We are thrilled to announce the winners of this year's American Short(er) Fiction Prize, judged by Karen Russell. Thank you to everyone who submitted—it is always inspiring to read your work. Congratulations to the winners! _____ First-Place Prize: "Tombs" by Yasmin Adele Majeed Judge Karen Russell writes, "My favorite of many excellent, extremely short stories is 'Tombs.' I was amazed by the sorcery that Majeed accomplishes with just a palmful of words. This short piece distills decades … [Read more...] about The 2023 American Short(er) Fiction Prize Winners
contest winners
The Moths Came
In a cloud, at night. Or like an army at sunrise. To every tree and every spike of grass, every ridgepole, every windowsill, they came. To every clothesline, especially. From the candy-coated wires, they formed strings—onions braided together by their tops—and we woke to find them swaying. Don’t open the door, we say to our daughter. Our daughter puts her hand on the knob, but the lock catches. Click. We imagine the chubby tips of her fingers nibbled down to their pin-thin bones. They’ll come … [Read more...] about The Moths Came
Announcing our American Short Fiction Contest Winners!
We are delighted to announce that Victor LaValle has chosen the winners of our 2016 American Short Fiction Contest. The first-place prize goes to Amanda Emil Anderson, for her story “The Goodnow Guide.” Look out for the story in an upcoming issue of American Short Fiction! Amanda Emil Anderson is a writer from Vermont. Her fiction has appeared in Sonora Review. She has an MFA from Emerson College and is the recipient of a Vermont Studio Center fellowship. The second-place prize goes … [Read more...] about Announcing our American Short Fiction Contest Winners!
Announcing Our American Short Fiction Contest Winners!
We are so pleased to announce that Elizabeth McCracken has chosen the winners of our 2015 American Short Fiction Contest. The first place prize goes to Leona Theis, for her story "How Sylvie Failed to Become a Better Person Through Yoga." McCracken writes, "This unsettling story about a 1970s summer sneaks up on the reader: at first it seems as aimless as its main character, but in the end it is a curiously moving story about self-knowledge and moral quandaries; it's also darkly funny, and … [Read more...] about Announcing Our American Short Fiction Contest Winners!
American Short(er) Fiction Contest: Winners Announced!
We are pleased to announce the winners for the 2015 American Short(er) Fiction Prize, judged by Stuart Dybek. Thank you to everyone who submitted. We were overwhelmed by the breadth and quality of the stories, and, reading them, were thrilled again and again by the versatility and potential of the flash fiction form. The winning stories will be published in the magazine's fall issue. The first prize went to Jennifer Murvin, for her story "Emporium," a subtle rumination on a father's purchase … [Read more...] about American Short(er) Fiction Contest: Winners Announced!
American Short Fiction Prize: Winners Announced!
We are pleased to announce the prize winners for our 2014 American Short Fiction Contest. Contest judge Amy Hempel chose these stories out of a wealth of terrific submissions. The first-place prize goes to Scott Gloden, for his story “What Is Louder,” about a young man who works in a post office and his brother who is a soldier in Pakistan. Amy Hempel praised the story for its newness, commenting, “the ending is unnerving, very unsettling, and continues the story in a reader's imagination.” … [Read more...] about American Short Fiction Prize: Winners Announced!