Previous Winners of The Letter Review Prize

Announcing the Winners, Shortlist, and Longlist of The Letter Review Prize for Short Stories, Flash Fiction, and Poetry (May – June 2023)

We’re uncontainably excited to share these nine winning entries with you, along with our Shortlists and Longlists. It gives us a bubbly / effervescent feeling to read astonishing pieces which have never seen the light of day.

Our deepest thanks and commendations go out to every entrant to this round of our Prizes. As ever, the care invested in each piece shines through. There are never any frivolous entries, and this alone makes choosing winning pieces complex and challenging. We hope that by providing Shortlists, and Longlists we can help to bring warranted attention to some writers beyond the Winners category. As you already know, if you missed out in this round we hope that you do not feel discouraged.

This time, the Judges decided to award three equal winners in each round. It was simply too hard to place these wonderful pieces of writing into a hierarchy. Having three equal winners also allows The Letter Review to celebrate differing styles of fiction and poetry, without privileging one variety above another. For this reason, in the future we will award three equal winners in all of our contests.

The Letter Review’s aim has always been to provide opportunities for as wide a variety of writers as possible. In service of this, we have expanded the categories of the subsequent rounds of our prizes to include Short Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Unpublished Books, and Art. The September – October round of our Prizes is now open, which you can enter below.

Without further ado, we can’t wait for you to read those chosen as the Winners. Make sure to click the title of each piece to read the winning entry. We hope you enjoy, and we hope to hear from you soon.

Winning Entries

Short Story Winners

• Ivan Suazo – How To Run a Bodega Successfully in the Boogie Down, NYC
• Janna Wagner – In Search of Omega
• Ruth MacLean – Monday Morning Rain or Shine

Flash Fiction Winners

• Alex Cassidy – Cosmic Sans
• Colby Knapp – Maternal Instinct
• Adam Z. Robinson – Favouritism

Poetry Winners

• Blake Auden – Nam Mater Mea
• Dion O’Reilly – Dark Matter
• Frank William Finney – Here Stood the Thespians’ Tavern

Shortlists

Short Story Shortlist

• Mallory Miles – The Polar Bear
• Indyana Horobin – Sharky Stevens
• Emily Brown – Trouble Child
• Anil Classen – Fish Need to Swim
• Katcha Vidoyevich – Daddy

Flash Fiction Shortlist

• Sal Ragen – Sadie
• Genevieve Flintham – Even Herons Need To Eat
• Charlene Cason – Going Away
• Charles Grosel – Mom-G
• Carl L. Williams – What Mattered More
• Gideon McDonald – on the Mother

Poetry Shortlist

• Veronica Ma – strings and boxes
• Cindy Ellen Hill – Liberty NY 1977
• Stephanie Powell – Luteal waiting
• Heather Blakey – Silverhand
• Gary Beaumier – Portrait of My Soul as a Mushroom
• John Peter Beck – Kick the Can
• Charles Grosel – In Sleep and Waking
• Torrey Francis Malek – The Irish Walrus
• Michael Shoemaker – The Cost of a Human Life
• Linn Berkvens – Money

Longlists

Short Story Longlist

• Christy O’Callaghan – Stars
• Miki Lentin – The Party
• David Osgood – The Smell of Old Books
• James Skivington – The Portrait
• Robin Lovelace – Rougarou
• Chris Cody – What Day is it?
• Roberts Jekabsons – Down Goes Walcott
• Luke Lewin Davies – Holloway Road
• Holly Woodward – Breaking Silence

Flash Fiction Longlist

• June O’Sullivan – The Boathouse
• Pam Swanborough – A Hand-shy Heart
• Nancy Quinn – PLEASE. SIT.
• Alex Kupisiewicz – Stardust
• Will Burnette – The Fisherman
• Sydney Bollinger – Post Mortem
• Amber Fenik – Bus Fare
• Paul Watkins – The Tablet

Poetry Longlist

• Alex Stanley – The Saguaro Child
• John Osburn – Passage
• Daniel Moreschi – A Sunset Spectacle
• Ashley Davis – White Fingerprints
• Dana Kinsey – My Friend’s Reflection after Bad Tinder Date #38
• Wendell Hawken – Hayfield Elegy on the Road to Long Branch
• Stephen Allen – The Naturalist
• Alicia Sometimes – Robes of Darkest Blue
• Christie Washam – Watermelon Naengmyun
• Paul Buchheit – Old Man
• Elizabeth Hill – The Hamptons

Announcing the Winning Entries, Shortlist, and Longlist of the Letter Review Prize for Short Stories, Flash Fiction, and Poetry (March – April 2023)

It’s an enormous privilege to read the wonderful submissions to the Letter Review Prize. Each round we find the entries are of a remarkable standard. Consequently, choosing just three winners is a difficult task. This difficulty is lessened somewhat by the knowledge that those Shortlisted and Longlisted will receive some of the praise they are due, but only somewhat.

