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Flash Fiction Prize 2018: Results, Short & Long-lists

 

 

Winners

Short-list

Long-list

 


 

 

The Ten Winners:

Sherrie Flick

Author Sherrie Flick – judge for Flash Fiction Prize 2018

 

Selected by judge Sherrie Flick 
to be published in the Fish Anthology 2018

The Fish Anthology 2018 will be launched as part of the West Cork Literary Festival  (16th July 2018). 
All of the writers published in the Anthology are invited to read at the launch.

First prize is €1,000. 
Second prize is an online course writing course with Fish Publishing.

 

The comments on the Flash Stories are from Sherrie Flick.

 

FIRST

The Chemistry of Living Things
by Fiona J Mackintosh (Maryland, USA)

‘What wonderful language in this story. Loop-de-loopy, fizz, and dazzle create a great tension between the internal and external states of the character. The mundane party, the pills that get her through, and then the beautiful, mysterious deer at the end create a depth that makes this story seem longer than its word length. This story has all of the qualities I love in a good piece of flash fiction. It tells a story in a way that is uniformly unique and compelling—compressed, expansive, and surprising.’

 

SECOND

Beige by Gail Anderson (California, living in UK)

‘It’s the quiet nature of this story that drew me in. I love this little victory for the girl—her moment to shine holding a squirrel monkey. The voice is fantastic and such a rich setting, even drawn in neutral tones.’

 

THIRD

Walrus Brings the Dominoes by Laura Mahal (Colorado, USA)

‘This story takes on the absurd with a deft hand. The author doesn’t draw too much attention to the domino-playing, pizza delivering walrus and that’s what makes it click. There’s character development the whole way through with both Joe the guy and the Russ the walrus.’

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Dover by Shannon Savvas (New Zealand)

‘This story has a lot of effective, exacting detail. The building of empathy is a nice surprise that rises up from what could have been a stereotypical interaction but instead shows a sincere moment of humanity.’

 

Oh by Johanna Ellersdorfer (Australia)

‘I love the quick, quiet nature of this piece. Such a small interaction that speaks to the larger implications of how and when we walk and talk in the world.’

 

Sage by Julian Stanford (England)

‘The pacing here is very nice. I like how the man slowly and methodically rids himself of his life. I love that the author didn’t go for some kind of grand conclusion with the ending. The woman nodding seems like the perfect last act.’

 

The Last Limner of Peterborough Town
by Guinevere Glasfurd (Cambs, England)

‘Fantastic first sentence here. This moment of intimacy, a disruption in the way the painter sees himself seen in the world is nicely emphasized with the final simultaneous look at the painting by both characters.’

 

Always Wear a Safety Helmet by Paul Hale (Lincs, England)

‘The author has created a nice triangle of suspense here with the climbing wife Janice, the climbing wronged employee Seamus, and the husband on the ground with binoculars. It provides instant suspense in a classic Hitchcockian way.’

 

Her Troubled Mind’s Reflection by Darren Moorhouse (Kildare, Ireland)

‘There’s something dreamlike in this straightforward scene that also has an edge of dread laced into it. That combination drew me in along with the clear, crisp writing.’

 

In a Nomad’s Land by Craig Kenworthy (Azores, living Seattle, USA)

‘The repetition of “not what happened” works really well to drive the story forward. The author indirectly gives out concrete information by working through this increasingly disturbing negative timeline.’

 

 A Little About the Winners:

Fiona J. Mackintosh was born in New Jersey to English parents, raised in Scotland, and now lives near Washington DC with her American husband. As a result, she can speak several languages, all of them English. Her fiction has been published on both sides of the Atlantic and when she’s not writing, she’s editing reports from clients all over the world. She’s constantly humbled by how hard it is to find the words to show the world in a whole new light.

 

Guinevere Glasfurd is a novelist. Her first novel The Words in My Hand was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award, 2017. She is a MacDowell Colony Fellow, and wrote The Last Limner of Peterborough Town whilst in residency there. She has been awarded grants from Arts Council England, the British Council and the Society of Authors for her work. She lives in the Fens near Cambridge.

