I have a somewhat longer than usual post this time. I'm announcing the shortlist for the third quarter of the Flash 500 Competition (and paying tribute to those authors who made the long list but didn’t get through to the final judging). I'm also letting you know about the fabulous new judge for the final quarter of the year, as well as giving news on publication of the winning entry from the second quarter.
Shortlist
So, let’s get started! Our judge, Sue Moorcroft, will be supplying a judge’s report and giving us the results during the first week of November. As usual there will be cash prizes for first, second and third, with one highly commended author receiving a copy of The Writer’s ABC Checklist. Here is the shortlist (in alphabetical order) for the third quarter of the Flash 500 Competition. Good luck to all the authors.
A Bag for Life
A Knacker's Guide to Ireland
Beef Hash and Corn Bread
Colours
Dark Thoughts and Heavy Metal
Find the Lady
Fur
Ghost of Christmas Past
Grandfather
Home Fries
Leona's World
Lord Stanton's Horse
Not on the Agenda
On Reflection
Point and Shoot
Predator
Reflection
Sparrows under the Middle Cloud
That's Life
The Compliment
The House on Memory Lane
The Pink Bobble Hat
The Unknown Gladiators
The XY Factor
Things to Throw from a Bridge
Long List
The following twenty stories, also listed in alphabetical order, made the long list – congratulations to the authors concerned. The standard was exceptionally high and to have made this list was an achievement in itself. I hope you will enter your stories in other flash fiction competitions and wish you lots of luck with all your writing endeavours.
A Different Voice by Tracy Fells
Blurring at the Edges by Sallie Tams
Brief Romances by Rachel Pentz
Bull's eye by Mary Healy
Charlie's Angels by Pamela Howes
Dear BBC by Ross Gibson
Empty Promises by Louise Charles
Far From the Mythic Crowd by Oscar Windsor-Smith
Frozen by Jennifer Pulling
Grace by Adele Molson
Happy Ever After? by Vanessa Couchman
Hot Pocket by Bob Thurber
In a Hole by Warren Glover
In Loving Memory by Catherine Burrows
Marked by Vicky Barton
Once Upon a Time by Karla Sally Dearsley
Siamese Whispers by Anya Cates
The Atomic Man is Not Alone by Collin Minnaar
The Balloon and the Skateboard by Lucy Oliver
The Boys in the Wood by Ian Craine
Some Advice
Please, whatever you do, READ THE RULES of this or any other competition you decide to enter. Unfortunately we had a few disqualified entries because the authors didn’t follow the rules set out on the website.
Iain Pattison
Our new judge for the final quarter of this year is Iain Pattison. As you will see from his judge’s page, Iain is a much sought-after competition judge. An author, journalist and writer of fiction, he brings years of experience in the writing field to the task of judging competitions and we are thrilled he has agreed to judge ours.
Winning Story Published
The winning story from the second quarter has been published in the latest issue of Words with JAM. To obtain a copy of this quality ezine you will need to subscribe on the website, but as it’s free, there is no reason not to rush over and do so.
That’s about it, except to say that I hope you will enter this quarter’s competition.
Lorraine
Co-author of The Writers ABC Checklist
Hi! It was great to be long-listed. It does give a glimmer of hope to a struggling writer (and I guess as writers we know a fair bit about struggling and glimmers, eh?). BTW, are you able to let us know how many entries you received?
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Oscar
Let's put it this way - you reached the last 45 out of an entry of several hundred. Well done. I hope you'll enter the story in another flash competition.
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