Judging this competition is truly a life enriching experience. We find each round that none of the entries are without merit: with special attention and care obviously invested in each. That’s why we feel it’s important to acknowledge the bravery, talent, and hard work that goes into preparing every entry for submission, regardless of whether the author is officially recognized in the lists below. Thank you all for your creative generosity. 

This round’s winners are a balance of different genres: Historical fiction, quirky comedy, sci-fi, literary, and many astonishing works that defy a neat compartmentalization. There’s a home for every variety of writing at Letter Review. Next round we are intending to add further categories, to ensure every writer feels that Letter Review offers them opportunities, and a road to publication. 

This round I wanted to share some of the qualities of the works that we particularly responded to. Works that make us feel or laugh intensely frequently stand out. Works that are thematically rich, complex, or original tend to read as well reasoned, or satisfyingly complete (what is this work saying?). Some of the winners’ entries address issues which feel relevant or timely. Notable characters frequently feel like real people, as though we are gaining a peek into a rich slice of their life. Strong images, and symbols linger in the mind after reading some of these works, with figurative language sparking emotion and epiphany like a variegated, vociferous firework. 

As we must acknowledge each round, the number of entries we receive is overwhelming, and the competition is just so fierce. Our sincere thanks go to Art Director Kita Das for the gorgeous bespoke artwork which accompanies each publication. Without further ado, we hope you enjoy reading the astonishing winning entries just as much as we enjoyed judging them.

Short Story Winning Entries

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Short Story Shortlist (in no particular order):

• Ciaran Buckley – Hell
• Dr. Irene Felipe – Positive
• Mark Grant – The Mine
• Emily Zasada – The Memory Chamber
• D. B. Gardner – Every Whistle Paints a Picture
• Miles Marinello – Reflections

Short Story Longlist (in no particular order):

• Hardy Griffin – In Frankfurt
• Maureen Grosvenor – Uncle Edgar
• Henry Carlos Koike-Sieira – The 4 Train
• Ciaran Buckley – Hell
• David Renton – HORSA
• Dr. Irene Felipe – Positive
• Ade Cory – A Quiet Word
• Allan Hudson – Voyage of Hope
• Mark Grant – The Mine
• Nicola Wiggins – Rhyme Time
• Chad V. Broughman – Countdown to retirement
• Emily Zasada – The Memory Chamber
• Dennis Martin – McCauley’s Rising
• D. B. Gardner – Every Whistle Paints a Picture
• Miles Marinello – Reflections
• Sarah Sousa – Library of Things
• Margaret Emerson – The Black Egg
• Nola Rose Killpack – Green House

Flash Fiction Winning Entries

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

Flash Fiction Shortlist (in no particular order):

• Morgan Karpiel – The Replacement
• Joshua Ritter – Goodnight, Mr. Halian
• Daan Spijer – Picture This
• John Siko – DETHRONED
• Dale Shank – An Element of Time
• David Osgood – Dislocation

Flash Fiction Longlist (in no particular order):

• Morgan Karpiel – The Replacement
• Oona Metz – The Flood
• André Bergeron – Lagrange Point One
• Joshua Ritter – Goodnight, Mr. Halian
• Philip Owens – Seasons
• David Martin Anderson – Life After Life
• Philip Schaefer – Fallen Angels
• Daan Spijer – Picture This
• Lawrence Patchett – Matchstick Factory
• Claire Massey – The Night the River Sang
• Janet Moore – Behold and Rejoice
• Cynthia Damon – THE CRUISE
• John Siko – DETHRONED
• Chris Barkley – Helgoland
• Dale Shank – An Element of Time
• David Osgood – Dislocation

Poetry Winning Entries

Joint First Place

Joint Third Place

Poetry Shortlist (in no particular order):

