Flash Prose Contest
Celebrating brilliant short-form writing from our annual competition
Each year, Writers' Morning Out hosts a flash prose contest showcasing the power of concise storytelling. Browse our past winners below.
Contest Categories
- One-Syllable Words – 300 words maximum, using only single-syllable words
- Multi-Syllable – 300 words maximum, no syllable restriction, added 2020
- Flash Non-Fiction – Added in 2023
2021 Winners
“Fine”
by Sandra Fischer
“The call she knew would come came. He's gone, they said. Died in his sleep. Tears fell, some for joy that he was free.”
2020 Winners
“Just Once”
by Jane Shlensky
“Since the stroke, his words won't come—hide and seek, smudge and slur, thoughts and tongue as thick as mud yet clear to him.”
“Empty Rooms”
by William Polf
“He drove straight through, despite his full bladder and his aching left knee.”
2019 Winners
“Life's a Tale You Write as You Go”
by Judith Stanton
“Or so said Gran, the old witch. Who knew what she saw, what lay in the way; the then, the now, the what would be.”
2018 Winners
“Don't”
by Pat Shipman
“I don't talk much. They say I should. They say it is rude. They say I am strange, not right like them.”