Top 3 Microfictions

Congratulations to the winners. All comments below are from our judge, Carrie Etter.

‘What a wonderful range of stories! It was a great pleasure to read the entries and slip in and out of so many different worlds. The standard was truly impressive.’

3rd place: “Banishing Maddo” by Marie Gethins (IRELAND)

The third prize winner, ‘Banishing Maddo,’ takes a familiar subject–a child’s nighttime fear of monsters–and makes it new by deftly suggesting the wider psychological factors that draw out the child’s imaginative resilience. It’s a story that will stay with me, I’m sure.

2nd place: “A Postcard From Berlin” by Hongwei Bao (UK)

The second prize winner, “A Postcard from Berlin,” movingly conveys the struggle to articulate given the limitations of different languages and cultures, all in a single, perfect paragraph. Another writer to watch!

1st prize: “What She Heard Was Music” by Barbara Black (CANADA)

‘”What She Head Was Music” is richly evocative and compelling in its artful balance of what it gives and what it withholds, and the ending’s emotional power proves both surprising and thrilling. Once I know the story’s author, I’ll be looking to read more of their work!

Why not enter our NEW Poetry (40 lines max) judged by Pascale Petit. Top prize: £1,000. Deadline: 31st May, 2023.