• Katy Masterman – Staying Bitter
• Jane McNulty – What Happens After
• Mitch Rayes – The Other Side
• Abby E. Murray – After a Massacre
• Cory Henniges – This poem is about how the apple in line 5 is like my heart
• Debbie Collins – 4 a.m.
• Jennifer M. Phillips – Shell Music
• Rob Carney – The Bones, of Course

Poetry Longlist (in no particular order):

• Pella Winkopp – N. fowleri ate my brain.
• Ada Pendill – Emeralds, Gold, and Honey
• Katy Masterman – Staying Bitter
• Christine Siebels-Lindquist – EATING LILACS
• Doris Edmund McGehee – ONE THOUSAND AND TEN DOLLARS
• Jane McNulty – What Happens After
• Mitch Rayes – The Other Side
• Abby E. Murray – After a Massacre
• Sissel Almgren – Unlove
• Roberts ‘Bobby’ Jekabsons – JAZZ PLUMBING
• Chelsea Fox – as i sit waiting for you on our un-made bed
• Cory Henniges – This poem is about how the apple in line 5 is like my heart
• Debbie Collins – 4 a.m.
• Maya Sorini – A Proof
• Wendel Sloan – June 30, 1990
• Story Keatley – BIRD
• Jennifer M. Phillips – Shell Music
• Rob Carney – The Bones, of Course

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Announcing the Longlist, Shortlist, and Winning Entries of the Letter Review Prize for Short Stories, Poetry, and Flash Fiction (Jan – Feb 2023)

We feel truly honored to have read the poetry and stories submitted to this round of the Letter Review Prize for Short Stories, Poetry, and Flash Fiction. We were regularly moved to tears by the enormous compassion displayed in the work: as you would hope, we also laughed ourselves silly while imbibing the brilliant and shining comic moments served to us with sizzling finesse.

From heart-rending poems and tales addressing family tension (the perennial core of so many great works of literature), to portholes on spaceships through which we watched unthinkable calamities, these works took us from the highest places of all, to the murky depths of soul endangering deals.

To entrust someone else with your work requires courage, and we sincerely thank all entrants for the courage mustered, as well as the trust placed in us as temporary guardians of your writing. 

As ever, the competition was fierce, and the number of entries large. We are absolutely thrilled to announce below the Longlists, Shortlists, and Winners of the Letter Review Prize for Short Stories, Poetry, and Flash Fiction (Jan – Feb 2023).

Please remember, the March – April 2023 round of the Letter Review Prize for Short Stories, Poetry, and Flash Fiction is now open. Don’t worry if you missed the deadline earlier in the year. The current round closes on the 30th April. We can’t wait to read your submissions.

Short Story Winning Entries

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

Short Story Shortlist (in no particular order):

• Annie Dawid – The Coroner’s Version
• Thomas Alan – Sook
• Francesca Newton – Try-Hard
• Heidi Lehtis – Koval’s Wife
• Joseph Friesen – Every Once in a While
• Jonathan Rice – Depends (Good Night)
• Isabel Coelho – When Your Parents Are Dead

Short Story Longlist (in no particular order): 

• Isabel Coelho – When Your Parents Are Dead
• Jonathan Rice – Depends (Good Night)
• Sarah Zimmerman – The Koi Pond
• Meredith Ellington – Fig Tree
• Genesis Gerena – Untimely
• Heidi Lehtis – Koval’s Wife
• Francesca Newton – Try-Hard
• Ronan Ryan – Nagoya
• Thomas Alan – Sook
• Elizabeth Corbitt – The Darkness I Know Well
• Willow Healy – One Hundred Million Shades of Color
• Mikko Moisander – The Middle Aged Man and the Sea
• Liz Solms – Mile Zero
• Annie Dawid – The Coroner’s Version
• Tierney Acott – Luckenbach, Texas
• Dennis Martin – Remembering Reb
• Joseph Friesen – Every Once in a While
• Simon Turner – The Communication Decoder
• William Earl – One Small Death of Man
• Chris Humphrey – Resurrection

Poetry Winning Entries

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

Poetry Story Shortlist (in no particular order):

• Nimrada Silva – Bus Ticket
• Darrelle Spenceley – Data Breach
• Riley Byers – In which illness is a dull red thing with feathers
• Michael Dufresne – The Dangle Unreleased
• Deja Jones – POVerty Line
• Emma Rosetta – Water Ways