 

Gail Anderson has worked as an animator, musical instrument repair technician and graphic designer, and has lived in the US, the UK and South Africa. She is a winner of the Bodleian Library’s 2016 Parallel Universe Poetry Competition, and her work has been published in the 2018 Aesthetica Creative Writing Annual, Litro and elsewhere. Weekdays she works at the University of Oxford; weekends she can be found in her boat on the Thames.

 

Laura Mahal likes to mix it up. She usually writes overlong literary fiction, but she has recently dabbled with poetry, personal essays, short stories, and is now dipping a toe (all that’s allowed, really) into flash fiction. She’s the Member Liaison for Northern Colorado Writers, which means she can propose that a sister city arrangement be set up immediately between Fort Collins and West Cork—seeing as we share “Wild West” roots and all.

 

Shannon Savvas, a New Zealand writer, divides her life and heart between New Zealand, England and Cyprus. She has been published online and made it to three print anthologies (2017) with a fourth due in 2018. New Year’s Eve 2017, she learnt she’d won the Autumn 2017 Reflex Flash Fiction competition, which gave her delight and encouragement in equal measure. She’s been told not to mention her dogs or cat.

 

Johanna Ellersdorfer grew up in Sydney and has lived in eight different cities in the past six years. She writes, paints and restores art. Her stories have been included in the Spineless Wonders Time Anthology and performed at various Little Fictions events in Sydney. She is currently adrift in Europe. 

 

Julian Stanford is a working father of three, married and burdened with an old house. He writes as much as possible, but also feels the urge to paint and has a full time day job which takes him away a great deal, so flash fiction seems the perfect format. At some future date he would like to try a full menu, but for now it’s all about the amuse-bouche …

 

Paul Hale worked in the Finance Sector, writing reports of various kinds as an employee, and is putting that experience to more enjoyable use in retirement. He lives with his wife in Lincolnshire, who is the first person to read his stories and spot any ‘deliberate’ plot errors. He is a member of a local writers group called ‘Write Away’. They meet monthly and provided the encouragement to enter competitions. He is grateful for their help.      

Darren Moorhouse is a 24 year old student from Ireland. He recently graduated from UCD with a BA in English and Linguistics and is currently completing his Professional Masters in Education, also in UCD, to become a secondary school teacher. Darren is a keen writer of flash fiction, poetry and short stories and has begun work on a trilogy of gritty and hard- hitting YA novels which he hopes to complete in the near future.

 

Craig Kenworthy was born in the Azores Islands. In addition to fiction writing,  he is a poet, a playwright and a recovering lawyer. He’s run 14 marathons but still finds them much less painful than first drafts. He is married to a social worker, Karen Larsen, although she claims it is a trial marriage and at 50 years, she gets to reconsider. Craig lives in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

 

 


 

Short-list:

(alphabetical order)

There are 53 flash stories in the short-list. The total entry was 962.

 

