Time for the big reveal…

Our seventh annual Halloween contest lands amid a year rife with real-life horrors that can rival the best fictional monsters. But you rose to the challenge and provided us with monsters that offer transcendence and escapism alike. You took risks and approached this challenge from unexpected angles. We were moved by the humanity we found in some of these monsters, and enjoyed getting lost in a bit of the old depravity as well. 

As always, we love seeing the international turnout. We read work from writers stationed in Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, U.A.E., U.K., and U.S.A.

But you’ve got pumpkins to carve, so let’s cut with the chit-chat, shall we?

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:

Ellee Achten
Nathan Bachman
Edward Barnfield
Michael Carter
Georgia Cook
Justin Eells
Wiebo Grobler (2)
Erica Harmon
Thomas Hrycyk
Meagan Johanson
Alyssa Jordan
Lisa Kristel
Janice Leagra
Richard Leis
Paige McCain
David Novak
Julian Riches
James Romansky
Shannon Savvas
Jasmine Sawers
F.M. Scott
Luke Sprunger
Christopher Stanley
Neal Suit
Matt Weatherbee
Jeni Weidenbenner
Alpheus Williams (2)
Maura Yzmore

The Top 10* (yeah, actually 11—because 2020 keeps piling on the horror) that you’ll find below will be published in our forthcoming Flash Monster 2020 mega-issue, which will drop on Halloween. They will also be included in a future Prize Winners Anthology print issue.

10th (tie) – “1802” by Rachel Abbey McCafferty / “What a Glorious Feeling” by Sara Brenes Akerman

9th  – “Hewn Oak” by Daniel Scamell

8th – “He Doesn’t Talk About It” by Adrian Scanlan

7th – “We Don’t Go Out After Dark” by Amanda Dawson

6th – “Descent” by Jiksun Cheung

5th – “A Bone to Pick” by Margret Wiggins

4th – “Blessing the Pets” by M.K. Foster

And now on to the three stories that really grabbed us.

3rd Prize ($75)

“The Scuttler”
by Emily Livingstone

2nd Prize ($150)

“Dad”
by Jo Withers

1st Prize ($300)

“Bread and Salt”
by Alyssa Jordan

Congrats to the winners and a huge thanks to everyone who participated in our Flash Monster 2020 contest! 

Check back by Halloween for the Flash Monster mega-issue.