Poetry Longlist (in no particular order):

• Vironika Wilde – Welcome?
• Daniel Moreschi – Serengeti Storm
• Darrelle Spenceley – Data Breach
• Michael Dufresne – The Dangle Unreleased
• Emma Moylan – Ordinary Opulence
• Ed McManis – Throwing the Bones
• Deja Jones – POVerty Line
• Sarah DeLassus Carson – An Imprecise Prayer
• Riley Byers – In which illness is a dull red thing with feathers
• Charlene Cason – “to sleep, perchance to dream”
• j.l brown – Mid-March
• Kathleen Tierney – Forgetting how to echo
• Maggie Yang – Learning to Write at T&T
• M.A. Corbett – I Live in Me
• Annette Gagliardi – Practice Falling
• William “Wilson” Graham – Sick Day
• Von Wise – The Edge
• Nimrada Silva – Bus Ticket
• Emma Rosetta – Water Ways

Flash Fiction Winning Entries

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

Flash Fiction Story Shortlist (in no particular order):

• Andi Van den Berge – Trashy Humor
• RT Wenzel – Pastaheart
• Andy Bird – Found
• Mahara Heslop – Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
• Andrew Nest – Everest
• Ian Reid – In Grace’s Place

Flash Fiction Longlist (in no particular order):

• Andi Van den Berge – Trashy Humor
• Christopher Ghattas – Plums
• Mark Rhodes – agonies
• Meredith Ellington – The Olive Jar
• Adam Wohnoutka – A Nice Guy
• Andrew Nest – Everest
• Mahara Heslop – Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
• Andre Bergeron – Diamond from the Depths
• Ian Reid – In Grace’s Place
• RT Wenzel – Pastaheart
• Toby Litt – Just as if
• Noah Wilson – Proof
• Andy Bird – Found
• Daniel Seifert – On the One Hand
• Sabah Carrim – Fatal Attraction
• Susan Breall – I Love You Baby Doll
• Ian Nettleton – I never said you could

Please remember, the March – April 2023 round of the Letter Review Prize for Short Stories, Poetry, and Flash Fiction is now open. Don’t worry if you missed the deadline earlier in the year. The current round closes on the 30th April. We can’t wait to read your submissions.

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Announcing the results of the Letter Review Prize for Poetry (December 2022)

Here we are: at one of our favourite junctures. It’s with a huge sense of excitement and gratitude that we release the results of the Letter Review Prize for Poetry.

The competition was fierce in this round, and it was such a joy to read the entries.

It was truly an honor to spend time with every poem, all of which were thoughtfully composed.

Congratulations to everyone who entered. Thank you for entrusting us with your work, and thinking of Letter Review as a potential home for your writing.

Special congratulations to those mentioned in the lists below. Click the title of the winning entries to read them.

First Place

Second Place

Joint Third Place

Shortlist (in no particular order):

• Patricia Davis-Muffett – Redlist
• Isi Unikowski – Ode to My Black Satchel
• Peter Fray-Witzer – Interstate & Honeysuckle
• Pattie Palmer-Baker – Sterling
• Aoi Onodera – Friendship
• Shilpa Dikshit Thapliyal – This is a Spam Poem
• Romney Humphrey – Chambray Shirt
• Damen O’Brien – Worth
• Brian Kelly – Digger Down

Longlist (in no particular order): 

• Rylie Heaton – cold glow
• Jennifer Phillips – Mr. Gorringe
• Shilpa Dikshit Thapliyal – This is a Spam Poem
• Romney Humphrey – Chambray Shirt
• Patricia Davis-Muffett – Redlist
• Peter Fray-Witzer – Interstate & Honeysuckle
• Brian Kelly – Digger Down
• Lisa Harper Campbell – A Slug v. Snail Haiku-Off
• Diane Croft – My Trip to Ireland
• Jonathan Greenhause – This Murky Spot Will Turn Into the Sea
• Leigh Lucas – Trick
• Damen O’Brien – Worth
• Aoi Onodera – Friendship
• Alina Rios – Weight
• Pattie Palmer-Baker – Sterling
• Isi Unikowski – Ode to My Black Satchel

Highly Commended (in no particular order):