Title

First Name

Last Name

Beige

Gail

Anderson

Michael at the Bar

Gail

Anderson

Esmeralda

Stephen

Bergstrom

Sunday

Mary

Bevan

The lost Samurai

Andrew

Blackwood

Doppelganger

Tim

Booth

Thankfully

Mark

Boyden

When your number’s up

Mark

Brom

dear Missus greeves

Claire

Brown

In the Beginning

Paul

Coleman

Not a Pilot

Kathleen

Connor

In Plain Sight

Mark

Dalligan

Oh

Johanna

Ellersdorfer

Vinegar and brown paper

Jane

Fraser

The Last Limner of Peterborough Town

Guinevere

Glasfurd

Running

Izabella

Grace

Morgasm

Robin

Griffiths

Always wear a helmet

Paul

Hale

Gutted

Ceinwen

Haydon

On The Back Stairs of a Dublin Hospital

Eleanor

Hooker

River

Michele

Houlihan

A real celebration

Isobel

Hourigan

Frozen Fish

Mandy

Huggins

Out of Control

Linda

Hutchinson

Late August

Gideon

Jacobs

The Whitest of Lies

Roger

Jones

Mrs. Rose Edwards

Rhea

Jorgensen

The Poachers

Eileen

Keane

IN A NOMAD’S LAND

Craig

Kenworthy

The Storm

Sam

Knight

The Hungry Librarian

Yama

Lake

Strange Frames

Luke

Larkin

Plastic Arm

Rebekah

Lattin-Rawstrone

Wheat Country Weddings

Susan

Lowell

The Chemistry of Living Things

Fiona J

Mackintosh

Walrus Brings the Dominoes

Laura

Mahal

Children of the Moon

Paul

McGranaghan

I’ll Be Back, But I Leave You This

Jose

Medina

Her Troubled Mind’s Reflection

Darren

Moorhouse

Gym Bunny

Cally

Murphy

My Left Thumb

Carla

Myers

The Department

Carla

Myers

What I Saw

Laurence

O’Dwyer

The School Run

Zoe

Owens

Tree on the Shore

Carlos

Perona Calvete

The Rainbow Must Include Zombies

V. Joseph

Racanelli

A Tongue Lashing

Peter

Rodgers

Cavities

Christina

Sanders

Dover

Shannon

Savvas

Collector Girl

Adrian

Scanlan

Remedy

Peter

Schireson

Sage

Julian

Stanford

THE “LED” PIPE

Mickie

Winkler

 

 


 

Long-list:

(alphabetical order)

There are 184 flash stories in the long-list. The total entry was 962.

Title

First Name

Last Name

24 Weeks

Jonathon

Ackroyd

Night on the Town

Hanif

Ali

Beige

Gail

Anderson

Michael at the Bar

Gail

Anderson

Esmeralda

Stephen

Bergstrom

Sunday

Mary

Bevan

Hummingbird

J.T.

Blackie

The lost Samurai

andrew

blackwood

Doppelganger

Tim

Booth

The Silence of Snow

Stephen

Bourke

The Life of Skeletons

Philippa

Bowe

Divinity

Mark

Boyden

Thankfully

Mark

Boyden

The Silver Casino Player

Yvonne

Boyle

God is a left-handed Japanese man

Mark

Brom

When your number’s up

Mark

Brom

Listing to port

dan

brotzel

dear Missus greeves

Claire

Brown

A Simple Solution

Paul

Budd

Dumb Bitch

Rose

Bunch

The Last Post

Letty

BUTLER

A Drunk and a Thief

Philip

Chiemelu

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

Clare

Chu

New Woman

Jason

Coit

In the Beginning

Paul

Coleman

sparks

chris

connolly

Not a Pilot

Kathleen

Connor

Flight

Ally

Cook

Unloading

Denise

Coville

A Revealing Case

Tim

Craig

The Writer

Martin

Cusack

In Plain Sight

Mark

Dalligan

The Pledge

Maggie

Davies

The Tiny Patch of Red-Tile Roof

Annie

De Benedictis

Misfiring Neurons

Ashling

Dennehy

The Visitor

stewart

devitt

Cracks

Elaine

Dillon

Impact

Elaine

Dillon

Welcome Home

Rick

Donahoe

Proper Coffee

bryony

doran

Oh

Johanna

Ellersdorfer

The Glory of God

Suzanne

Frankham

Sleepless Nights

Lisa

Fransson

Vinegar and brown paper

Jane

Fraser

Gotcha

Adele

Gannon

Dismissal

AMINA

GAUTIER

The Catch

Matthew

Gibson

The Last Limner of Peterborough Town

Guinevere

Glasfurd

My Birthday by Eimear Brady

Izabella

Grace

The Weight of Jewels and Promises

Lucy

Grace

Running

Izabella

Grace

Curable

Robert

Granader

Morgasm

Robin

Griffiths

Tomorrow

Samuel

Guo

Steam

gillian

Haigh

Always wear a helmet

Paul

Hale

Afternoon

Jennifer

Hanna

I Am Vaughn

Lynda

Harris

Gutted

Ceinwen

Haydon

No Smoking

Kevlin

Henney

On the Science and Complexities

of Having Sex in the Family Caravan

While One’s Parents Are There

Kevlin

Henney

A Bigger Stone

John

Herbert

Nice and clean, Freddie.

