Time to hook you up to the goods…

With this latest contest, you channeled dark, offbeat, strange, and surreal sensibilities into the natural world—which it turns out can be pretty unnerving on its own. We loved seeing the depth of imagination on display here, and Wild Flash lived up to its namesake. 

Always a pleasure to see those submissions pour in from the U.S. and the U.K., and we also enjoyed reading work from authors stationed in Australia, Canada, Germany, and Ireland.  

The following writers had stories that made it through several rounds of cuts, but didn’t quite squeak into the Top 10.

Close-but-no-cigar shortlist shout-outs go to:

Richard Bower
Najla Brown
James Christy
F.E. Clark
Chelsea Comeau (2)
Steven Crowell
Nancy Dassy
A. B. Emrys
Lisa Fransson
Michele Herman
Jude Higgins
Gaynor Jones
Darby Levin
Riley Krembil
Rick Krizman
Kathryn Kulpa
Larry Malchow
Emma Miller
Quentin Norris
Chris Panatier
Aeryn Rudel
Helen Rye
Christopher Stanley
Elizabeth Vegvary
Dianalee Velie
Debbi Voisey
Conor Watson
Matt Weatherbee
Alpheus Williams
Danielle Zaccagnino

The Top 10 that you’ll find below will be published in our forthcoming
Wild Flash mega-issue, which will appear by week’s end.

10 – “The Grove” by Aeryn Rudel

9 – “Sit, Stay, Play Dead” by Emma Miller

8 – “Caddisman” by Michael Carter

7 – “Agave Armageddon” by Wiebo Grobler

6 – “The Solemn Sequoia” by Alex Schweich

5 – “Spacious Skies” by Emily Livingstone

4 – “The Art of Dying” by Michael Nafekh

And now for those three stories
that really grabbed us…

3rd Place ($75)

“Huntress”

by Alpheus Williams

2nd Place ($125)

“Ten Green Bottles”

by Jan Kaneen

1st Place ($250)

“Seasons in the Boneyard”

by Andrew Bourelle

Congrats to the winners and a huge thanks to everyone who participated in our Wild Flash contest! Always a pleasure to read your work, and we couldn’t host these contests without you.

Check back by week’s end our Wild Flash mega-issue!