• Ian Reid – Breaking the surface
• Savanna Loy – Fatherless
• Nicole Rossiter – Courage
• Liam Boyle – Distance makes distance
• Klayton Goering – Fire
• Jonathan Loomis – I am gone
• Jennifer Hinton – I Didn’t Forget
• Elena Apanovitch – In my wings a tender solace
• Alexandra Bassett – You Won’t Remember
• Casey Clune – Someday
• Lydia Benson – After
• Karina Estrella – The whispers
• Alshiyoukh Hassan – What Happened in Montpelier?
• Samantha Meddaugh – What You Are Not Seeing
• Ladena Jackson – You Are Not Here
• Linda Collins – the interviewer
• Kate Langan – Wisdom

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Announcing the Winners of the Letter Review Prize for Short Stories (December 2022)

It is with great excitement and pleasure that we announce these results.

Short stories are one of the most enduring and revered forms of storytelling. It’s no wonder their popularity is currently soaring. Short story competitions represent a wonderful opportunity for emerging writers to demonstrate their ability and secure publication. They also offer established writers an avenue to practice their craft, and cement their reputation.

Perhaps most importantly, competitions showcase wonderful writing, bringing us into contact with exciting and remarkable new work.

The Letter Review Prize for Short Stories seeks fiction of up to 3000 words and is open to writers over the age of 12 from anywhere in the world. First place receives $600 USD and publication. Second place receives $250 USD and publication. Third place receives $150 and publication.

Congratulations to our winning writers and all those listed in the Highly Commended category, Longlist, and Shortlist.

Click the title of each story to read!

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

Shortlist (in no particular order):

• Laura Williams – Today Is The Greatest 
• Emma Rosetta – Here On The Land
• Letty Butler – Vietnam
• Mireille Pyne – Only Me And The Sea
• Aisling Lee – Where There Once Was Love
• Allan Durand – The Assassination Of JFK
• Bruce Maclachlan – Left Overs
• Daniel Mueller – The Call
• Bep Hayman – The Good God
• Ian Reid – A Sinking Heart
• Maureen Grosvenor – The Hunt
• Kendal McGinnis – Little Box

Longlist (in no particular order): 

• Simon Lemay – Wildfire
• Ian Reid – A Sinking Heart
• Stefani Ramsey – Knowing Your Roots
• Chris Hyland – The Right Moment
• Maureen Grosvenor – The Hunt
• Bep Hayman – The Good God
• Greg Klerkx – Paul’s Walk
• Allan Durand – The Assassination of JFK
• Guo Ru – The Manifesto of Insectist Party
• Fiona Kelly McGregor – The Green Gold Grassy Hills
• Trevor LaRene – His Name Is Henry 
• Daniel Mueller – The Call
• Christian Churchill – Eden
• Amir Darwish – The Worthless Notes
• Elizabeth Boyd – Christmas Eve
• Dan Crosby – The Ordinary Accidents of Life
• Bruce Maclachlan – Left Overs
• Kendal McGinnis – Little Box
• Chris Humphrey – Come With Me
• Ashley Davis – The Debt
• Matilde Liboni – Summer House
• Emma Rosetta – Here On The Land
• Laura Williams – Today Is The Greatest 
• Letty Butler – Vietnam
• Mireille Pyne – Only Me And The Sea
• Aisling Lee – Where There Once Was Love

Highly Commended (in no particular order):

• Mackenzie Judd – An Easy Mark
• John Caroselli – Shadow Under The Rising Sun
• Emily Owen – The Artist’s Assistant
• Ben Blatt – A Bedroom Light 
• Connor Drescher – A Grave Night 
• Patrick Wood – Impressionist and Modern
• Lindsay Flakelar – The Shoplifter’s Dilemma
• Imogen Harris – I See You 
• Taylor Van Arsdale – The Dining Needle
• Alessandra Costagliola – Top, Center, Left, Right, Hands Together
• Marta Ziosi – The Tourist Guide
• Mark Grant – Career’s End
• Sarah Santoni – Gust 
• Simon Turner – The Accent Interpreter 
• Joan Michelson – Robot Girl
• Jim Watson – The Fire at Morgan’s Farm
• Mahina Kilkenny – Close Encounter
• Kenneth Furphy – The Telegram Man, The Legacy of Lah and Te
• Emma Rosetta – There Is Only One Way