From an original field of 5,400+ writers around the world and after three rounds of competition, we finally have a winner of the 2nd annual 250-word Microfiction Challenge!  Congratulations to Katie Doke Sawatzky (Regina, SK, Canada) for winning the competition with her final round story, "The bundle".  Katie and 149 other finalists were challenged to create a story no longer than 250 words based on the open genre, releasing an animal from a trap (action), and sense (word) in just 24 hours.  Congratulations to the top stories listed below and thank you to everyone that participated!

TOP FINAL ROUND STORIES

HM = Honorable Mention

#1 - ''The bundle'' by Katie Doke Sawatzky
#2 - ''Home Skies'' by Mary Ethna Black
#3 - ''A Black Eye for the Green Thumb'' by Dean Croxon
#4 - ''The Ring'' by Allison Dellinger
#5 - ''Beyond the Edge of the Trees'' by Sarah Catherine Golden
#6 - ''Home Care'' by Romy Scott
#7 - ''Good Girl'' by Jess Dungan
#8 - ''The Day of the Feast'' by Haley Hwang
#9 - ''Lost and Found'' by Jessica Darago
#10 - ''Some Things Can't Be Fixed'' by Taylor Kowalski
#HM - ''Bad Moon Rising'' by Kat Gojira
#HM - ''Inari’s Tears'' by Salvatore Pesaturo
#HM - ''Good Sport'' by Amanda Donnelly
#HM - ''Endless Summer'' by Greg Brown
#HM - ''Springes to Catch Woodcocks'' by Chip Rossetti
#HM - ''Minnow Trap'' by AM Peters
#HM - ''Catch and Release'' by Doug Gray
#HM - ''Mettle'' by Colleen Weems
#HM - ''Sundrop Motel'' by Kirsten Nichols
#HM - ''An Ewok's smile'' by Ry Lewis 

IMPORTANT LINKS

1st Round: Kickoff Email / Assignments / Results

2nd Round: Kickoff Email / Assignments / Results

Final Round: Kickoff Email

Rules: Official Rules & Participation Agreement

		Thank you to the participants for helping to donate over $10,000 to global charities currently dealing with some of the most critical issues affecting our world.  Click here to learn more.

The 250-word Microfiction Challenge is a competition that challenges writers around the world to create very short stories (250 words max.) based on genre, action, and word assignments in 24 hours. In the 1st Round (November 20-21, 2020), writers are placed randomly in groups and are assigned a genre, action, and word assignment.  Writers have 24 hours to craft an original 250-word story (maximum) in their assigned genre, with the assigned action taking place, and incorporating the assigned word.  The judges choose a top 10 in each group to advance to the 2nd Round (January 15-16, 2021) where writers receive new assignments and again have 24 hours to craft original stories.  Judges select the top 5 writers in each group from the 2nd Round to advance to the Final Round of the competition taking place February 19-20, 2021 where writers will receive their final assignment of the competition.  Feedback from the judges is provided for every submission and there are thousands in cash and prizes for the winners.  Sound like fun?  Join the competition below and get ready for November 20th!

Registration is now closed.  There are more exciting challenges around the corner, so make sure to join our mailing list or follow us on facebook, twitter, or instagram to be the first to know  Thank you and stay safe!

While we send e-mails at the beginning of each round to all registered writers, many times e-mails go to junk mail folders, spam, or are blocked by servers for unknown reasons.  We recommend that everyone marks their calendars with the start dates of each round, especially the first round at 11:59PM EST (New York time) on November 20, 2020, so that you know when to expect an e-mail!

Not only does every writer receive feedback from the judges for every story that is submitted, but a special review forum is available for the participants to submit their stories for review from fellow writers throughout the competition.  During the last 250-word Microfiction Challenge, there were over 9,700 comments made on the 800+ stories shared on the forum.   Click here to visit the forums.

	Kim C. Newfield, USA	“This was so fun! What a great way to stimulate creativity!”
	Peri D. Playa Del Carmen, Mexico	“I love this microfiction contest! I just uploaded my entry. By selecting a genre and action for me, and imposing a strict word limit, it's a challenging exercise in the craft of writing.”
	Carrie H. Ljamsville, USA	“Spoiler alert. 250 is not a lot of words. But wow, that was fun.”
	Angelique K. Fort Myers, USA	“What a blast! I've never done something on a word limit before, and that was a hoot!”
	Ryan K. Belfast, UK	“Well, that was fun! Never written drama before but nothing like a tight deadline and an even tighter word count to show you what you're capable of!”
	Michelle H. Bel Air, USA	“Done! Feeling great about my submission. Who knew that I would love micro fiction so much. Loving this 250 word competition.”
	Sylvia P. Kingston, Canada	“I totally enjoyed this new experience. The clarity of the expectations allowed it to unfold without stress, and simply offered the fun of writing. Thank you!”
	Ashley S. Dryden, Canada	“Of all the genres, I was most worried about getting "comedy". Which is of course what I was assigned!! It was such a fun challenge, and forced me to stretch outside my comfort zone. Collective high five to all the awesome writers out there!”
	Pauline Y. Queensland, Australia	“That was a great exercise in how to cut words.”