Barbara S. Ponce Public Library's 2020 Flash Fiction Contest

Updated: September 25, 2020

Winners

Child (Age 8 - 12) Bracket

1st Place: Sally P. Rozelle for the story "Dellian: Imagination Avenue"

2nd Place: Logan Muhleisen for the story "The Time Twister"

3rd Place: Alisa Shevtsova for the story "Grandfather Clock Secret"

Teen (Age 13 - 17) Bracket

1st Place: Shireen Isakson for the story "Courage and a Clock"

2nd Place: Sofia Mendoza for the story "Obsessive Clock Disorder"

3rd Place: Alatheia Anderson for the story "Midnight"

Adult (Age 18+) Bracket

1st Place: Nanette Davis for the story "An Unlikely Superhero"

2nd Place: Ginger Herring for the story "Facing the Bully"

3rd Place: Lynn Taylor for the story "One Small Act"

Congratulations to the winners, and a thank you to everyone who submitted a story. It was very difficult to make a decision.

Although these are the winners of this contest, there are no losers. We hope you will keep your work and use it to inspire other projects.

If you have any questions or comments, please email the library or call 727-369-0667.

BSPL 2020 Flash Fiction Zine

Click here for a digital story collection. This version is meant to be viewed online.

Purpose

2020 has been a rough year for many in Pinellas County, Florida, including creative people. As stress grows, inspiration dries up and motivation grinds to a halt. If you express your creativity through writing, you may be finding it difficult to keep your mind on writing when any possible payoff seems far in the uncertain future.

So, in order to focus your creativity, we librarians at Barbara S. Ponce Public Library are hosting a flash fiction contest. Flash fiction is a type of very short story; See more about flash fiction below. Winners of the contest will receive prizes and get their work printed in a zine that will be distributed at the library.

We look forward to reading stories by Pinellas County residents and showing off the best work as proof of the talent and creativity that lives here.

Contest Overview

The contest is open to Pinellas County residents in three age brackets: Child (age 8 - 12), Teen (age 13 - 17), and Adult (age 18 and older). There is no fee to enter.

The library will award a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize in each age bracket. Winners will also see their stories printed in a zine that will be distributed at the library.

Submissions must be 1,000 words or less and relate to our theme: Courage and a Clock. We will collect submissions through a form that will appear on this page August 31 - September 7, 2020. Submissions received after 11:59pm on September 7th will not be considered. On September 8th, submissions will be stripped of author names and given to the judges for evaluation. Winners will be notified as soon possible. We will publicly announce the winners on September 25th.

Contest Guidelines

Writers must be residents of Pinellas County and, should they win, be able to pick up their prize at Barbara S. Ponce Public Library in Pinellas Park. (Curbside service is available.)
Submissions must not exceed 1,000 words. See the notes on flash fiction for more guidance.
Submissions must be fiction or creative memoir. We will consider any genre of fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, thriller, romance, slice-of-life, literary, etc). We will not consider poetry, descriptive-only memoir, or nonfiction works such as essays, travelogues, journalism, technical pieces, opinion pieces, etc.
Submissions must be written specifically for this contest and be related to the theme: "Courage and a Clock". Please do not submit works completed before the theme reveal.
Submissions must be written in English.
Submissions must not contain graphic violence or excessive sexual content or profanity. Think PG-13.
Writers can submit one story only.

Judging Criteria

Theme: The story should clearly relate to the contest’s theme: Courage and a Clock.
Story structure: Works should be a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end.
Brevity: Works should demonstrate the author’s ability to tell an effective story in no more than 1,000 words. See the notes on flash fiction for more guidance.
Originality and creativity: Give us engrossing plots and unique characters that together reveal something meaningful about the human condition.
Descriptive language: Give us strong imagery and skillful writing.

Prizes

A 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize will be awarded in each age bracket. Prizes are gift cards to Tombolo Books (tombolobooks.com) in the following values:

1st place: $75 gift card
2nd place: $50 gift card
3rd place: $25 gift card

Winners will also see their stories printed in a zine that will be distributed at the library. Click here to learn more about zines.

Judges

Library Assistant Jennifer Castle is a voracious reader who loves short stories that surprise you in some way, either with a fresh way of thinking or with a twist ending. She is excited to be a part of a contest that spotlights the many talented authors we have across Pinellas County.

Assistant Director Dave McMurrin is a flashlight-under-the-covers-when-his-parents-told-him-to-go-to-sleep sort of reader. His favorite genres are mysteries and science fiction/fantasy. He is looking forward to seeing what stories come out of our flash fiction theme.

Former Library Assistant Natalia Schellhaas has a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science and is the author of The Time Thief and coauthor of Branches of Healing Anthology, Me + You: A Summer Romance Anthology, and Red Riding Hood Anthology. Her favorite types of stories to read are fantasy (sprinkle in some magic and romance and she falls in love), ghost stories, and a good mystery-thriller. Natalia's support for this flash fiction contest stems from her love of reading and writing and helping people achieve their dreams of showcasing their stories.

Pat Bennett is a Friend of the Barbara S. Ponce Public Library and an avid reader since 4th grade. A retired RN with a Master's degree, she reads an average of 160 books each year, and her favorite types of stories to read are historical fiction and mysteries. She is excited to read all the stories people submit.

Rights to Your Work

All rights to the work remain with the original author before, during, and after the contest. Works printed in the zine are also under copyright of their original authors. We do not claim any rights to the work that is submitted.

What is Flash Fiction?

Flash fiction is a very short story that, despite its brevity, still has a complete plot. Flash fiction can be any genre and deal with any subject. Oftentimes there is an element of surprise in flash fiction, but this is not a requirement.

What is a Zine?

The definition below is paraphrased from this entry on Wikipedia.

A zine is a collection of original works that are photocopied into physical prints for circulation. Zines are self-published, cheap to make, and easy to physically distribute and carry. Among the various intentions for creation and publication are developing one's identity, sharing a niche skill or art, or developing a story, as opposed to seeking profit.

Zines have cultural and academic value as tangible evidence of marginal communities, many of which are otherwise little-documented. This has been reflected in the creation of zine archives and related programming in such mainstream institutions as the Tate museum and the British Library.

Our zine will be created by printing winners’ stories on a folded sheet of 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper and stapled together to make a booklet. We will create a limited number of copies and distribute them at the library for a limited time.

The zine will also be posted here in a digital format.