had to count.

We received many wonderful entries, and are excited to reveal the winners of “Secret”:

Continue reading “Flash 405, August 2023: “Secret” Winners” →

For our June Flash 405 contest, judge Shze-Hui Tjoa sought writing “that isn’t afraid of its own intensity, of being too much,” and “language that swells with momentum and power.” Spanning fiction to nonfiction to the stage, her selections all crest unexpectedly and pack a powerful punch.

Learn more about Shze-Hui’s selections and read the winning pieces below:

Continue reading “Flash 405, June 2023: “Crescendo” Winners” →

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” →

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” →