Our April 2024 Flash 405 Contest will be judged by Liza Olson. 

The Theme: Home

From Liza:

“What are the contours of it for you (or your characters) now, and what could they be? Does the word make you recoil? Pine? Ache? Hope? If you’ve lost the concept of it, can you get it back? And if so, how? Do you ever really go back home, or is the you that returns an always-different snapshot, alternate versions captured in superposition, waiting for the waveform to collapse?”

The Guidelines

• Fiction. A complete story, up to 405 words (get it?).
• Nonfiction. A complete story, up to 405 words.
• Poetry. One poem, up to 5 lines (including prose poems).
• Stage & Screen. A complete scene, up to 4 pages. Please format according to the standard unpublished playwriting or screenwriting format.
• Experimental. A complete short-form narrative utilizing innovative techniques and/or hybrid forms. Consider the spirit of flash as well as the limits of other categories for length guidelines.

The Prizes

The winners will all receive publication on the website. Our first and second place winners will also receive a cash prize, but here’s the fun part—there’s no limit to how much you could win. The more entries we receive, the larger the prize! Here’s a breakdown:

• 1st prize: Online publication + 40% of all entry fees.
• 2nd prize: Online publication + 20% of all entry fees.
• Honorable Mention: Online publication.

Concealed submissions

Please save and submit your work as [TITLE]_[GENRE] and remove all identifying qualities from the final document. We still require your name and a brief bio with your Submittable submission form/cover letter.