Percy

Herbert

On The Back Stairs of a Dublin Hospital

Eleanor

Hooker

Shoveling

Colin

Houghton

West of These Hills

Colin

Houghton

River

michele

houlihan

A real celebration

Isobel

Hourigan

Returning

Susan

Howe

Frozen Fish

Mandy

Huggins

Docksons

Merick

Humbert

Out of Control

Linda

Hutchinson

English 101

Amy

J. Kirkwood

Late August

Gideon

Jacobs

A Gut Feeling

Jayne

Jenner

Broken Hearts

Dakotah

Jennifer

ECHOLOCATION

Sandra

Jensen

The Whitest of Lies

Roger

Jones

Mrs. Rose Edwards

Rhea

Jorgensen

The Poachers

eileen

keane

Special Powers

Jane

Keeley

When No One is Watching

Wilma

Kenny

IN A NOMAD’S LAND

Craig

Kenworthy

The Storm

Sam

Knight

Risk

Andrew

Lafleche

The Hungry Librarian

Yama

Lake

Strange Frames

Luke

Larkin

Plastic Arm

Rebekah

Lattin-Rawstrone

The bottomless pit

Anita

Lehmann

Know Thyself

Andre

Lepine

MONKEY

Julia

Lobo Salles

If It Wasn’t For ET

Adam

Lock

The Red Dress

Lisa

Lodico

Brothers

Charlene

Logan Burnett

Wheat Country Weddings

Susan

Lowell

First Love

Ruth

Mac Neely

Distraction

William

MacFarlane

Consanguinity

Fiona J

Mackintosh

The Chemistry of Living Things

Fiona J

Mackintosh

Walrus Brings the Dominoes

Laura

Mahal

Whatever it was he did

Ursula

Mallows

A Hope In Hell

Louise

Mangos

Freedom

ANDREA

marcusa

The Sleepover

Shey

Marque

New Pajamas

Andrea

Martin

After Sunset

Sean

McConville

Doing an Auntie Nellie

Anne

McDonald

Children of the Moon

Paul

McGranaghan

The Mission Of Wool

Dee

McInnes

Bad Boys

Wayne

Mconie

I’ll Be Back, But I Leave You This

Jose

Medina

He Blanked Me

Donatella

Montrone

Her Troubled Mind’s Reflection

Darren

Moorhouse

Parking cars and pumping gas

John

Mulligan

The girl in apartment 24

John

Mulligan

Blue

Tiarnan

Murphy

Gym Bunny

Cally

Murphy

Sewing

Carla

Myers

My Left Thumb

Carla

Myers

The Department

Carla

Myers

LOSING RADMILA

Peter

Newall

The Bite

Stephanie

Norgate

Worth a Thousand Words

Stephanie

Norgate

The Past

Stephanie

Norgate

Midnight at the Services

Stephanie

Norgate

Little Lamb

Alice

Nuttall

Scarlet Ribbons

Róisín

Ó Gribín

The Paris Opera

Sean

O’Connor

What I Saw

Laurence

O’Dwyer

Chaos

Mary

Omnes

The School Run

Zoe

Owens

Tedium

Gabriela

Paloa

Hooch

Jane

Paterson

Tree on the Shore

Carlos

Perona Calvete

Lucky Day

Ralph

Pooler

The Rainbow Must Include Zombies

V. Joseph

Racanelli

Off-Season

ALEX

REECE

Slivered

Caitlin

Richards

Puppy

Caitlin

Richards

Teething

Rachel

Richardson

Boy from Belfast

Laura

Rimando

Two Sides of a São Paulo Knife

Jane

Roberts

A Tongue Lashing

Peter

Rodgers

Beast

Vanessa

Rogers

THE MERMAID’S WAVE.

