Ligonier Valley Writers hold annual flash fiction contest

Ligonier Valley Writers is seeking submissions for its 15th Flash Fiction Contest.

Deadline is midnight Aug. 15. No fees are charged and cash prizes are awarded, according to publicity director Judith Gallagher.

Flash fiction means under 1,000 words. For submission guidelines, visit LVWonline.org.

The stories are performed for Halloween, and past topics have ranged from ghosts to dragons to spooky/scary places. This year’s topic is elves and fairies.

New this year is celebrity author Damian Dressick as final judge. Dressick’s stories have appeared in more than 50 literary journals and anthologies, including W.W. Norton’s New Micro, failbetter.com, New Orleans Review, Cutbank, New World Writing, Smokelong Quarterly, Vestal Review and Barcelona Review.

He has won the Harriette Arnow Award and the Jesse Stuart Prize and was a finalist for the 2019 Katherine Anne Porter Prize. He teaches at the University of Pittsburgh.

Winning authors will be invited to read their stories aloud at various venues during the Halloween season. Winning stories will also be published on LVW’s website.

The first prize winner will receive $50, second prize $25, and third prize $15. There will also be three honorable mentions, whose work will be published and read aloud with the other winners.

All six winning stories will be professionally edited. The authors of all six winning entries will also receive a one-year complimentary membership in Ligonier Valley Writers.