Announcing the Winners of the 22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition

Congratulations to the winners of the 22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition!

Out of many great entries, WD editors selected the following 25 winners:

1. “Bluebird” by Emmett Knowlton

2. “Yemma” by Nathan Pettigrew

3. “To Harvest Lavender” by L.J. Longo

4. “Something Sad About Us” by Randolph Thomas

5. “Deluge” by Bowen Cromer

6. “The Gospa” by Christine Goold

7. “A Package in the Post” by Brian Jacobs

8. “The Desert is Waiting” by Meredith Blevins

9. “Uniformity of Carcass” by Gary V. Powell

10. “The Rotational Velocity of Living” by JL Lycette

11. “In the Basement” by Jan M. Flynn

12. “The Whispering” by William Myers

13. “A Brief History of the Marshall Islands Agreement” by Michael Romano

14. “The Passage” by Lisa Bristow

15. “Paper Dolls” by Ryan Smith

16. “The Exchange” by Jeanne Schieffer

17. “Word Games” by Debra Whittall

18. “Sea Trials” by BJ Condike

19. “The Neighbor” by Lauren Oertel

20. “Defend Us In Battle” by William Reinholt Bauer

21. “Have a Nice Day” by BV Lawson

22. “The Warden” by Giovanna Ferrigno

23. “The Kid With the Shovel” by Thomas Flynn

24. “Her” by Penelope Westbrook

25. “The Cat Lady” by Thomas Wilson 

Since obtaining her MFA in fiction, Moriah Richard has worked with over 100 authors to help them achieve their publication dreams. As the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she spearheads the world-building column Building Better Worlds, a 2023 Eddie & Ozzie Award winner. She also runs the Flash Fiction February Challenge on the WD blog, encouraging writers to pen one microstory a day over the course of the month and share their work with other participants. As a reader, Moriah is most interested in horror, fantasy, and romance, although she will read just about anything with a great hook. 

Learn more about Moriah on her personal website.