Sean

Ross

Gooseberry

Joanna

Rubery

Cavities

Christina

Sanders

Running Out

Shannon

Savvas

Welcome to Oz

Shannon

Savvas

Dover

Shannon

Savvas

Collector Girl

Adrian

Scanlan

Not Countin the Times

Glenn

Schiffman

At First Blush

Peter

Schireson

Remedy

Peter

Schireson

Lemons

Anita

Schmaltz

My Dearest Friend

Jacqui

Scholes-Rhodes

Zero Options

Enda

Scott

Swastika

Jacquelyn

Shreeves-Lee

Attic

Jacquelyn

Shreeves-Lee

The End

Chin

Siew Teng

Mortality

Elizabeth

Simpson

Valley Valentine ’98

Michael

Simpson

Revenge

peter

slater

Kathleen

Marilyn

Smith

Sage

Julian

Stanford

Heartfelt Eulogy

Martin

Sturrock

Sister Blue

Mark

Sutz

Starboards

Mark

Sutz

The Disappeared Mouse

Mark

Sutz

Ice Hole

Kate

Tregaskis

Curse of the Lucky Bamboo

Shubha

Venugopal

A Clash of Symbols

Dennis

Walder

Teaching Rounds

Richard

Weiner

Ever after

Ellen

West

Birth Control

Catherine

Westwell

Higher

Clare

Weze

The Smile

Terri J

Williams

Bluebell Perfection

Judith

Wilson

Windigo

Aji

Wings

THE “LED” PIPE

mickie

winkler

On the Wrong Side

Adam

Wohnoutka

This Our Daily Bread

Sharon

Wong

Effective Communication

Fliss

Zakaszewska

Let’s Dance

Jane

Zingale

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The Woman Who Swallowed the Book of Kells – Collection of Short Stories by Ian Wild

Ian Wild’s stories mix Monty Python with Hammer Horror, and the Beatles with Shakespeare, but his anarchic style and sense of humour remain very much his own in this collection of tall tales from another planet. Where else would you find vengeful organs, the inside story of Eleanor Rigby, mobile moustaches, and Vikings looting a Cork City branch of Abracababra?


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News & Articles

Story Prize 2023: Long-list

17th March 2024
On behalf of all of us at Fish, congratulations to all of you who made the long list.  The short-list and final results will not be published until 10th April. This is due to unforeseen circumstances and we apologise for any inconvenience that it causes. To preserve the anonymous nature of the judging, we are […]

Launch of the Fish Anthology 2023

12th July 2023
Tuesday 11th July saw the launch of the 2023 Anthology in the Maritime Hotel, Bantry. Nineteen of the fourty authors published in the anthology were there to read from their piece, travelling from Australia, USA and from all corners of Europe.             Read about the Anthology More photos of the […]

Poetry Prize 2023: RESULTS

15th May 2023
  Winners Short-list Long-list     Winners: Here are the 10 winners, as chosen by judge Billy Collins, to be published in the FISH ANTHOLOGY 2023. The Anthology will  be launched as part of the West Cork Literary Festival, (The Maritime Hotel, Bantry, West Cork – Tuesday 11th July – 18.00.) All are welcome! Second […]

Flash Fiction Prize 2023: RESULTS

10th April 2023
Winners Short-list Long-list   From all of us at Fish, thank you for entering your flashes. So many gems deserving of a readership have left their imprint on the Fish editors and judge, Kit de Waal. It was an honour to read them all. Congratulations to the writers whose Flash Stories were short or long-listed, […]

Short Memoir Prize: Results 2023

31st March 2023
Winners Short-list Long-list   On behalf of all of us at Fish, we congratulate the 10 winners who made it to the Fish Anthology 2023, and to those writers who made the long and short-lists, well done too.  Thank you to Sean Lusk, for the time and enthusiasm that he put into selecting the winners. (About […]

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